Burundi: Suspension du Medium en ligne Ikiriho (12.10.2018)

Cameroon: South West Region – Buea – Launching President Paul Biya’s revised book “For Communal Liberalism” on 21st September 2018 (18.09.2018)

MISA Zimbabwe: Police Question Journalist Over Documentary (17.09.2018)

RDC: Leopards Medias – Communique – “a Direction générale de Politico.CD exige la libération immédiate de son Directeur de Publication Fiston Larousse, arrêté arbitrairement ce matin à Lubumbashi” (16.09.2018)

PRAU – Statement: Public Relations is not about Distorting Reality – Clarification on H.E. The President of Uganda’s Address to the Nation on 9th September 2018 (11.09.2018)

President Museveni has apparently hired a Spin-the-News Social Media Team!

There is now a leaked draft list of people circulating online, where there are known people who will be working for the President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. Whose job is spin the news and ensure the agenda is spread as he wishes, as the Minister of ICT and Communications Frank Tumbewaze and the Uganda Media Centre Ofwono Opondo cannot handle themselves, that is why more people are put on board.

There are certain individuals who are hired to directly spread their “news” on Twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook and so on. There is even one man hired to run the GCIC, which is Simon Peter Olara, who will spread the handpicked messages there. The man on conventional social media like Facebook and Twitter, who will manage that is Herbert Anderson. On Twitter there are 11 persons who is working there directly, there will be one in-charge of Diaspora and International Media Monitoring, he is Ibrahim Bagaya Kisubi. Radios and TV part of the team are Augustine Otuko. You have a Content Development made by Hussain Hudu. However, the Manager of this team is Duncan Abigaba.

What is important about the Manager of this Media Team, Duncan Abigaba is the Ex-Presidential Assistant-Research & Information. Therefore, he is a loyalist of the President and will make sure the Team is up to dropping the “knowledge” they need. He is a former leader within the NRM Youth League (NRM-YL) as well. So, he has been a voice from within. Abigaba has been until recently, the manager of the Government Citizen Interaction Centre (GCIC). This man has really been in the midst’s of government agenda and spin, as they want.

So, when he becomes the manager of this team, that is partly hiring someone to handle the GCIC and getting the previous Presidential Assistant – Research and Information, are now making a Media Team to spin the news on the Social Media. The place where the President says it is all rumors and gossip. But clearly the President knows the importance of controlling the conservation and spread his message. That is why the state already controls the Vision Group and Uganda Broadcasting Company (UBC). This wouldn’t matter, if the President didn’t want set the agenda and not have the media looking into the facts.

This is to secure his message using a loyal man Abigaba to do this. The former leader of GCIC and NRM Youth League will ensure the message of the government is massaged to the masses. That is the clear message by the state, as they want to steer it and try to spin the news. As the need so many people as part of the Twitter Team, also the leadership of every single Social Media Page like WhatsApp and Facebook, and also Monitor the Diaspora or International Media.

Abigaba will really show his force and his ability as loyalist of the President. We will see if he can put this people up to speed, some calls this a micro-troll-farm for the President. That might be true, but if they will bring news like the GCIC handle, it will be super positive spin who is favor of the President. They will not generate facts and make sure the NRM looks like the golden goose of the world and at large. Peace.

Is President Magufuli afraid of statistics now?

The Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and President John Pombe Magufuli who has done his to silence critics, media and opposition politicians. Now, he is starting to control the Education Sector or the Higher Education, as the ones doing surveys and research now with the amendment of the Written Laws and the Principal Acts, Amendment 31. which will stop you from publish any data without permission. Secondly, the same folks cannot publish the data- or statistics even if it truthful, when it differs with the official government data. Therefore, the truth always has to be similar to the government and not be separated from that.

The CCM and Magufuli must be afraid of what the NGOs and Higher Education are doing, as they want the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has to decide if their survey or study is even truthful compared to the numbers they have crunched. They are not accepting the works or the analysis of others. As they might find out that the beans-production isn’t as good as the CCM wants or even the inflation in the coastal region compared to Moshi.

That the ones publishing a statistics or data without the permission from the NBS will get a possible fine of 10 million shillings. They are really afraid of the statistics that doesn’t fit the narrative of CCM. They are already afraid of the Social Media, the bloggers and the newspapers, they have suspended people for writing songs and politicians for calling Magufuli a dictator. He really has to take the pulse on everything.

This shows how bad and how weak the President is. He cannot even trust the educational or the ones surveying the land, as they will belittle his ego and his reputation. He has to be the grandest man ever residing in Tanzania. Magufuli has to be praised and loved like a genius. Even if he is far from it. Is he afraid of academic researchers?

Have they shaded him so much, that the lack of economic progress or even keeping up with his own pledges, become so bad he has to secure the data the Higher Education and the NGOs are creating? Unless, they fit the narrative of the CCM?

That is what I am getting out of this. The Tanzanian government are afraid of researchers, NGOs and the educational surveys, that might find results that doesn’t fit the President and his party. That is why he has to say: “no, you cannot publish that”. That is what he is up too, because he cannot have statistics showing the reality, he needs numbers that are fitting him. Good to know how tin-skinned the man is. Peace.

A Military Takeover as the Kampala Riots continues for freeing Bobi Wine!

There been parts of Kampala like in Kamwokya, where there been riots for over three days. While today there been riots across the city for Kisekka Market, Makindye, Kamwokya, Ntinda and the Old Kampala. This is showing, that after some time, the people are have started to demonstrate over bigger areas. As the weekend started in Kamwokya and some parts into Gayaza road in the Kyadondo East district which is Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine was elected from. Therefore, the youth and people is demonstrating for him and the rest of the arrested MPs in the custody of the authorities.

Result of today:

70 people reportedly arrested in protests against MPs’ arrest. Riots started in Kampala spread to Mukono, Kayunga and Jinja” (NTV Newsroom, 20.08.2018).

There been several of journalists detained and arrested because of the riots, as they were monitoring and reporting on it. Both in NTV journalists Juma Kiirya and Ronald Galiwango was arrested, while being on the streets of Kampala. Also, James Akena of Reuters was beaten by the soldiers. On Nasser Road soldiers forced hundreds of people down on the ground to kneel and have the their arms in the air. To really show who was in command. On Kampala Road people was walking through with their hands in the air.

There was burning tires, tear-gas and soldiers across the city. There was across town reports of soldier going around masked. Meaning they were covering up themselves and shows their lack of understanding of what they are doing. As they are harassing and tormenting people to stay in power. Because they are starting to question the power of the people. They are burning tires and showing their discontent they way they know, while the soldiers and police are tormenting the public.

The President have clearly ordered the Special Force Command to contain the riots of Kampala. There are also some reports of stay-bullets used by these men hitting people. But the amount of shot or killed is uncertain. At this point, each one is too many. Each one of them is done as the President ordered. He accepted their fate and are responsible.

To know the real results to this matter. It is hard to know at this present time. However, what this is a proof of the militarism and the answer to every single move. Is to call in the army and violate people’s right to demonstrate. They are not allowed to have a voice and answer back to the authorities who oppress them. Who take their leaders and only put toils, sweat and tears back to them.

Now, the authorities are answering back with the military, trying to stop people from monitoring or even documenting the riots. The President have forgotten why he supposedly liberated people, to actually free them, not torment them as he does today. That is what is happening.

The people are the losers, as they are still under siege and the riots has to continue, as the soldiers and Presidential Guards had the capacity to contain the riots. But this is a sign, that the people are tired and answering back to the President and his army. They are not afraid and starting. Even as they are still humiliated and arrested by him for doing.

The acts of Nasser Road today, should be moment, where you see how the supposed “freedom fighter” gave way to be the tormentor of every single citizen if he has too. Peace.

African Centre for Media Excellence Condemns Attacks on Journalists (20.08.2018)

Philippines: PCOO issues memorandum telling employees to be mindful of what they post on social media (13.08.2018)