Known for not mincing his words, internal affairs minister Maj Gen (Rtd) Kahinda Otafiire has warned leaders against confusing citizens’ demand for accountability of public funds as hate speech.
In Uganda, activists are facing it rough as political leaders turn to the law to have those demanding tough action against their corruption and inefficiencies locked up over hate speech.
A TikToker has been handed a six-year jail term for comments made against President Yoweri Museveni while a former deputy RCC was remanded for hate speech and for sharing malicious information against Speaker Anita Among.
Otafiire now says leaders must do the right thing and stop thinking they can accuse people of hate speech simply because they have pointed out their ills.
“If you are in leadership, you have to be upright and accountable,” Otafiire said during a graduation ceremony at Kampala International University (KIU) on July 13.
“Those of you in authority, stop confusing demand for accountability with hate speech.”
The minister also challenged young people to “support those of us who still stand up and say ‘no,'” adding that the youth should not let the struggle for freedom and justice to “be in vain.” He equally urged the young people to stand up and oppose corruption.
“You still have 50 to 60 years ahead of you. Do not accept to pay the price we have paid for you to repay what we have regained on your behalf,” he said.
“Stand up and tell us ‘sorry, enough is enough you have to stop here.”
Otafiire further noted that corruption had relegated Ugandans to the class of uncivilized people seeking to satisfy their greed.
“There is enough to satisfy man’s needs, but there isn’t enough to satisfy man’s greed because greed is elastic,” noted Otafiire.
“We should be ashamed of being treated as third-world citizens. We should work very hard to recover our dignity, to stand up among people and say we are also civilized. You can not be civilized when you are accused of corruption.”
Otafiire’s comments come a day after the state amended former deputy RCC Anderson Burora’s charge sheet to detail his ‘sins’ as being calling Speaker Anita Among a “murderer, corrupt, torturer and kidnapper.” (See Details Here).
