ICT and National Guidance Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi has revealed that government is looking for Ugandans behind the fake news on the health of Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah.
The rumors of Oulanyah’s death spread after Wikipedia published an update claiming he had breathed his last. (Read Story Here).
But deputy speaker Anita Annet Among has since assured Ugandans that Oulanyah is still alive and responding to treatment. (Read Story Here).
Now, according to Minister Baryomunsi, those who declared Oulanyah dead will be tracked and brought to book.
“There are some cases which we take up as government, and it is true some of these messages which have been circulating we are now hunting down the originators in the sense that we are using technology to establish the people who originated these messages because through UCC we can trace back to the person who originated,” said Baryomunsi.
“If we get them, we shall definitely handle them in accordance with the law. So the answer is yes for some of those who are sending those alarming and negative messages. We are following them up.”
Those arrested for declaring Oulanyah dead could be charged under the Computer Misuse Act 2011.
Oulanyah is not the first top government official to be declared dead while still alive.
In July 2021, some people announced that Museveni was dead, yet the president was alive and well. (Read Story Here).
The president would later order for the arrest of all those who announced that he was dead. (Read Story Here).
