The Uganda Human Rights Commission wants the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) to come down hard on Ugandans who promote hate speech on various social media platforms.
In its 26th annual report, UHRC said hate speech had become a common occurrence on various social media platforms warning that it could lead to intolerance and violence.
“The Uganda Communications Commission and the Ministry of Information, Communication Technology and National Guidance should utilize technology and data analytics tools to monitor online platforms and detect patterns of hate speech. This can help identify emerging trends and hotspots, allowing for targeted intervention and enforcement efforts,” it wrote.
The call by UHRC while well intentioned is likely to stoke controversy given the fact that UCC and other government agencies have previously used “hate speech” as a pretext to silence voices of people who are critical of government.
Some activists and human rights defenders like Nicholas Opiyo have faced the full wrath of this crackdown.
Secondly, some political organizations have accused UHRC of turning a blind eye to many human rights violations by government agencies.
In the report, UHRC said the media should critically evaluate and analyze information it gives to the public to ensure that it does not promote hate speech and promote positive online behaviour.
“History reminds us of triggers of the Rwanda genocide, fueled by hate speech which played a significant role in fueling the violence. Another example is the 2007-2008 Kenya post-election violence. A number of vernacular radio stations were accused of fanning the intergroup polarization believed to have sparked the 2007-08 electoral violence,” UHRC said.
“Uganda experienced the worst form of this nature of violence during the 2009 Kayunga riots after the Kabaka of Buganda was intercepted by security operatives and denied to go and visit his subjects in Kayunga. Some people coming from a particular part of the country were attacked for coming from western Uganda.”
