All government entities to be active on social media

The Government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo has said by the end of 2017, every government entity will be available on social media and actively interacting with the public.

He said this during the 2017 Uganda social media conference yesterday at Serena hotel in Kampala.

"We have noticed, most social media users complaining about issues but they never get responses, so by 2017 every government entity will be available on social media. We also want to set up a department to monitor people's accounts and find out the reason why they complain," Ofwono said.

He also noted that social media users especially news websites and bloggers are currently the most unethical people, that is why they do not fear to share graphic pictures and fake stories.

Addressing social media users, Racheal Akidi, a BBC editor advised employees to watch what they post on their pages.

"If you express an opinion on social media, many people might associate it with your employers and it cost you a job. If you are to write state it right that it is your personal opinion," she said.

Though she was not around, most people described Dr Stella Nyanzi as a national treasure because she does not mind about respectability but uses social media for development. They gave an example of her sanitary towel campaign on Facebook.

Most panelists advised young people to use social media for development other than gossiping and watching videos.

"Instead of wasting this opportunity watching useless videos and downloading things that do not help us, why can't we change and use it for the betterment of ourselves and the society we live in," said Philip Ogola, a media consultant in Kenya.