Museveni wins Harvard student Twitter block case

JUSTICE | SOCIAL MEDIA | LEADERSHIP

KAMPALA - Court has dismissed with costs a suit by Innocent Hilary Taylor Seguya, a Harvard University student who accused President Yoweri Museveni of illegally blocking him on his Twitter handle @KagutaMuseveni.

In a judgment delivered on May 20, High Court judge Andrew Bashaija ruled that Museveni's twitter account is personal and hence has latitude to choose on whom to allow or block.

The judge noted that there is nothing that precludes a public official from using his/her private twitter handle to communicate or comment on a private matter or on the issue of public concern. 

"The net finding is that no right of the applicant, whatsoever, was infringed or, violated by the said officials. The application is dismissed in its entirety, with costs to the respondent," Bashaija ruled.

Seguya, through his Attorney Hassan Male Mabirizi had sued Attorney General, the principal legal adviser to the government accusing Museveni, Ofwono Opondo, and AIGP Asan Kasingye of ‘illegally' blocking him from their respective twitter handles which he claimed they used to disseminate public information.

Opondo is the executive director of the Uganda Media Centre while Kasingye is the Police Chief Political Commissar and their twitter handles are @OfwonoOpondo and @Akasingye respectively.

The judge observed that the use of private twitter handle by public officials on the issue of public concern would not in itself transform a private twitter handle public.