Cyberbullying forces ex-Interpol boss Kasingye off Twitter

SOCIAL MEDIA

KAMPALA - Former Interpol boss Asan Kasingye has revealed that he will no longer be available on Twitter, citing harassment on social media.

Kasingye, who served as police spokesperson and now heads the police commissariat at Uganda Police Force, blamed his decision on blackmail and cyberbullying.  

"For that matter, I am officially off Twitter, forever. [It] was a blessing knowing many of you good hearted people. Will forever cherish you," he wrote.

He went ahead to document some of the evidence of the harassment by posting a Whatsapp message he claims was sent to blackmail him.

The post read: "Hallo, it has come to our notice you're on Facebook page known as Machete Killz which is antigovernment. It also blackmails police and violates rights of Ugandans."

The message was allegedly sent by 0714667710.

Kasingye, who joined Twitter in 2015, has been a social media sensation boasting of over 38,000 Twitter followers. Although his job as chief political commissioner does not oblige him to speak for the police, he has not shied away from defending the Force and the Government whenever they are attacked.

Indeed two hours before he announced it was time up on Twitter, he had just defended the police, which was receiving a barrage of criticisms for manhandling an opposition politician allied to Democratic Party following skirmishes that greeted the arrest of Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi.

"Management is reviewing the case of how Sam Lubega Mukaaku was handled," he wrote on Thursday.  

The development will resurrect debate on whether or not it is proper for high profile civil servants to embrace social media.  

In January, the Inspector General of Government (IGG), Irene Mulyagonya warned judges about social media, saying it has the potential to bring their integrity into disrepute as it tempts them to post revealing information about themselves.

Elsewhere in Canada, a report in 2015 on an online publication, quoting Debi Daviau, president of the Professional Institute for the Public Service of Canada, discouraged civil servants from overindulging social media. 

The report said the measure was in a bid to clamp down on some civil servants who were reportedly using it criticize the policies or programmes of the government.

The official also urged the officials not to use government equipment or devices or access their social media accounts on government time.