Laws promoting corruption, abuse of rights and personality cults

In the past few months, three seemingly independent events have happened in the three East Africa countries of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. It started with Uganda, which made the pronouncement that come July this year, Ugandans would pay $0.027 (Sh7) every day to use social media. Right after Uganda’s incongruous pronouncement, Tanzanian authorities announced in April their plans to introduce a $930 fee for those wanting to have an online blog, and went ahead to institute Electronic and Postal Communications (Online Content) Regulations 2018.

Then in Kenya,President Uhuru Kenyatta, against good judgement, went ahead and signed the Bill into law the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Bill, 2018. These three similar events make for a very disconcerting pattern in East Africa, at a time when people are seeking to consolidate basic freedoms and rights that allow democracy to blossom.