Engaging ‘bazukulu’ directly on social media is a welcome move

This week, President Museveni travelled to Yokohama, Japan, to attend the seventh edition of the Tokyo International Conference for African Development (TICAD) summit.
During the long-haul flight to Yokohama, a rare photograph was taken of a jovial, fairly relaxed Museveni at work on his laptop. The President was said to be engaging his social media followers.
As usual, the President addressed his social media followers on Twitter and Facebook as bazukulu (grandchildren) as he answered their concerns on issues ranging from service delivery, increasing corruption, poverty and performance of different NRM programmes.
It is possible that the NRM government has realised the need to consistently engage the more than eight million social media users as the 2021 general election approaches.
According to President Museveni, “I have now resolved not only to work through emissaries (MPs, chairperson, councillors etc.), but to also use all direct channels to the population. Thanks for joining me for 2021.”
The perception is that there is a large percentage of the population disgruntled with the NRM government, having been in power for more than 30 years without doing more and above what the population had hoped for since 1986.
President Museveni directed some of the issues raised on social media by his bazukulu to other government officials, including State House comptroller Lucy Nakyobe, State House Anti-Corruption Unit head Edith Nakalema, Health minister Jane Ruth Aceng and Finance minister Matia Kasaija for further communication.
Increasingly, political leaders globally are using social media to effectively deliver, share, control and manage information flow.
A 2015 survey conducted by Digital Impact Awards Africa ranking the top 20 heads of state social media put Egypt’s Abdel Fattah El Sisi as the most followed African head of state with 2.9 million people on Twitter and Facebook.
Then Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan came second with 1.58 million followers and in third place was Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta with 1.54 million followers. The survey also noted that president Kenyatta was one of the most active heads of state on social media, frequently engaging his followers and responding to their questions.
It is possible that since President Museveni regularly engages Ugandans on social media, he accumulates first-hand information and feedback on issues that concern ordinary citizens.
Therefore, information from Ugandans also gives the President a better picture on the performances of his Cabinet ministers, ministries and government officials and the implementation of government programmes.
In other words, President Museveni’s social media followers have the opportunity to indirectly influence the President Museveni’s next action, including appointments to Cabinet.
Furthermore, the President’s social media engagements might also be an effective tool of eliminating non-performing ministers and government officials from government.
In 2015 when president Kenyatta reshuffled his cabinet, his social media followers strongly voiced their opinions directly to the President on who their preferred choices were. Reason? To ensure effective service delivery, minimising corruption and increasing credibility and accountability in the Kenyan government.
In Uganda, political stakes seem to be rising with new, younger entrants. Notably, some Opposition politicians have already publicly declared their presidential ambitious challenging President Museveni in 2021.
The incumbent President, who is also the NRM party chairman, is also eagerly eyeing his sixth term in office and is employing early counteractive strategies, consistently engaging the public and controlling public opinion more closely using social media.
Unknown to the Cabinet ministers, it is possible that the public is actively influencing President Museveni’s decisions on his next Cabinet through social media.
Ms Victoria Nyeko is a media commentator.
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Twitter:@VictoriaNyeko