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Steve Jobs is quoted to have said: Stay hungry, stay foolish. In a young country like Uganda, this is not just a quote; it's quite literally a way of life~ a mantra for the hungry, foolish Ugandan. Now three quarters of Ugandans are under the age of 35. 1/8
Now if we were all to storm the offices, I bet you we would be elbow deep in each others armpits vying for a few spots our economy opens up (if the old timers retire). So then, a quarter of Ugandans go to work and two quarters stay hungry on the streets. 2/8
The Uganda gov't made the regrettable decision to switch off the internet for 5 whole days and has since blocked social media entirely. In the process, thousands of Ugandans have been rendered jobless. 3/8
Now the internet is vast. And wherever there is a crowd, there's a shilling to be earned. If you doubt me, follow a viral Ugandan tweet and you'll find a Ugandan entrepreneur selling something. 4/8
WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube pull crowds and crowds are an audience and a means to make ends meet. Those two quarters of leftover Ugandan job seekers are now online hawkers peddling their wares, their services to the highest bidder. 5/8
Social media is heaven-sent for teachers, developers, tour operators, musicians, businessmen, banks, e.t.c. @UCC_Official , you are damming the river that feeds the village and in the evening, you make your way to the same village begging for food. 6/8
To switch off the internet is foolish. To ban social media is foolish. The Uganda gov't should know better. A proper gov't works for its people. Switching off/restricting the internet for the sake of peace is well and good. But Ugandans won't eat peace. 7/8
We need jobs. A gov't that fails to provide jobs and then blocks avenues for the citizens to create their own jobs is not a gov't of the people. That is a cancer preying on the people. 8/8
