A section of Ugandans have taken to social media to express their anger over a proposal by, Evelyn Anite, the country’s outspoken State Minister for Investment and Privatization compelling citizens to own Uganda Telecom (UTL) Sim cards.
Speaking Tuesday morning at the Uganda Telecom staff blood donation drive at the Constitution Square in Kampala, Anite said having a UTL mobile line should be a show of patriotism and pride for Ugandans. UTL has been facing challenges, including a debt of nearly Shillings trillion, which saw it being placed under administration.
A hashtag Tweet like Anite has been created on microblogging site, Twitter through which the minister is being trolled.
Marvin EL Smuli wrote, “Its going to be compulsory for all Govt employees to have the national anthem as their ringtone. #TweetLikeAnite.”
Anite, who has been instrumental in ensuring that UTL doesn’t wind up, applauded the staff for not only keeping the telecom company afloat but ensuring that it is not taken over by foreigners.
In a major policy announcement, Anite, whom President Museveni fondly calls “my daughter”, said time is coming when having a UTL line will be a mandatory requirement.
She however, didn’t spell out how government will implement the proposal. Anite said there were very many forces which wanted UTL to die, but the staff said no and held it up.
