By CIPESA Writer |
The 2015/2016 electioneering season in Uganda set a precedent in the use of social media as a means for politicians to reach out and engage with citizens. It was the first time in Uganda that a candidate announced they would run for President via YouTube and also saw candidate Yoweri Museveni (the incumbent) seek out a more tech-savvy media team to keep abreast with the widening channels of civic engagement.
While some of the candidates maintained personal Twitter accounts and actively engaged in the online conversations, others remained dormant, although they had Twitter accounts.
In partnership with Outbox we present the first of a three-part series into the key themes shaping the online conversation of Ugandans during the electioneering process.
The report explores the level of Twitter activity, interaction and conversational trends with specific focus on the #UgDebate16 hashtag during the 1st presidential debate held on January 15, 2016 and 2nd debate, which was held on February 13, 2016. During both debates, the hashtag trended locally and gained popularity as far as South Africa.
See the full report here: Analysis of Twitter Activity During the 2016 Presidential Debates in Uganda – Monitoring Uganda Elections Series 01 #UgDebate16

(Updated)
Since 2013, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) has been coordinating the OpenNet Africa projectwhich is aimed at monitoring and promoting internet freedoms, primarily in East and Southern African states.
As part of the initiative’s 2015 strategies, Outbox community has been chosen to undertake certain in-country activities.
To this end, on Thursday 16^th April, 2015, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, a team from CIPESA will meet-up with selected techies with knowledge of Internet usage and security, to share about what OpenNet Africa is, what objectives we want the techies to test, what to test and what success would look like after the test.
Tools to be used:

Cryptocat
Mailvelope
Martus
Textsecure
Redphone

All these tools are open source and should be easily available online.
Participants will be supported for 3 weeks to work on their ideas with support from mentors after which there will be a pitching event to showcase the test/familiarisation findings and localisation ideas to adapt/ improve the tools.
Judges will determine participants with the best findings and localisation ideas for prizes.
If you would like to participate, please apply here and wait for confirmation email.
OpenNet Africa is aimed at monitoring and promoting internet freedoms, primarily in East and Southern African states.
The objective is to provide a centralised platform that acts as a focal point for information on African internet freedoms and cyber security. OpenNet Africa therefore provide access to research materials on internet freedom, legal regimes on internet openness or the lack of it, censorship incidents, African initiatives that are promoting internet rights, and policy advocacy materials. Learn more…

When it’s at..

Thursday, 16 April 2015

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Outbox Hub

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OpenNet Africa Project Introduction Meetup