There’s a popular anti-government Facebook provocateur/s who aptly nicknamed themselves Tom ‘Voltaire’ Okwalinga (TVO)

They comes up with all kinds of conspiracies and rumours many times a day and have over 150,000 followers. Most of these conspiracies turn out to be to be false, but that hasn’t seemed to halt their notoriety or popularity. The 2 most recent reviews sum up well the range of opinions about TVO.

Anyway… a few days ago TVO displayed a US embassy condemnation of the horrendous crackdown on a rising star opposition politician Bobi Wine, who was recently tortured by the government. Ugandans’ responses to the US statement are a fantastic insight both into the sad reality of the situation, and the mood of the people towards foreign powers like the US which love to make statements with no teeth to back them up. I’ve displayed a series of comments after TVO posted the statement, many of which echo two sentiments. First, the US have their own issues and are hypocrytical, and second frustration at the lack of US action over the years.

1 – The US is hypocritical

Lema Mike: “Still waiting for USA to condemn police brutality in America eri abadugavu”

Leny Jaspher: “There is nothing much that I expect the administration of Deborah Malach (US Ugandan ambassador) to do apart from only making that statement… After all she dines and wine with the sycophants and tyrants together

Muwonge Marvine: “But they killed LutherKing while preaching for freedom”

Rahman Bin Issa: “Double standards”

Luryama moy: “The US is in bed with Museveni lol”

2 –  Frustration at the lack of action – Do something!

Hon Aogon Silas Cyril: “Just barking , come-on bite bite and bite”

Fauza Mutera Omukaka: And it ends there. What can the western do when M7 is helping them kill Muslims in Somalia?

Mbabazi Joan:“WE ARE TIRED OF USA BOGUS WARNINGS WHEN THEY ARE ACTUALLY RELUCTANT TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.WE PREFER THEIR SILENCE.JUST DECADES OF WARNINGS MINUS DOING ANYTHING”

Patrick Othieno: “There’s nothing any outsider can do to help Ugandans. Those guys are in bed with M7. It’s a waste of time to say that USA has spoken against human rights mistreatment in Uganda”

Michael-west Obin: “What help will that statement do to Ugandans”

Samuel Muriisanganda: “Who cares about what the US says, that’s a mere barking dog”

I tend to agree with them!