Tanzanian Awadhi Luguya Arrested for Opening a “Coronavirus Tanzania” Facebook Page

Tanzania police in Morogoro region has arrested 24-year old Awadhi Luguya for opening a Facebook page and naming it Coronavirus Tanzania where he gave periodic updates on the virus and its impact in the country.

According to the Tanzania police, Awadhi Luguya was arrested for giving “unofficial information” on the page, away from what the government was doing.

Tanzanian government led by President John Pombe Magufuli has dismissed the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) and urged the citizens to go about their daily lives as “God will protect its people.”

Recently, Dar-es-salaam regional commissioner Paul Makonda was reported urging residents to ignore calls not to go to work and urged them not to listen to advise from lazy people who are trying to make them not work.

Awadhi Luguya was arrested on April 1, it’s not a joke, at around 5PM at a place called Mazimbu in Morogoro region.

Morogoro regional police commander Wilbroad Mutafungwa told the state-owned TBC that Awadhi Luguya was arrested after he was reported to authorities by citizens who felt that he was giving wrong information about the virus.

Wilbroad Mutafungwa said, “We have arrested him and hold his phones as an exhibit. He will be presented before a court of law after investigations are complete on a charge of misuse of communication networks.”

African government have not been honest with Coronavirus (COVID-19) reports, choosing instead to arrest and charge those who might contradict what the official narrative is.

Mainstream media in the continent almost depend entirely on adverts from the state, making even the independent media a powerful tool controlled and used by the state to silence alternative voices.

Daily Nation in Kenya has been accused of currently being the propaganda tool of the government which has been feeling the pressure from bloggers and Kenyans on social media.

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