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Vice President Jessica Alupo’s social media team has issued an apology after being called out for a huge mistake they made about her recent trip to Rwanda.
The team posted old photos from a previous Rwandan presidential inauguration while congratulating President Paul Kagame on his recent swearing-in.
Upon her return from Kigali, where she represented President Yoweri Museveni at Kagame’s inauguration, Alupo posted a message on X (formerly known as Twitter), congratulating Kagame and wishing Rwanda peace and prosperity.
However, the post included images from Kagame’s 2017 inauguration, creating confusion and drawing attention to the mistake.
The old photos featured former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir—who was ousted from power in 2019 and was certainly not at yesterday's inauguration.
Read: PHOTOS: Kainerugaba arrives in Rwanda for Kagame's swearing-in ceremony
This quickly drew criticism from social media users.
One user, Calvin Mutsinzi, pointed out the error, writing, “H.E @jessica_alupo, the photos you shared from yesterday’s inauguration mistakenly include former Sudan President Omar al-Bashir, who wasn’t present. This has caused some confusion. Please update with the correct images to ensure accurate information is shared. Thank you.”
Post deleted
The Vice President’s team acted swiftly, deleting the post after the mistake was highlighted.
Despite the quick response, the gaffe prompted several users to express their disappointment, with some even calling for the dismissal of those responsible.
In response to the backlash, the Vice President’s press secretary, Pamela Ankunda, issued a formal apology.
“I've received so many calls and messages regarding the mistakes on VP's X handle. I thank everyone who's had the presence of mind to reach out," she wrote.
"While there is no excuse for such mediocrity, I deeply apologize on behalf of the press team. The handler stands cautioned and will do better,” Ankunda said in a statement.
The incident has highlighted the challenges of managing official communications on social media, where mistakes can quickly become public and lead to broader scrutiny. While the focus of the Vice President’s visit to Rwanda was on representing Uganda at a significant regional event, the social media blunder momentarily overshadowed this diplomatic mission.