UPDF perturbed by veterans ‘spreading bush war lies’ on TikTok

These veterans and their families are reportedly using platform, mostly TikTok to make false claims about the 1980s liberation war.

This was revealed on Friday by Col. Jacob Asiimwe, the Special Presidential Assistant on Veterans Affairs, during a veterans function in Wakiso district.

Asiimwe revealed that he had identified about 4 of these veterans in Musulita alone. 

The veterans, he said, are spreading lies about having helped President Yoweri Museveni during the bush war, and never hearing from him again after he captured power.

“Now we Tiktok and all these other social media channels… I have seen some of our veterans on Tiktok claiming Museveni slept in their houses during the bush war, which is not true,” he said.

"In Masulita there are about 4 people on that platform; they go on Tiktok and start telling lies that 'the President was here, and my mother cooked for him.'"

“But I can tell you, I was moving with him (Museveni) most of that time and I am blessed to still have a sharp memory. I know all the places he went to every time he left camp.”

Asiimwe warned that such falsehoods could not only hurt the image of the government but could also sow discord and mistrust in the veteran community itself.

“Soon we might start to doubt everyone, even those who are telling the truth,” he said.

Asiimwe was speaking at a function where the Ministry of Luwero- Rwenzori Triangle handed over a new house to Enid Lwanyaga, the widow of the late Lwanyaga who died in 1984 during the NRA bush war.

The Ministry has so far constructed five houses for some of the veterans in different parts of the country.