About 5 million Ugandans have decided to log out of social media than pay a government imposed social media tax.

Last year the government of Museveni, who is presiding over a brutal dictatorship in the East African country, imposed a tax on Ugandans if they wanted to access social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram. The government said at the time that the tax, which Ugandans jokingly referred to as “gossip tax”, will help boost Uganda’s revenue and curb the threat to national security.

“We’re looking for money to maintain the security of the country and extend electricity so that you people can enjoy more of social media, more often, more frequently,” said Matia Kasaija, Uganda’s Minister of Finance, when announcing the proposed social media tax earlier in 2018.

Many Ugandans including civil liberties organisations and opposition political parties viewed the tax as a ruse by the increasingly intolerant Museveni to stifle political dissent and opposition voices. In the run up to the last presidential elections, Museveni blocked social media platforms and instant messaging services in the country.

Ugandans have reacted in anger and have come up with several ways of trying to bypass the social media tax such as installing VPN apps and using encrypted alternatives to WhatsApp such as the Signal app

The 74-year-old Museveni, who has ruled over Uganda since 1986, remains resolute with the tax despite its effects on the internet and mobile money sectors. In three months of the levy, according to the Uganda Communications Commission, subscription declined by more than 2.5 million users while the sum of taxpayers from over-the-top media services decreased by more than 1.2 million users. The value of mobile money transactions also fell by 4.5 trillion Ugandan shillings ($1.2 million).

Uganda is not the only African country raising money on mobile internet – Kenya, Zambia and Zimbabwe have all imposed similar taxes in recent years.