The dance of a mad person in the street is funny when they are not your relative.
The African saying reflects the obuntu bulamu preached by cultural and religious leaders in Uganda that people should not rejoice when misfortune befalls those who might have wronged them. Yet over the past decade, this restraint has rarely applied to omuntu wawansi and those in power.
On social media and in public spaces, news of death, hospitalisation, or any other serious ordeal involving an army general or politician aligned with the yellow government has more chances of being welcomed as a win, rather than the sympathy one would expect it to receive. This reaction is often followed by negative remarks directed at those affected.
Labelled as “cashing out” and “hate-watching” on social media, celebrating distressing incidents involving individuals in or associated with the ruling government is increasingly becoming common, but also raising hard questions.
Have Ugandans lost sympathy for others, or is this “hate-watching” simply their way of airing grievances against those in power?
And just when you think of a recent example that won’t leave mixed feelings, there is UCC Director George William Nyombi Thembo, who, according to his TikTok posts, appears to be stranded in a hotel in Dubai amid the ongoing Israel/USA vs Iran war that has destabilised several parts of the Middle East.
In a TikTok video posted on 1 March 2026, Nyombi wrote:
“War is news when it’s thousands of kilometers away. But when a missile hits a hotel just a few kilometers from where you are staying, it becomes a live threat. Then, elevator gossip suggests you are too near a landmark building that could be targeted, forcing you to consider relocating. At that moment, you become part of the war.
Many people view the conflict between Iran and the USA/Israel as a war between nations-a distant threat that doesn’t require their worry. But that isn’t the case when an innocent boy from Kassanda gets entangled in the conflict while transiting to Barcelona for duty.
Now, no planes are taking off or landing in Dubai. For how long, God knows-and another missile might land. Prayers needed.”
These words of wisdom from Nyombi’s TikTok were met with little to no sympathy. In the comments, most expressed resentment, ridiculing him with phrases like “switch off the internet,” “now you see the importance of internet,” and “you are lucky to have internet access to communicate with loved ones.” Reposts on X go as far as suggesting support for the Iranian side to target the hotel he was in.
To be clear, Nyombi Thembo, a staunch supporter of President Museveni, is the head of the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC). Operating under the Executive arm of government, UCC regulates telecom companies and has become known for directing them to switch off internet and mobile money services, as many will recall from the January 2026 elections. Nyombi’s current predicament raises a question: Does working for the Museveni government inevitably attract public hostility, one that extends to the next generation?
