Entebbe, (UG):- A 21-year-old Ugandan TikToker has been sentenced to two years in jail after pleading guilty to spreading hate speech and demeaning the person of President Museveni and the First Family.
Emmanuel Nabugodi, known for sharing comedy content to his 20,000 followers on social media platform TikTok, made a film of a mock trial of the head of state which led to his eventual arrest.
In the video which went viral on social media, Nabugodi appeared to call for Museveni’s public flogging which according to law enforcement authorities was a demeanour of the President’s persona as the Head of State.
During his court appearance last week, Nabugodi pleaded guilty to the four charges clapped against him which included hate speech and spreading malicious information about the president.
When handing down Nabugodi’s sentence, Entebbe Chief Magistrate, Ms Stellah Maris Amabilis said he was not remorseful and the sentence would help prevent social media attacks against people including the person of the president under a controversial amendment in 2022 to the Computer Misuse Act.
“This court has seen the accused in court, and does not believe that he is remorseful, ignorance of the law is no defence, this court is of the view that the convict deserves a deterrent sentence to enable him to learn from his acts and next time to respect the fountain of honour,” Magistrate Amabilis ruled.
“The likes of the convict instead of being gainfully employed, resort to TikTok to abuse and ridicule people, most especially the fountain of honour, which was in this case, the convict in this case abused, ridiculed, and degraded the person of the President of the Republic of Uganda, His Excellency, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. The convict also spread malicious information relating to the person of His Excellency, through other people’s SIM cards.
“This court hopes that by the time the convict leaves prison, he would have learnt that abusing people in the name of getting content is bad,” she said, adding that the convicted has the right to appeal against the sentence within 14 days.
Activists condemn oppression of human rights
A section of human rights groups in the East African country have frequently complained about restrictions on the freedom of speech in the country, alleging that the president – in power since 1986 – does not tolerate criticism.
The groups also denounce the Ugandan authorities over violations of human rights and the freedom of expression.
In July, Edward Awebwa was handed a six-year sentence on similar charges to Nabugodi regarding a TikTok post. Three others are awaiting trial over content on the social media app.
Additionally, Ibrahim Musana, known online as “Pressure 24/7,” was remanded for two months for promoting hate speech against the president, Speaker Anita Among, and the Kabaka of Buganda.
In 2022, award-winning Ugandan author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija was charged with two counts of “offensive communication” after making unflattering remarks about the president and his son on Twitter. Kakwenza fled the country to Germany after spending a month in jail, where he said he had been tortured.
Others who have faced the wrath include former Rubaga Division Resident City Commissioner Herbert Burora, and satirical political activist Stella Nyanzi, among others.
Critics argue that the Computer Misuse Act, enacted in 2022, has been increasingly used to suppress freedom of expression, particularly against those critical of the government.
The law made it illegal to “write, send, or share any information through a computer, which is likely to ridicule, degrade, or demean another person, group of persons, a tribe, an ethnicity, a religion or gender”.
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