A 21-year-old TikTok content creator, Emmanuel Nabugodi, has been sentenced to 32 months in prison for insulting President Yoweri Museveni.
The verdict was delivered by Chief Magistrate Stellah Amabilis at the Entebbe court. Nabugodi, who pleaded guilty last week, faced charges under the controversial Computer Misuse Act 2022 for hate speech and spreading malicious information about the president.
In her ruling, Magistrate Amabilis emphasized that the sentence was intended to serve as a deterrent, stating, “I hope that by the time the convict leaves prison, he would have learned that abusing people in the name of getting content is bad.”
Nabugodi, now serving his sentence at Kigo Prison, has the right to appeal the ruling within 14 days. He joins a growing list of Ugandans convicted under the Computer Misuse Act for targeting public figures online.
In a similar case earlier this year, the same court sentenced 24-year-old TikToker Edward Awebwa to six years in prison for online abuse directed at President Museveni. 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.
Other prominent figures convicted under this law include former Rubaga Division Resident City Commissioner Herbert Burora, political activist Stella Nyanzi, and novelist Kakwenza Rukirabashaija. 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.
Human rights organizations have raised concerns over the law’s impact on free speech in Uganda, with calls for its review or repeal.
Nabugodi’s case highlights growing tension between content creators and the government.
While activists have warned of a shrinking space for dissent in the digital era, the government has expressed determination to crack down on the misuse of social media platforms.
