A Ugandan court has convicted a shoe vendor and National Unity Platform (NUP) supporter on six counts of hate speech and malicious communication after posting a series of videos targeting the country’s top leaders.
Juma Musuuza, also known as Madubarah, was found guilty by Entebbe Grade One Senior Magistrate Edgar Tibayeita Tusiime. The charges related to online remarks made on his TikTok account, Madubarah UG, in October last year.
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According to prosecutors, Musuuza shared videos in which he claimed President Yoweri Museveni and his son, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, would bring ruin to the country, and alleged that Speaker of Parliament Anita Among had misused public resources.
The court heard testimony from three state witnesses, including a Special Forces Command liaison officer, who said the videos were intended to ridicule and discredit the President, the First Son, and the Speaker. Police later tracked and arrested Musuuza through his TikTok account.
Delivering the verdict, Magistrate Tusiime said the prosecution had provided sufficient evidence to secure a conviction, despite objections from the defence that the videos had not been formally tendered in court.
State Attorney Paul Byamukama Aheebwa argued that Musuuza’s actions reflected a wider pattern of social media misuse to spread malicious claims under the guise of free expression. He urged the court to impose the maximum penalty of seven years in prison, saying the convict “undermined the authority of national leaders” and showed “no remorse.”
However, Musuuza’s lawyers asked the court to exercise leniency, noting that he is a first-time offender, a family breadwinner, and has already spent nearly ten months in detention. They argued that a harsh custodial sentence would set a dangerous precedent for freedom of expression.
Musuuza himself told the court that security officers assaulted him and knocked out a tooth while forcing him to surrender his phone password.
The magistrate said he would consider submissions from both sides before delivering the sentence on Friday.
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