A sixth-year student from Uganda’s prestigious Makerere University has been sentenced to two months in prison after pleading guilty to charges of offensive communication related to a TikTok video he posted in May. The student, Elson Tumwine, was arraigned at Entebbe Magistrate’s Court on Friday, where he admitted to making controversial remarks about President Yoweri Museveni and Speaker of Parliament Anita Among.
Tumwine, who had reportedly gone missing during an internship in Hoima, resurfaced before Grade One Magistrate Tibayeta Edgar Tusiime. Prosecutors accused him of violating Uganda’s Computer Misuse Act by sharing a video that the state deemed to be offensive and potentially inciting.
In the video, Tumwine alleged that President Museveni was selectively apologizing to the Baganda community while ignoring atrocities committed in other regions. He claimed Museveni was responsible for burning a train carrying civilians in Mukura, Teso region, and further alleged that thousands of people were killed and dumped near Soroti University by Rwandan soldiers assisting the Ugandan president.
According to lead prosecutor Ahebwa Byaruhanga Paul, the video was intended to ridicule and incite hostility against President Museveni and Speaker Among. Tumwine’s statements, the court heard, amounted to hate speech under the provisions of the Computer Misuse Act.
While delivering the sentence, Magistrate Tibayeta considered Tumwine’s guilty plea and his request for forgiveness, noting that these helped mitigate the severity of the punishment. Nonetheless, the magistrate stressed the seriousness of the offense, given its potential to incite public disorder.
Tumwine is now the sixth Ugandan TikTok user to be sentenced over similar charges related to comments made about President Museveni, his family, or top government officials. The incident highlights a growing trend of government crackdowns on digital expression in Uganda, particularly on social media platforms.
Rights activists and digital freedom advocates have expressed concern over the increasing use of Uganda’s Computer Misuse Act to silence dissent. Meanwhile, Tumwine begins his two-month sentence as debates over freedom of speech and political expression in Uganda continue to intensify.
