Muhoozi should be arrested for computer misuse- Kabuleta

Leader of the National Economic Empowerment Dialogue (NEED), Joseph Kabuleta. 

Former presidential candidate Joseph Kabuleta has called for the arrest of senior presidential adviser Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba for allegedly being a culprit of the recently passed Computer Misuse Act.

“I will not do anything differently now that this draconian law has been passed; I am willing to be arrested and charged on one condition; let them first arrest Muhoozi because he is the biggest misuser to the extent of even starting diplomatic rows,” Mr Kabuleta said at a weekly media conference in Kampala.

However, army spokesperson Brig Gen Felix Kulayigye yesterday said since the passing of the law last week, Gen Kainerugaba has not posted any offensive material that can lead to his prosecution.

“The law does not work in a retrospective manner, he [Muhoozi] has not done anything since that law was passed, so Kabuleta should go and revise the law,” Gen Kulayigye said.

Last Thursday, President Museveni assented to the Computer Misuse (Amendment) Act, 2022, triggering its operationalisation.

The law, among others, penalises a person to a fine of more than Shs9m or imprisonment of more than 10 years if they are found culpable of accessing, without authorisation, another person’s information, data, voice or video records.

Further, the law penalises anyone who evades children’s privacy and share their information without consent of their parents or guardians.

Mr Kabuleta, who is also the president of the opposition political party, National Economic Empowerment Dialogue (NEED), revealed that he has an open case at the Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) on offensive communication against the person of the President and that once he breaks the new law, he should quickly be prosecuted.

The vice president of NEED, Ms Evelyn Laker, branded the same law as draconian.

“That law is meant to shut up the opposition and anyone who disagrees with the ruling government but those same people will fall victim to their own law,” she said.