With only months left to kick off the 2026 General Election campaigns, there are signs that the State is increasingly silencing voices of dissent by online content creators.
The social media platforms, including TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter) played a huge role during the 2021 national election campaigns that were conducted under the Covid-19 lockdown.
At the time, political actors were forced to go online to deliver their campaign message to voters across the country because open public rallies were banned over fears of spreading Covid-19.
But TikTok, known for being user-friendly and allowing users to easily record, edit, and share short video content has currently proven more popular to social justice activists to the annoyance of key State actors.
In the last 10 months alone, the government has arrested and imprisoned several TikTokers over politically-inclined hate speeches against the First Family and close associates.
Mr Livingstone Sewanyana, the executive director of the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative, says the arrests and imprisonment of TikTokers is an infringement on their freedom of speech and expression and right to participate in their governance.
“The arrests and subsequent trials are an indication of a growing trend where the State feels that expanding the scope of expression would undermine their grip on power. It's largely dictated by the fact that we are coming close to the election year during which we have a resurgence of abuses and restrictions," he says.
Darting the State
In February, 27-year-old Ibrahim Musana, alias Pressure 24/7, was arrested and remanded to Luzira prison in Kampala over claims of promoting hate speech and spreading malicious information against President Museveni, Parliament Speaker Anita Among, ICT State minister Joyce Nabbosa Ssebugwao, and Kabaka Mutebi between August 2023 and February 2024.
TikToker Ibrahim Musana in the dock at Buganda Road Magistrate's Court on October 16, 2024. PHOTO/ JULIET KIGONGO
Although Musana was granted bail after pleading not guilty to the charges, his case is ongoing at the Buganda Road Magistrate’s Court where he recently asked the court to dismiss the case for want of prosecution and will appear again on December 9 for mention of the case.
As part of his bail conditions, Musana or Pressure 24/7, was barred from mentioning the four individuals on all his social media handles.
In July, 24-year-old Edward Awebwa became the first TikToker to be sentenced to serve time in prison over similar charges and what is becoming a similar destination for many others using the TikTok app, launched in September 2016.
The Entebbe Chief Magistrate’s Court sentenced Awebwa to six years in Kigo prison, off the Kampala-Entebbe Highway, in Wakiso District, after he pleaded guilty to charges related to spreading hate speech and malicious information against President Museveni, the First Lady, and the First Son through his channel, Save Media Uganda.
November alone has seen up to five TikTokers being arraigned before the Entebbe Magistrate’s court with one being sentenced to a two-year prison term and four others remanded and awaiting hearing of their cases.
TikTokers David Ssengozi, alias Lucky Choice, 21-years-old, 19-year-old Julius Tayebwa, and 28-year-old Isaiah Ssekagiri were remanded to Kigo Prison over hate speech and spreading malicious information against President Museveni, First Lady Janet, First Son Gen Muhoozi Kainerguba, a one Calvin Kayanja, an NRM-leaning artiste, Jenifer Nakajubi, aka Full figure, Gereson Wabuyi, aka Gravity Omutujju, and Patrick Mulwana, aka Alien Skin.
A prisons warden stands guard as David Ssengozi, alias Lucky Choice (C) and Isaiah Ssekagiri follow court proceedings inside Entebbe Chief Magistrate’s chambers on November 11, 2024. They are accused of insulting President Museveni and his family. Photo/ Paul Adude
Similarly, 27-year-old NUP-leaning shoe hawker and TikToker Juma Musuuza, aka Madubarah, was remanded over hate speech and spreading malicious information about President Museveni, first son Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba and Speaker Among.
Court heard that in October, Musuuza, while in Wakiso District or thereabout, using TikTok account Madubarah UG, sent or shared information that is likely to ridicule, degrade or demean the trio. Likewise, 21-year-old Emmanuel Nabugodi is currently serving a two-year imprisonment over hate speech and spreading malicious information about President Museveni after his own plea of guilty to four charges.
In November, TikTok content creator, Arafat alias Fire King, was sentenced to two years in jail for making false allegations of sexual liaisons with renowned traditional healer Sylvia Namutebi, alias Mama Fiina.
Previously, activists and authors Kakwenza Rukirabashaija and Stella Nyanzi, who were later to flee into exile in 2022, were arrested and tried over offensive communication against President Museveni and his family.
Other Ugandans who have run into trouble with the State because of social media activism include former Rubaga Resident City Commissioner Anderson Burora, who was earlier this year arrested over hate speech and spreading malicious information against Speaker Among.
A 2018 report released by Unwanted Witness, a civil society organisation, put at 25, the number of Ugandans who were arrested and tried in 2017 over internet abuse.
Silencing dissent
As seen above, the online platforms have become hugely popular tools of social justice activism and raising voices for the young Ugandans of 18 to 30 years.
But the recent arrests, prosecution, and jailing of these TikTokers under the Computer Misuse Act, 2022, has led to critics and human rights activists raising concerns that the law is being enforced to choke critical voices on the country’s governance.
21-year-old Tik Toker Emmanuel Nabugodi raises his hand during sentencing on November 18, 2024 at Entebbe Chief Magistrates Court. He was handed a 2-year-jail term for 'demeaning' President Museveni. Photo | Paul Adude
The activists also say the conflict, arrests and imprisonment of TikTokers underscores the gap between the younger generation and the country’s old leadership.
Mr Sewanyana says: “The State does not want to feel not only disempowered but also not find itself in a situation where the public is increasingly being informed about grey areas in governance. That is the reason why even the NGO sector has continued to shrink.”
He warns that the arrests speak to the fact that Uganda doesn’t seem to be broadening her democracy.
“We seem to be doing more in terms of silencing critics and dissent, with Uganda generally not accepted as a model of governance. So until we develop a value system where alternative views are accepted and dissent is allowed, we should see more of such developments” Mr Sewanyana says.
He believes the youths find TikTok an open and simpler medium through which they can easily communicate their views and grievances about the current state of the country.
“By their very nature, the youths at that age are very expressive and easily angered, so using TikTok has given them a forum to vent their frustrations against the State because that anger is largely dictated by their situation of unemployment, desperation, poverty, and sometimes feeling hopeless and voiceless. So they need to be understood in that context” he advises.
Mr Sewanyana urges the government to utilise resources at its disposal and employ youth in areas that can give maximum returns.
“What we need is improved service delivery, people need jobs, something to guarantee basic survival in areas like industrialisation, commercialisation of agriculture, and IT.
"Even with these funds that they often deploy, sometimes they don't produce the desired results because they don't get to the poorest of the poor…... the money goes to those who are already entitled” he says.
TikToker Michael Ssebamba, who is popularly known as Mikey Seems 2 Funny, told Monitor that although the government has been free with them creating content, trouble started when content creators started taking things for granted and disregarding the consequences of what they say in the videos.
“Every country has a freedom of expression policy but some of us go beyond, it doesn’t mean that if Mikey doesn’t come out and talk, he doesn’t have issues suppressing him. Take Madubarah’s case, he is my good friend but we all know even if you don’t like President Museveni, he is the fountain of honour” he said.
Ugandan authorities have recently targeted citizens using social media to critiscize government.
Mr Ssebamba urged fellow TikTokers to desist from mentioning big shots in their videos and rather keep the explicit words to each other for their follower’s consumption.
“I believe TikTok is free and we are all safe provided we do what we are supposed to do on the app because I don’t think TikTok is political. Of course, if you bring politics on TikTok, they will hunt you” he said.
But Mr Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro, the National Unity Platform (NUP) party deputy spokesperson, whose supporters have suffered rampant arrests, expressed dismay at the government’s abuse of the people’s rights to free speech and expression through content creation.
Mr Mufumbiro said it would be an injustice if the arrests, arraignment in court and imprisonment are being done because the TikTokers are NUP party supporters.
“There are double standards in policing the freedom of association. If they [TikTokers] are being persecuted because they are members of NUP for obstructing the peace and patience of the head of state, then that is wrong. We have seen other TikTokers being paid to insult members of the Opposition without any such sanctions.
“If you are arresting them for insulting the person of the President, then that is wrong. You cannot have it your way and then when it goes against you, it becomes a crime. That is injustice” he said.
Minister, lawyer react
While the activists have warned of the shrinking space for dissent online, the state minister for ICT, Ms Joyce Ssebugwawo, dismissed claims that the government is using the contentious Computer Misuse Act to crack down on dissenting voices.
“That Bill was fought in the Parliament, and it didn't go through. It wasn't passed, therefore, they (Judiciary) can't use it. As far as I know, the Computer Misuse Act was not passed, it was defeated in the Parliament,” she said.
“They (TikTokers) should start behaving. We are fed up with the way they are behaving,” she warned.
But Mr Eron Kiiza, a human rights lawyer, disagreed with Ms Sebugwawo.
“The law was passed, and assented to by the President, but it’s a subject of constitutional challenge in the Constitutional Court, which has not heard and determined it, but it is the law in our books, it is, of course, an oppressive law,” he said.
Lawyer Eron Kiiza. PHOTO/FILE
Mr Kiiza said the law is being weaponized against the critics of the government, especially TikTokers and other youths on social media with an aim of silencing them.
“One of them, Awebwa, was convicted and sentenced to six years and was taken to a very far-flung area, in a prison farm in Adjumani. We got to know about it after looking for him all over and failing to get him, so, yes, it's a bad law and it's being misused but it’s a law”.
Mr Kiiza added: “It’s being used to curb freedom of speech for content creators and other people like critics of the regime, because whatever you say, under that law, you can be imprisoned and sentenced to lengthy sentences.”
But TikTok has not only stirred trouble here at home, but also elsewhere across the globe.
