A 24-year-old Ugandan TikTok content creator, Edward Awebwa, has been sentenced to six years in prison for insulting President Yoweri Museveni, First Lady Janet Museveni, and their son Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is the Chief of Defence Forces.
Awebwa, who operated the TikTok account ‘Save Media Uganda’, was charged over content he shared between February and March 2024.
The court found the content to be “ridiculous and demeaning” towards the Ugandan first family.
In its ruling, the Entebbe Chief Magistrate Court stated that the President, First Lady, and their son deserve respect.
As the presiding Magistrate Stellah-Maris Amabilisi said, “The accused does not look remorseful at all for his acts, he is a person who was aware of what he was doing and the court had an opportunity to even see the video, the language that was being used was really vulgar.”
The court sentenced Awebwa to six years in prison for each of the four counts, with the sentences to run concurrently at Kigo Upper Prison.
“The accused deserves a punishment which will enable him learn from his past so that next time he will respect the person of the president, the first lady and the first son,” magistrate Stella Maris Amabilis said.
This verdict comes amid Uganda’s crackdown on social media users who criticize the government. In 2022, President Museveni signed the Computer Misuse (Amendment) Act, which criminalizes the sharing of “unsolicited offensive information” or hate speech online.
The law has attracted alot of criticism from rights groups and activists, who argue that it curtails press freedom and freedom of speech and expression.
Despite these criticisms, the Ugandan government continues to enforce the law, highlighting the ongoing tensions between freedom of expression and government control.
