TikToker Sentenced to Six Years for Insulting Ugandan President Museveni

A Ugandan court has sentenced 24-year-old Edward Awebwa to six years in prison for posting a video on TikTok that insulted President Yoweri Museveni, First Lady Janet Museveni, and their son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba. Awebwa was charged with hate speech and spreading “misleading and malicious” information against the first family.

The Entebbe Chief Magistrate Court, presided over by Chief Magistrate Stella Maris Amabilis, delivered the verdict on Wednesday. Awebwa, operating under the TikTok account “Save Media Uganda,” had shared the offensive video content from February to March 2024. Despite pleading guilty and asking for forgiveness, the court found Awebwa’s demeanor lacking remorse, with Magistrate Amabilis stating that the vulgar language used in the video warranted a significant punishment to serve as a lesson.

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“The accused deserves a punishment which will enable him to learn from his past so that next time he will respect the person of the president, the first lady, and the first son,” Magistrate Amabilis said.

Awebwa was sentenced to six years for each of the four charges, with the sentences to run concurrently. This means he will serve a total of six years in prison.

The charges against Awebwa fall under Uganda’s Computer Misuse Act of 2022, a law that has faced criticism from human rights activists for being oppressive and curtailing freedom of expression. The Act defines offensive communication as the “willful and repeated use of electronic communication to disturb or attempt to disturb the peace, quiet, or right of privacy of any person with no purpose of legitimate communication.”

Rights groups have regularly denounced Ugandan authorities for violations of human rights and freedom of expression. In 2022, award-winning author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija was charged with “offensive communication” after making unflattering remarks about President Museveni and his son on Twitter. Rukirabashaija fled to Germany after claiming he had been tortured during his month-long detention.

Activist and writer Stella Nyanzi also faced imprisonment for her critical poetry against President Museveni and has since gone into exile.

President Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, signed the Computer Misuse (Amendment) Act into law in 2022, a move rights groups argued was aimed at suppressing freedom of speech online. In 2023, Uganda’s constitutional court ruled that a section of the Act that penalised “offensive communication” was unconstitutional, but the broader law remains in place and continues to be contested.

Ugandan human rights lawyer Michael Aboneka criticised the sentencing, stating that the president and his family should expect criticism. “Unless they are saying that they are going to arrest every Ugandan for criticising them at every point,” Aboneka told BBC Newsday, highlighting the challenges in balancing freedom of speech with respect for public figures.

Awebwa’s sentencing is part of a broader crackdown on content creators in Uganda, who have faced increasing scrutiny and legal action under the Computer Misuse Act. In February, another TikTok user, Ibrahim Musana, was arrested for allegedly abusing the Kabaka, the king of the Kingdom of Buganda, in his videos.

The ongoing legal actions against social media users underscore the tension between government efforts to maintain order and the public’s right to free expression. As Uganda continues to navigate these challenges, the international community and local activists remain vigilant in advocating for the protection of human rights and freedom of speech.