A final-year student at Makerere University has been sentenced to two months in prison after pleading guilty to offensive communication against President Yoweri Museveni and Speaker of Parliament Anita Among.
Elson Tumwine, who recently sparked concern after reportedly going missing during an internship in Hoima, resurfaced in court on Friday. He appeared before Grade One Magistrate Tibayeita Edgar Tusiime and admitted to posting a controversial TikTok video in May that landed him behind bars.
The Viral Video That Led to Jail
According to state prosecutor Ahebwa Byaruhanga Paul, Tumwine posted a TikTok video accusing President Museveni of apologizing only to the Baganda, while allegedly ignoring atrocities committed in other regions — notably the Teso sub-region.
In the video, Tumwine claimed:
“Museveni burned a full train of human beings in Mukura, Teso region; a thousand people were killed and dumped in a swamp opposite Soroti University by Rwandan soldiers who came to help him.”
Authorities deemed the remarks offensive and inciting, with the prosecution arguing the post was aimed at ridiculing, demeaning, and provoking hostility toward both the President and Speaker Among.
While handing down the sentence, Magistrate Tusiime acknowledged that Tumwine had pleaded guilty and asked for forgiveness, sparing the court time and resources. Those mitigating factors led to a lighter two-month custodial sentence.
Still, the message was clear: Uganda’s judiciary is not taking lightly any online attacks against top officials.
Tumwine is now the sixth Ugandan TikTok user to be jailed for breaching the Computer Misuse Act, which has been used repeatedly to prosecute individuals for content deemed offensive to the President, his family, or senior government officials.
