A sixth-year Makerere University student, Elson Tumwine, has been sentenced to two months in prison after pleading guilty to charges of offensive communication stemming from comments he made in a TikTok video about Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Parliament Speaker Anita Among.
Tumwine, who had been reported missing while on internship in Hoima, reappeared last week and was arraigned before Grade One Magistrate Tibayeta Edgar Tusiime at the Entebbe Magistrate Court. He admitted to posting a controversial video in May 2025 that the prosecution said violated Uganda’s Computer Misuse Act.
In the video, Tumwine alleged that President Museveni had apologized only to the Baganda community, while ignoring atrocities committed in other regions. He claimed the president was responsible for burning a train full of people in Mukura, Teso region, and that thousands were killed and dumped in a swamp near Soroti University with assistance from Rwandan soldiers. The video also questioned the conduct of Speaker Anita Among.
Lead prosecutor Ahebwa Byaruhanga Paul told the court that Tumwine’s video was intended to “ridicule, demean, or incite hostility” against both the president and the speaker of parliament.
While delivering the judgment, Magistrate Tibayeta considered Tumwine’s guilty plea and his request for forgiveness as mitigating factors, resulting in the relatively short two-month sentence.
Tumwine becomes the sixth Ugandan TikTok user to be convicted this year under similar charges involving offensive communication against President Museveni, his family, or senior government officials.
The case has reignited debate over freedom of expression and the application of Uganda’s controversial Computer Misuse Act, which critics argue is being used to stifle dissent, especially on social media platforms.
Written By Rodney Mbua
