Ugandan lawyer handles dozen social media cases as critics face detention

A Ugandan lawyer reports handling twelve cases involving social media users charged under the Computer Misuse Act since November 2025. Steven Atukwatse, who works for the Agora Research Center, says most of his clients are TikTok and X users who criticized President Yoweri Museveni or his son, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba. The legal representation highlights a pattern of prosecutions tied to online speech.

The latest detention in this series involves Praise Aloikin Opoloje, who has been held at Luzira Women’s Prison since September 26, 2026. Prosecutors charged her on September 28 with using a SIM card registered to her mother’s name to conduct illegal activity. Opoloje denied the charge in the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court, citing Regulation 29 of the 2024 Regulation of Interception of Communications Regulations. She was granted bail on October 14, with a restriction that she must get court permission before traveling internationally.

Opoloje states that her arrest followed a video in which she said she was not afraid of General Kainerugaba. She alleges that police lured her to a Kampala station using a false accusation of carpet theft. Six men then forced her into a Toyota HiAce van, locally known as a drone. One man told her, “We are going to show you what we do to people who insult our president.” She says the group beat her, threatened rape, and drove toward Entebbe before a phone call turned the vehicle back toward Kampala Central Police Station.

Emmanuel Baliza, 59, faces a different uncertainty regarding his missing son, 17-year-old William. Emmanuel says armed men in military uniforms took William from their home after the teenager expressed intent to protest police brutality and the education system. The men claimed they were arresting William for planning post-election protests and said they were taking him to the Special Investigations Unit. They did not provide a reference number. Emmanuel later heard William might be held at a military facility in Kasenyi near Entebbe, but officials denied holding him.

Journalist Andrew Tabandama Natumanya also faced consequences after posting real-time updates on X about a security operation involving properties linked to former Parliament Speaker Anita Among. The operation in May included the seizure of a 2025 Rolls-Royce Cullinan. Natumanya believes scrutiny increased because of questions about his information sources. He alleges that on June 17, 2026, armed personnel forced him into a van at a washing bay. He says officers assaulted him, stripped him naked, and photographed him while he was under their feet. He was detained for five days and released on bail. Natumanya says he will continue reporting and will not delete his posts.

Atukwatse notes that families often struggle to locate detained relatives. He says authorities frequently respond to inquiries with the statement, “We do not have the person.” He points out an evidentiary imbalance where the state can present social media posts as proof, while defense lawyers lack substantial evidence to prove abduction or torture. In some cases, the state loses interest in a case but does not formally withdraw charges, leaving defendants technically on trial while out on bail.

Army spokesperson Colonel Chris Magezi says the military operates within the law and works with police and intelligence agencies. He rejects the idea that people are being unlawfully disappeared, stating, “The rest is political and not necessarily people being disappeared. If they disappear, they appear in court.” Magezi also cited defamation laws, noting that people can be arrested for making unsubstantiated claims about others.

Anita Among was placed under house arrest but was later released by order of President Museveni. The state decided not to pursue charges against her. Opoloje’s criminal charge remains active despite her bail. Emmanuel Baliza says he still does not know where his son is being held.