A 20-year-old Senior Six student has been slapped with six years in prison for spreading shocking fake news about President Yoweri Museveni and CDF Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Edison Ssemugenyi, a student from Lwengo, used his TikTok account @iam_edson to announce the fake death of President Museveni and to claim Muhoozi was involved in a same-sex relationship.
He pleaded guilty before Nakawa Chief Magistrate Esther Nyadoi, who ruled that the President and CDF must be respected, and malicious posts cannot be taken lightly.
Although the law allows for a fine, Nyadoi said a prison term was necessary. She, however, noted that Ssemugenyi was a first-time offender, still a student, and had saved the court’s time by pleading guilty.
Ssemugenyi begged for forgiveness, saying he was in the middle of UACE exams and that the case had stressed his parents.
Despite pleading guilty to malicious information, Ssemugenyi denied a separate hate speech charge which carries up to five years in jail.
The State says he also posted that “Museveni is a thief”, content prosecutors say could incite hostility against the President.
The hate speech trial is set for January 16, 2026.
According to the prosecution, the student used his social media platform to falsely claim that President Museveni was bedridden and made abusive statements directed at Gen. Muhoozi.
State prosecutors told the court that the posts, made last month, attracted wide attention online. Ssemugenyi was arrested shortly afterward, just days after sitting only two Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) examination papers.
Ssemugenyi, who had only written two of his Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) papers when he was arrested last month, pleaded guilty to the two charges and was sentenced to serve his term at Luzira Prison on Tuesday.
While entering his plea, Ssemugenyi admitted to making the posts and pleaded for leniency. However, the presiding magistrate noted that the offence involved misleading the public and disrespecting national figures, adding that such conduct could cause unnecessary alarm.
“The court must discourage the misuse of online platforms to spread falsehoods and harmful speech,” the magistrate said while issuing the six-month sentence.
He, however, denied a separate charge of sharing content on TikTok alleging that President Museveni is a thief.
