By Spy Uganda
Not so long ago, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni lost his cool and said, I quote; “Until you tell them to go and eat their mother’s something-something, they will not understand,” this, he said while addressing parliament and international dignitaries and was covered by both national and international media. However, we’ve now learnt from police that the statements by DigiTalk, Executive Director Norman Tumuhimbise and Faridah Bikobere whose books are titled ‘Pololitics of Komanyoko and unsowing the mastered seed have annoyed the man from Rwakitura like never before!
According to the police charge sheet, the duo must face the law for trying to bring into the country abusive language directed to the person of the president and Cyber Stalking contrary to section 26 of the Computer Misuse Act 2011.
“Tumuhimbise Norman, Bikobere Farida and others still at large between 2020 and 9th March 2022 at Lukuli, Makindye Division in the Kampala district, willfully, maliciously and repeatedly used electronic communication to wit Alternative Digitalk Online Television and relayed offensive information to wit the ‘politics of
Kumanyoko, Unsowing Mustard Seed, Liars and accomplices directed to the person of the president of the Republic of Uganda,” says police in the charge sheet.
The author Mr Tumuhimbise is a critic of President Yoweri Museveni. Ugandan police first said they were taken into custody after complaints of “offensive communication” from members of the public.
Documents presented to court state that the security personnel who arrested the team were armed with deadly weapons and brandished them “with gusto” as they stormed into the offices and made the arrests.
Tumuhimbise was due to launch a book critical of President Yoweri Museveni on March 30.
His lawyer, Geoffrey Turyamusima, says the arrests show the government does not respect the public’s right to free speech.
“There have been continuous threats, especially for those who come out to speak the truth or the reality,” said Turyamusima. “And the state does not want people to know the truth, especially in regards to infringing on people’s right.”
The arrest of Tumuhimbise and eight journalists comes just a month after Pen International award-winning author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija was arrested, tortured and detained.
He was also charged with offensive communication for Twitter posts in which he made derogatory remarks about the president’s son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is widely seen as Museveni’s possible successor.
Another author, Stella Nyanzi, was arrested in 2019 and jailed for 18 months for a poem criticizing the first family.
