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The Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court in Kampala has further remanded TikToker Ibrahim Musana aka Pressure 24-Seven.

Musana is accused of posting and sharing information that ridicules and promotes hostility against the people of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi.

The 27-year-old Musana was on February 23, 2024, arraigned before a court presided over by chief magistrate Ronald Kayizzi and charged with promoting hate speech and spreading malicious information.

Prosecution states that between August 2023 and February 2024 in areas of Kampala district, while using a computer via his TikTok account, Musana shared information, which is likely to degrade or demean and promote hostility against four leaders including the Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, President Museveni, Speaker of Parliament Annet Anita Among and information state minister Joyce Nabbosa Ssebugwawo.

Musana denied the charges and was consequently sent to Luzira Prison since he did not have sureties in court. 

Remanded again

However, when the matter came up on Thursday, March 7, 2024, for the prosecution to inform the Court on the progress of investigations, state attorneys Richard Birivumbuka and Joan Keko told the court that investigations are still ongoing.

As a result, Musana, through his lawyers including Kakuru Tumusiime and Kato Tumusiime, applied to be released on bail saying that the charges against him are bailable since he maintains his innocence.

The lawyers told the court that their client has a fixed place of residence at Church Zone in Najjanankumbi in addition to being introduced in a letter to the court by the area LC1 Chairperson as a law-abiding citizen.

He went on to present two sureties namely: Brenda Nambooze his sister who owns a cosmetic shop and is a resident of Najjanankumbi and his friend, Ibrahim Ssembatya, a resident of Kisenyi.

Week of verifying documents

However, Musana was again unable to secure bail on March 7, 2024, because Prosecution’s Richard Birivumbuka asked for a week to verify the authenticity of the documents presented by the sureties.

Accordingly, Musana has been remanded back to Luzira Prison till March 15, 2024, with promises from the court that his bail ruling will be delivered on the same day.

Ignorant about the law

On the first day Musana was arraigned before the court he did not directly plead to the charges as he kept on informing the magistrate that he wasn’t aware that by posting such videos, he was committing an offence since he is psychologically unwell having been admitted to Butabiika National Referral Mental Hospital some time back.

According to Musana, he was being disturbed by the spirits of Buganda’s fallen Kings that demanded him to repair their tombs but he was financially constrained. He added that for two years now he has been writing to Buganda Kingdom informing them that he is a prince and the spirits are making such demands but he has not received any response.

He, therefore, pleaded to the court to forgive him with a promise to desist from attacking leaders and to delete all the hate speech content from TikTok.

Musana's troubles started when Buganda Kingdom officials reported to the Police a case of ridiculing the Kabaka. He spent more than a week inside police cells before he was produced before court.