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URA officer awarded sh100m over defamatory WhatsApp posts
The court awarded Jjengo sh70m in general damages and sh30m in punitive damages, ordered Abola to issue a written apology within 14 days, and permanently restrained him from repeating similar allegations.
URA officer awarded sh100m over defamatory WhatsApp posts
By: Barbra Kabahumuza, Journalist @New Vision
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The High Court has awarded a Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) officer sh100m in damages after finding that defamatory messages circulated on a senior management WhatsApp forum falsely portrayed him as a violent criminal and immoral individual.
In a judgment delivered on June 17, 2026, Justice Isaac Bonny Teko ruled that James Abola defamed fellow URA employee Nicholas Jjengo when he published messages alleging that Jjengo was wanted by police over a shooting incident and had pursued another man over a woman before opening fire on his vehicle.
The court awarded Jjengo sh70m in general damages and sh30m in punitive damages, ordered Abola to issue a written apology within 14 days, and permanently restrained him from repeating similar allegations.
Justice Teko also ordered that the damages attract interest at 8% per annum from the date of judgment until full payment and awarded Jjengo the costs of the suit.
Court heard that the dispute arose from messages posted on September 18, 2022, on a WhatsApp forum used by URA senior managers.
One of the messages claimed that police in Kasangati were looking for “one Nicholas Jjengo, a customs officer who shot three bullets at some victims last night.”
A subsequent message alleged that Jjengo had followed another man’s vehicle and fired at it after a disagreement involving a woman following a social outing.
Jjengo sued, arguing that the allegations were false, malicious and defamatory. He contended that the publications portrayed him as a criminal, a reckless gunman and an adulterous individual, thereby damaging his reputation among colleagues and supervisors.
In his defence, Abola told the court that he had received the information from ASP Patrick Lumumba Okello, a police officer attached to the Staff Compliance Division, and shared it in good faith as part of his official responsibilities.
Court heard that the dispute arose from messages posted on September 18, 2022, on a WhatsApp forum used by URA senior managers.
One of the messages claimed that police in Kasangati were looking for “one Nicholas Jjengo, a customs officer who shot three bullets at some victims last night.”
A subsequent message alleged that Jjengo had followed another man’s vehicle and fired at it after a disagreement involving a woman following a social outing.
Jjengo sued, arguing that the allegations were false, malicious and defamatory. He contended that the publications portrayed him as a criminal, a reckless gunman and an adulterous individual, thereby damaging his reputation among colleagues and supervisors.
In his defence, Abola told the court that he had received the information from ASP Patrick Lumumba Okello, a police officer attached to the Staff Compliance Division, and shared it in good faith as part of his official responsibilities.
He argued that the communication was protected by qualified privilege because it was circulated within a restricted forum of senior managers with a legitimate interest in the matter.
However, Justice Teko found that although the first message could be viewed as a management alert, the second publication went much further by presenting an unverified and sensational account of events.
“The defendant moved from reporting that police were looking for the plaintiff in relation to a firearm incident to circulating a narrative that the plaintiff had pursued a victim over a woman from an outing and shot at the victim’s car,” the judge said.
Court heard that James Malinzi, who supervised Jjengo at the time, contacted him after seeing the allegations. Jjengo denied the claims and explained that it was his wife and child who had allegedly been attacked at their home.
Malinzi testified that he informed Abola about the discrepancies and even provided Jjengo’s telephone contact for verification.
Justice Teko found that despite this opportunity, Abola did not conduct meaningful investigations before publishing the second message.
“The fact that investigations were ongoing should have made him more cautious, not less,” the judge observed.
The court rejected the argument that Jjengo had suffered no damage because he was not dismissed, demoted or subjected to disciplinary action.
Justice Teko noted that while Jjengo later progressed in his career and was promoted to a supervisory position, those developments did not erase the injury caused to his reputation.
“The plaintiff was a long-serving URA officer, and the publication was made to the highest level of URA management. That aggravated the sting,” the judge ruled.
The court ordered Abola to publish a written apology on the same URA senior management WhatsApp forum where the defamatory messages were circulated. If the forum is no longer operational, the apology must be communicated through an equivalent platform reaching the same audience.
Justice Teko also issued a permanent injunction barring Abola from publishing similar allegations against Jjengo in future unless the communication is lawful, made in good faith, properly verified and within the scope of his official duties.
However, Justice Teko found that although the first message could be viewed as a management alert, the second publication went much further by presenting an unverified and sensational account of events.
“The defendant moved from reporting that police were looking for the plaintiff in relation to a firearm incident to circulating a narrative that the plaintiff had pursued a victim over a woman from an outing and shot at the victim’s car,” the judge said.
Court heard that James Malinzi, who supervised Jjengo at the time, contacted him after seeing the allegations. Jjengo denied the claims and explained that it was his wife and child who had allegedly been attacked at their home.
Malinzi testified that he informed Abola about the discrepancies and even provided Jjengo’s telephone contact for verification.
Justice Teko found that despite this opportunity, Abola did not conduct meaningful investigations before publishing the second message.
“The fact that investigations were ongoing should have made him more cautious, not less,” the judge observed.
The court rejected the argument that Jjengo had suffered no damage because he was not dismissed, demoted or subjected to disciplinary action.
Justice Teko noted that while Jjengo later progressed in his career and was promoted to a supervisory position, those developments did not erase the injury caused to his reputation.
“The plaintiff was a long-serving URA officer, and the publication was made to the highest level of URA management. That aggravated the sting,” the judge ruled.
The court ordered Abola to publish a written apology on the same URA senior management WhatsApp forum where the defamatory messages were circulated. If the forum is no longer operational, the apology must be communicated through an equivalent platform reaching the same audience.
Justice Teko also issued a permanent injunction barring Abola from publishing similar allegations against Jjengo in future unless the communication is lawful, made in good faith, properly verified and within the scope of his official duties.