Ibrahim Musana, also known as Pressure 24 Seven, has been further remanded by the Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court. He is accused of posting and sharing information that ridicules and promotes hostility against President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi.
Musana, who is 27 years old, appeared before the court on February 23rd, 2024, and was charged with promoting hate speech and spreading malicious information. The case is being presided over by Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi.
According to the prosecution, Musana used his TikTok account between August 2023 and February 2024 to share content that could degrade or demean and promote hostility against various leaders, including Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Speaker of Parliament Annet Anita Among, and State Minister for Information Communication Technology – ICT Joyce Nabbosa Ssebugwawo.
Despite his denial of the charges, Musana was sent to Luzira Prison due to the absence of sureties in court. His legal team, led by twin brothers Kakuru Tumusiime and Kato Tumusiime, applied for his release on bail, emphasizing his innocence and providing supporting documentation.
However, despite presenting sureties, including his sister Brenda Nambooze and friend Ibrahim Ssembatya, Musana was unable to secure bail as the prosecution requested time to verify the authenticity of the sureties’ documents.
As a result, Musana will remain in remand at Luzira Prison until March 15th, 2024, pending the court’s decision on his bail application.
During his initial court appearance, Musana did not directly plead to the charges, citing psychological issues and claiming ignorance of the legal consequences of his actions. He mentioned being disturbed by the spirits of Buganda’s deceased kings, who demanded him to repair their tombs but cited financial constraints.
Despite his plea for forgiveness and assurance to refrain from attacking leaders and deleting hate speech content from TikTok, Magistrate Kayizzi maintained his remand status.
Musana’s legal troubles began with a report from Buganda Kingdom officials to the police for ridiculing the Kabaka. After spending over a week in police custody, he was sent back to Luzira Prison following his court appearance.
