Passy Mbabazi the District Registrar for the National Unity Platform (NUP) in Bushenyi has been remanded to prison for two weeks on charges of promoting “hate speech” against President Museveni and his son Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
The charges stem from a video on her Tik Tok account in which she criticized the president for allegedly spending billions to monitor failed Parish Development Model (PDM) projects.
She was arrested, arraigned in court and denied bail with her next hearing set for March 19.
NUP Secretary-General David Lewis Rubongoya alongside other opposition leaders traveled to Bushenyi to show solidarity condemning what they call “state-sponsored persecution of political opponents.”
Mbabazi’s case is the latest in a series of arrests targeting opposition voices in Uganda. Her alleged crime is speaking out against government spending and accountability.
PDM is a program meant to alleviate poverty at parish level has been heavily scrutinized for its irregularities, corruption scandals and reported failures in various districts.
Many opposition members argue that the billions spent on “monitoring” these projects could be better used to fix the actual problems.
“It is laughable that someone can be jailed for merely expressing their opinion. Is criticizing the government now a crime?” Rubongoya remarked during his visit to Bushenyi.
The charge of “hate speech” has increasingly become a tool used by the government to silence protesting voices.
While the law is meant to prevent incitement and discrimination, opposition leaders argue that it is selectively applied against opposition while ruling party supporters freely spread propaganda and inflammatory remarks without consequences.
Mbabazi’s arrest also brings into focus the broader concerns about political oppression in Uganda.
The detention of opposition members, arbitrary arrests and denial of bail have become common strategies to intimidate and weaken opposition.
Following her arrest, NUP supporters took to social media under hashtags like #FreeAllPoliticalPrisonersinUganda demanding her immediate release.
Many Ugandans see her arrest as a blatant abuse of power and a clear attempt to deter criticism against the ruling regime.
Meanwhile, legal experts and human rights defenders have raised concerns over the increasing use of legal loopholes to suppress free speech.