Legal activist Male Mabirizi Hassan Kiwanuka has said his continued imprisonment will not deter him from advocating for what he describes as a better-run judiciary and country.
Speaking to URN from Luzira Prison, where he has been remanded following his arrest three weeks ago, Mabirizi said that although he has applied for bail, he would not be disheartened if it is denied.
“I’m at peace because I know I’m doing the right thing. People lost trust in the executive, and people lost trust in parliament. The only arm of government that had retained some level of trust was the judiciary. But now the people that are being appointed there are steadily eroding this trust,” Mabirizi said.
Mabirizi was arrested and later charged before the Buganda Road court following complaints by chief justice Dr Flavian Zeija that Mabirizi had used his TikTok platform to spread malicious information and hate speech about him.
Prosecution alleges that following Zeija’s appointment as chief justice, Mabirizi claimed he had fraudulently procured his position within the judiciary. He was also charged with spreading hate speech against Court of Appeal judge Musa Ssekaana.
Last week, Mabirizi appeared before Buganda Road magistrate Ritah Neumbe Kidasa to apply for bail. However, the prosecution, led by Richard Birivumbuka, sought more time to scrutinise his sureties.
He was subsequently remanded until Friday, February 27. Asked whether he expected to be granted bail, Mabirizi said the court’s decision would not affect his resolve.
“Last time I served the entire sentence that was illegally imposed on me by Ssekaana. I was not broken. There is no amount of intimidation that is going to stop me from holding these people accountable. When you are a judge, you are supposed to dispense justice without fear or favour. Unfortunately, some of our judges are not doing their jobs diligently, and they don’t want anybody to point that out,” Mabirizi said.
In 2022, Mabirizi was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment by justice Musa Ssekaana, then a High court judge, for contempt of court. The Court of Appeal declined to release him on appeal, holding that in contempt proceedings the only available remedy was an apology to the offended judge.
Mabirizi refused to apologise and served the full sentence. He is widely known for filing numerous public interest cases challenging various government decisions. Among his most notable suits was one against the Kabaka, in which he argued that the monarch, as custodian, does not own Buganda land. The substantive case has yet to be determined.
In 2017, Mabirizi was also among the petitioners who challenged the constitutional amendment removing the presidential age limit. Although the petition was ultimately dismissed, the challenge prevented parliament from extending its term from five to seven years.
Die for the right, die rightfully peaceful. Hopefully there is no ugly forces fueling this experience.
In other words, Mabirizi is a living martyr being sacrificed on the Alter of Injustice!
Should not be in luzira. He should be in Butabika
Fellow Ugandans, the collapse of trust in Uganda’s Executive and Parliament is rooted in a blatant double standard of justice. While Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba operates above the law—boasting about military operations and political ambitions despite being a serving officer—the state uses the judiciary to target critics. The relentless prosecution and imprisonment of activists like Male Mabirizi for ‘contempt’ or ‘offensive communication’ stands in stark contrast to the total immunity enjoyed by the First Family. This isn’t a legal system; it is a tool of military capture used to persecute dissenters while the ‘Muhoozi Project’ proceeds unchecked.
Since the gun took over in 1986, Uganda has seen the birth of two sets of laws: one for the militants and another for the citizens. Look at the evidence: Gen. Muhoozi openly admits to the killing of 30 people and threatens the foundation of our democracy with zero consequences. Meanwhile, lawyers like Male Mabirizi are hounded through the courts and thrown into maximum security prisons for simply speaking truth to power. When the Executive protects its own ‘terrorists’ and the Parliament remains silent, the people have every right to lose trust. The rule of law has been replaced by the rule of the gun.
There will never be “better judiciary” in the Uganda that’s Rwandese Museveni’s family business & powrless tribally divided ruled Ugandans his slaves torturing, imprisoning, punishing… one another, while he rules for life & will leave the post to his son in the waiting?
40 years of Rwandese Museveni & assured of 45 years with fake elections, but Ugandans behave as if they have control or say in what goes on!!!
Ah! Ugandans have forgotten Dr Besigye rotting in prison as “thank you” for having taken care of Rwandese Museveni’s health for years, then woke up & became opposer to his ownership of Uganda!
Ah! Bobi Wine ensures Rwandese Museveni rules for life with last lethal fake presidential election & will bolster the demon with next useless parliamentary election!
Yet, all Ugandans need are; NO to the tribalistic system & UNITY with just one of them as National/Common Leader, to stop Rwandese Museveni, without war!
Akot, I call you ‘my love’ in this struggle because our visions for Uganda are perfectly aligned. We have both been consistent: the only theme that matters is that Museveni and his entire establishment must go. It is frustrating to see politicians—the sole beneficiaries of this broken system—mislead the public into violent, predetermined elections.
Twice now, Kyagulanyi has led Ugandans into these sham processes despite knowing the outcome in advance. Using slogans like ‘People Power’ or ‘Tajja Kulayira’ or ‘protest votes’ creates a false sense of hope that only serves to maintain the status quo. In reality, these ‘protest votes’ simply ensure that M7/NRM [composed of M7, his family, relatives, tribesmen and militants] and the opposition can continue to pass the go and collect taxpayer money while the common Ugandan continues to suffer endlessly! In other words, Kyagulanyi doesn’t care about bringing change but to maintain the status quo so that he can continue to make money!
I couldn’t agree more, Akot. We are united in the belief that the current regime and its enablers must be dismantled. However, the biggest obstacle is the political class that treats elections like a business. Kyagulanyi has shamelessly recycled slogans to lead people into violent traps, all while knowing that the winner is decided before the first ballot is cast. From ‘People Power’ to ‘Tajja Kulayira,’ these are not strategies for change—they are strategies for survival for the NUP and NRM alike. They collect the taxpayer’s money, while the ordinary citizen pays the price in blood and poverty.
The proof of this deceit is in the silence. Despite claiming the elections were rigged, Kyagulanyi has never called for a true mass protest. If he truly believed his own rhetoric about ‘protest votes,’ he would have directed NUP members to boycott Parliament and refuse all elective positions. Instead, he remains silent on action while his party stays embedded in the system, proving he is more interested in maintaining the status quo and collecting a salary than in leading a revolution.
(the collapse of trust in Uganda’s Executive and Parliament is rooted in a blatant double standard of justice. While Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba operates above the law—boasting about military operations and political ambitions—the state uses the judiciary to target critics. The relentless prosecution and imprisonment of activists like Male Mabirizi for ‘contempt’ or ‘offensive communication’ stands in stark contrast to the total immunity enjoyed by the First Family. This isn’t a legal system; it is a tool of military capture used to persecute dissenters while the ‘Muhoozi Project’ proceeds unchecked.)
Remase, thanks.
The question is “why do powerless tribally divided Ugandans go for fake elections to enssure Rwandese Museveni’s ownership of Uganda as his family business?
Not even Bobi Wine understands only NO to the tribalistic system & UNITY, will give chance to stop the Rwandese family & give chance to formation of the kind of goernance Ugandans want!!!
{Since the gun took over in 1986, Uganda has seen the birth of two sets of laws: one for the militants and another for the citizens. Gen. Muhoozi openly admits to the killing of 30 people. Meanwhile, lawyers like Male Mabirizi are hounded through the courts and thrown into maximum security prisons for simply speaking truth to power. When the Executive protects its own ‘terrorists’ and the Parliament remains silent, the people have every right to lose trust. The rule of law has been replaced by the rule of the gun.}
Remase, thanks.
Reason Ugandans MUST say NO to the tribalistic system & UNITE under just ONE of them, then come out to block Rwandese Museveni & show him way out!
Which tribal land will Rwandese Museveni retreat & fight to come back from & which tribes will join him this time?
Until Ugandans wake up & become ONE PEOPLE, all they do is ensure Rwandese Museveni stays on as it’s Ugandans in posts torturing, imprisonning… their own for him, voters in fake elections ensure he’s protected constitutionally!
Even Iranians have woken up & developed world is not turning blind eyes on them!
Why are Ugandans still powerless tribally divided with tribal leaders so so quiet enjoying the show?
Sudanese Idi Amin used Sudanese; then Sudanese/South Sudanese to torture, kill, imprison…Ugandans! But Rwandese Museveni uses Ugandans to do so for him & they protect him with fake presie’ntial, parliamentary, local elections!
So, who will bring change for Uganda?
Currently this is the NRM cadre Uganda Judiciary that every year commemorates the unfortunate brutal arrest and killing of the famous Uganda opposition politician Benedicto Kiwanuka, the first Chief Justice of Uganda and the country’s first Prime Minister! Kiwanuka was abducted from his High Court chambers in Kampala on September 21, 1972, and was murdered shortly after, with reports indicating he was killed on September 22, 1972.
The cause of his murder followed a direct confrontation between Kiwanuka and Amin regarding the rule of law. Specifically, Kiwanuka had ordered the release of a British national, Daniel Stewart, who had been detained by Amin. Additionally, Kiwanuka had spoken out against Amin’s forced expulsion of Asians from Uganda. Soldiers from the Amin’s regime dragged him from his chambers in broad daylight. Death accounts suggest he was taken to Makindye Military Prison and later to Nakasero State Lodge, where he was murdered by being shot in the head or through a prolonged, brutal execution. His body was never recovered, though reports suggest he was buried in an unmarked grave at Luzira, with some claims saying his remains were later dissolved in acid to destroy evidence. Rumours continue to circulate that the way the NRM is committing injustice, some of the vicious murderers or their generations of Amin’s former government permeate comfortably in the current government. Male Mabirizi Hassan Kiwanuka will certainly be unable to reform such an infected institution!
Akot, I call you ‘my love’ in this struggle because our visions for Uganda are perfectly aligned. We have both been consistent: the only theme that matters is that Museveni and his entire establishment must go. It is frustrating to see politicians—the sole beneficiaries of this broken system—mislead the public into violent, predetermined elections.
Twice now, Kyagulanyi has led Ugandans into these sham processes despite knowing the outcome in advance. Using slogans like ‘People Power’ or ‘Tajja Kulayira’ or ‘protest votes’ creates a false sense of hope that only serves to maintain the status quo. In reality, these ‘protest votes’ simply ensure that M7/NRM [composed of M7, his family, relatives, tribesmen and militants] and the opposition can continue to pass the go and collect taxpayer money while the common Ugandan continues to suffer endlessly! In other words, Kyagulanyi doesn’t care about bringing change but to maintain the status quo so that he can continue to make money!