On Wednesday, November 13, Nabugodi acknowledged his guilt and was held in detention at the Kigo maximum security prison near Kampala. He is set to be sentenced on November 18. State attorney Paul Aheebwa Byamukama verified that prosecutors are seeking a seven-year imprisonment.
Nabugodi is the fourth Ugandan in just two days to be taken into custody for insulting President Museveni and his family.
Significant cases of dissent involve award-winning author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija, who was taken into custody in late 2021 for insulting Museveni and his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, frequently speculated to be positioning himself for succession. Rukirabashaija, who won the 2021 PEN Pinter Prize for International Writer of Courage, claimed he was tortured during his detention before seeking asylum in Germany.
In the year 2020, members of a comedy group were incarcerated after releasing a video satirically urging Ugandans to pray for their leaders, including Museveni. A movement for their release led to the charges being dropped.
