Court fines Spire Ssentongo Shs10m for contempt, threatens three-month jail term

What the report says

The High Court has fined academic and cartoonist Dr Jimmy Spire Ssentongo Shs10 million for contempt of court and warned that he could serve three months in civil prison if he does not pay within 14 days. The order was issued by High Court Registrar Kintu Simon Zirintusa in a matter involving Kampala International University (KIU), which accused Ssentongo of continuing to publish material about the institution despite an earlier court order limiting such publications.

According to Nile Post, the ruling was delivered on June 18, 2026, in Miscellaneous Application No. 0221 of 2026. The court said Ssentongo had become aware of the December 17, 2025 order but kept publishing about KIU. It also rejected the view that filing an appeal allowed him to ignore the earlier directive without a stay order in place. In addition to the contempt fine, the registrar ordered Ssentongo to pay KIU Shs20 million in punitive and exemplary damages, plus the costs of the application.

KIU had asked for much higher penalties, including Shs1 billion in damages and a further Shs200 million fine, but the court declined to grant those amounts. The dispute has centred on posts and commentary in which Ssentongo raised concerns about the university. As reported by Nile Post, supporters and rights advocates have since discussed fundraising to help him meet the financial orders, reflecting broader debate about free expression, institutional reputation and obedience to court orders.