First Lady’s false death: Court drops all charges against journalist Mukose

What the report says

The Law Development Centre Magistrate’s Court has dropped charges against Alternative Digital journalist Arnold Anthony Mukose in a case linked to claims that he falsely announced the death of Uganda’s First Lady, Janet Kataaha Museveni. Grade one magistrate Ivan Maloba dismissed the matter on Monday for want of prosecution after the State failed to present witnesses, produce the police file, or comply with an earlier order to amend the charge sheet, The Observer reported.

Mukose had faced two counts tied to allegedly sending false distress signals and broadcasting what prosecutors described as fake news under the Uganda Communications Act and related regulations. The case had returned to court for another hearing after the defence challenged parts of the charge sheet, including jurisdiction. Prosecutor Rachael Namutebi told court she did not have the amended charge sheet or the police file, while the defence urged dismissal, saying the State had not shown readiness to proceed.

The court’s decision effectively frees Mukose unless he is being held on other matters. According to the report, he had spent more than a month on remand before receiving cash bail of Shs 5 million in May 2026. The prosecution had alleged the disputed content was published on the Alternative Digital Channel between January and March 2026. Mukose denied the allegations. The Observer also noted that the First Lady recently made a public appearance after months away from view, though that development was separate from the court ruling.