Ugandans raise Shs 24m for Dr Spire in 24 hours

What the report says

Ugandans using X and other social media platforms have raised more than Shs 24 million in under 24 hours to help Dr Jimmy Spire Ssentongo pay a Shs 30 million contempt-of-court fine, according to The Observer. The effort appears to have gathered momentum before an official fundraising drive was formally announced, with journalist and activist Agather Atuhaire cited as saying the amount had been reached by Sunday evening.

The fine was imposed by the Kampala High Court’s Civil Division, where registrar Kintu Simon Zirintusa found Ssentongo in contempt over a social media post linked to Kampala International University (KIU). The court ordered him to either pay the fine or serve three months in civil prison. Ssentongo, who is known as a cartoonist, philosophy lecturer and political columnist for The Observer, had earlier used social media to highlight money-related concerns he said involved funds KIU had not refunded or transferred.

The Observer said that campaign also drew complaints from other people with grievances about KIU, including issues involving admissions, tuition refunds and missing marks. Those disputes eventually led KIU to take the matter to court, which resulted in the contempt ruling. The rapid fundraising response has been presented as a show of solidarity with Ssentongo, and he was quoted as saying he was deeply moved by the support.