- One of the sureties Pressure had presented, Ibrahim Sembatya Matia was homeless and hence not substantial.
- Buganda Road Court Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi denied Musana bail on the grounds that he had no fixed place of abode and was a flight risk.
Image: Sania Babirye
Buganda Road Court has denied bail to 21 year TikTok; Ibrahim Musana aka Pressure 24/7 who is charged with uploading videos ridiculing the Kabaka of Buganda Ronald Muwenda Mutebi and Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni.
Prosecution led by Richard Birivumbuka asked Buganda Road Court chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi to deny Musana bail on grounds that he had no fixed place of abode and was a fright risk.
Prosecution further found out that one of the sureties Pressure had presented, Ibrahim Sembatya Matia was homeless and hence not substantial.
The court further learned that despite Pressure claiming that he was a resident of Kauga in Mukono district upon arrest, he however presented an LC1 letter indicating that he was a resident of the Church zone in Najjanakumbi but the area LC1 chairman disowned him.
The state further submitted that Pressure was arrested in one of the hotels in Ntinda a Kampala suburb which was not near any of the places he claimed to stay on top of claiming that he was a resident of Budaka where his mother resided.
The Magistrate concurred with the state that Pressure was not easily traceable and remanded him to Luzira until the 26th of this month for further mention of his case. Apart from bail being one of his constitutional rights, pressure had further claimed that he was an outpatient at Butabila Hospital and needed to get out to continue his treatment for mental health issues.
The Chief Magistrate entered for him a plea of not guilty despite Pressure claiming that he has a mental health problem that he is battling with and that he was not aware that he was committing any crime when he made and posted the said videos in which he is seen abusing many people including the Kabaka of Buganda and President Museveni.
He is charged with 8 counts of promoting hate speech. and spreading malicious information contrary to section 26(a)of the Computer Misuse Act 2021.
He further told the court that he was possessed by the spirits of the fallen Kabakas of Buganda and that the spirits also ordered him to repair the Kasubi tombs yet he does not have the financial capacity to do so.
The troubled youth went further and claimed that he has for the past two years tried to write to the kingdom to let them know about his predicament and the demands of the spirits since he is a prince but his efforts have been futile.
" Your worship, I wasn't aware that by posting such videos, I was committing any offenses and I beg to be forgiven" Pressure lamented.
He then asked the magistrate to forgive him, promising to desist from any further making and posting of such videos on top of deleting them from his TikTok page.
But his pleas fell on deaf ears and was remanded back to prison.
It is alleged that between August 2023 and February 2024 in areas of Kampala district, while using a computer via his Tik-tok account, Pressure shared information which is likely to degrade or demean and promote hostility against 4 leaders including the Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II , President Museveni, Speaker of Parliament Annet Anita Among and state minister for ICT Joyce Naboosa Ssebugwawo .
He was arrested after the Buganda Kingdom officials filed complaints to police.