A group of 13 activists have petitioned the Constitutional Court challenging the recently signed Computer Misuse Act 2022. The petitioners include Alternative Digital Limited, Norman Tumuhimbise, Mukiibi Jerimiah among others.
On 9 September 2022, Uganda’s parliament passed the Computer Misuse (Amendment) Bill 2022 to amend six sections of the already repressive Computer Misuse Act, of 2011.
Last week, President Yoweri Museveni signed the Computer Misuse bill into Law. The Act Among others prohibits the sharing of any information relating to a child without authorization from a parent or guardian; prohibits the sending or sharing of information that promotes hate speech; provides for the prohibition of sending or sharing false, malicious and unsolicited information.
Through their lawyer Peter Arinaitwe, the group claims the entire act should be annulled since it trumps upon basic human rights like freedom of speech and its enactment is likely to promote dictatorship in the country.
“The contentious issues we find in this law is that it is vague and ambiguous. For example anyone who receives or shares unsolicited information commits an offense,” Arinaitwe said.
The petitioners said that this act is premised on existing other laws such as the Computer Misuse Act, Data Protection Act and others. We believe that those laws are sufficient enough to provide the safeguards which the state would like to protect. There are several cases which have been prosecuted pursuant to that law.
“We find criminalization of sharing, taking video clips, transmitting infringes on people’s right to freedom of expression,” they said.
