The Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court is set to decide on July 12, 2024, whether to dismiss or maintain the charges of hate speech and spreading malicious information against Herbert Anderson Burora, the former Rubaga Division Deputy Resident City Commissioner (DRCC). Burora, who served as DRCC for more than five years, faces charges under the Computer Misuse Act for allegedly using his X (formerly Twitter) handle “Harder HB” to share information that ridiculed, degraded, or promoted hostility against the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Anita Annet Among.
Burora has denied the charges. His defense team, comprising seven lawyers including Phillip Munaabi, David Kamukama, and Benjamin Katana, argued during the hearing that the charge sheet was defective. They contended that it failed to specify the exact hate speech or malicious information Burora allegedly shared, contrasting it with the approach taken in Dr. Stella Nyanzi’s case where specific vulgar words were cited.
In response, the prosecution, led by Richard Birivumbuka, countered that the charge sheet adequately outlined the allegations, including the Twitter handle used, the victim, and the nature of the alleged offense. Birivumbuka emphasized that any errors could be rectified through amendment and argued against dismissing the charges, calling it a potential miscarriage of justice.
Following these arguments, Burora was remanded until the court’s decision on July 12. His troubles began in March 2024 when he posted on social media criticizing corruption in Parliament, particularly targeting Speaker Among. Subsequently, he was suspended from his position and later resigned, citing the need to uphold his conscience.
“In my tour of duty, there are those that I didn’t satisfy for one reason or the other, but majorly, I served the way I was supposed to do. I may not be able to measure my legacy, as a representative of the President, but I’m sure there is no single day that I didn’t represent him to the best of my knowledge,” Burora said on X.
Before his suspension, Burora had posted tweets criticizing Parliament’s corruption, including remarks about the Speaker’s expenditures and perceived power. His case mirrors that of Tiktoker Ibrahim Musana, known as Pressure 24/7, who faced similar legal action for hate speech against Speaker Among, President Museveni, and the Kabaka of Buganda earlier this year.
