Dr Jimmy “Spire” Ssentongo is facing a Shs30 million financial penalty and the possibility of imprisonment following a court ruling arising from his long-running legal battle with Kampala International University (KIU).
The case stems from an earlier High Court injunction restricting Ssentongo from publishing information considered injurious to the university’s reputation. KIU later accused the academic and cartoonist of breaching that order through further social-media publications.
The dispute centres partly on a complaint involving tuition fees paid for Ssentongo’s nephews. His account of the matter questioned what happened to money that was allegedly supposed to be transferred to other students after a change in arrangements.
KIU has maintained that Ssentongo’s publications contained unsubstantiated claims and damaged the institution’s reputation. The university previously escalated the matter by seeking contempt proceedings and substantial damages against him.
The latest order reportedly requires Ssentongo to pay Shs10 million in fines, with imprisonment looming if the court's order is not complied with, alongside Shs20 million awarded to KIU in damages.
The development has reignited a fierce debate online, with supporters rallying behind Ssentongo and portraying the proceedings as an attack on freedom of expression and the right to publicly raise concerns about powerful institutions.
Calls for financial support and crowdfunding have also emerged among his supporters as the court battle continues.
The dispute has gained additional international attention because Ssentongo was recently recognised with the 2026 Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award, which he shared with Palestinian cartoonist Safaa Odah.
The Freedom Cartoonists Foundation and the City of Geneva presented the award in May, recognising the pair for their courage and contribution to human rights and freedom of expression. The foundation described Ssentongo as a Ugandan academic, columnist and award-winning cartoonist who has repeatedly used satire to challenge power.
Ssentongo, who teaches philosophy at Makerere University and has worked as a columnist and editorial cartoonist for The Observer, has built a reputation as one of Uganda’s prominent public commentators.
His confrontation with KIU therefore comes at a particularly sensitive moment, with the court dispute placing his social-media activism and criticism of institutions under an even brighter spotlight.
For his supporters, the case is about more than a university dispute. They see it as a wider test of how far Ugandans can go when raising allegations or complaints online.
For KIU, however, the central issue remains the protection of its reputation and compliance with a court order.
The legal battle is expected to continue attracting intense public attention as Ssentongo's supporters await his next move.