Vocal lawyer Male Mabirizi Kiwanuka has been remanded to Luzira Prison after being charged in connection with alleged offensive social media posts directed at senior judicial officers.

Mabirizi appeared before the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, where he was formally charged under the Computer Misuse Act with offenses including malicious information and hate speech.

According to prosecution statements in court, Mabirizi allegedly used his TikTok account in January 2026 to publish videos that criticised and ridiculed and insulted senior judicial officers, including the Chief Justice of Uganda, Flavian Zeija, and Justice Musa Ssekaana of the Court of Appeal.

Prosecutors told the court that the state regards some of the content as false and malicious information that was intended to demean, degrade, and promote hatred against the judicial officers. The state said that in one video, Mabirizi described the Chief Justice as a conman, fraudster, and corrupt official, allegations that the prosecution said were unfounded.

Mabirizi denied the charges when they were read to him in court.

During the hearing, he reportedly objected to taking plea on procedural grounds, but the magistrate advised that any concerns be formally raised through written submissions.

Chief Magistrate Ritah Neumbe Kidasa refused to grant bail and ordered that Mabirizi be remanded at Luzira Prison until February 18, 2026, when the case will next be mentioned.

Outside the courtroom, some of Mabirizi’s supporters described the charges as unjust, saying he was being targeted for his critical commentary on state institutions.

Mabirizi has a history of contentious interactions with the judiciary. In 2022, he served a sentence related to contempt of court after earlier online attacks on judicial officers.