A Ugandan High Court has ordered digital journalist Dean Lubowa Saava to pay Shs100 million in general damages after finding him liable for defaming Deputy Inspector General of Government (IGG) Anne Twinomugisha Muhairwe.
The court also directed Saava to issue a public apology on his TikTok platform, TV10 Gano Mazima, where the defamatory statements were published, and permanently barred him from making further defamatory remarks about Muhairwe.
In her ruling, High Court Judge Joyce Kavuma said the statements published by Saava falsely portrayed Muhairwe as corrupt and unfit for public office.
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“The statements falsely portrayed Muhairwe as corrupt, dishonest and unfit to hold public office, thereby damaging her reputation and exposing her to public ridicule,” Justice Kavuma ruled.
Court records show that Saava repeatedly claimed on TikTok that Muhairwe had received Shs200 million from engineers linked to a road construction project in Kaabong District and had interfered with investigations into the matter.
He also accused her of engaging in other corrupt activities and questioned her competence to serve at Uganda’s anti-corruption agency.
Muhairwe denied all the allegations, telling the court that she had never received the alleged money, taken part in the activities described by Saava or travelled to Kaabong District in connection with the claims.
The case proceeded without Saava after he failed to file a defence despite being served with court documents. Justice Kavuma noted that although the defendant did not participate in the proceedings, Muhairwe was still required to prove her case “on a balance of probabilities.”
During the hearing, Muhairwe presented recordings of the TikTok broadcasts and called the Inspectorate of Government’s Director of Ombudsman Affairs, Kakooza Savio Ntensibe, as a witness.
Ntensibe rejected allegations that he acted as Muhairwe’s personal assistant or collected money on her behalf, telling the court he had no involvement in any such transaction.
After reviewing the evidence, the court found that the publications were defamatory and capable of leading “an ordinary, reasonable person” to conclude that Muhairwe was corrupt and unsuitable to serve as Deputy IGG.
Justice Kavuma also found that Saava continued publishing the allegations despite being warned to stop, saying his actions demonstrated “malice and recklessness.”
The court further considered evidence from Muhairwe’s lawyers indicating that, in a separate criminal case resolved through a plea bargain, Saava had reportedly admitted that the allegations he made against the deputy IGG were false.
While assessing compensation, the judge considered the damage to Muhairwe’s reputation, the humiliation and emotional distress caused, as well as Saava’s failure to apologise or take part in the civil proceedings.
Although Muhairwe had sought exemplary damages, including Shs300 million in punitive damages, the court declined the request, saying there was no evidence that Saava had financially benefited from the defamatory publications.
Instead, the court awarded Shs100 million in general damages, together with the costs of the suit and interest at court rates until the amount is fully paid.
The ruling comes months after Saava was convicted by the Makindye Chief Magistrates Court in February 2026 for operating an online television broadcasting service without a licence from the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) and failing to comply with lawful directives issued by the regulator.
The court heard that between November 2018 and September 2025, Saava and others operated TV10 Gano Mazima from Lungujja in Kampala’s Rubaga Division without a valid broadcasting licence.
Several complainants, including Muhairwe, had petitioned the UCC over content broadcast by Saava, alleging defamation and seeking regulatory action. Following repeated warnings, the regulator instituted criminal proceedings, after which Saava entered a plea bargain and was convicted.
Chief Magistrate Gladys Kamasanyu fined him a total of Shs4 million on three charges, with a default sentence of six months’ imprisonment.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of 45 broadcasting equipment items seized from TV10 Gano Mazima’s offices and studio, directing that they be disposed of by the UCC in accordance with the law.
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