KAMPALA, Uganda | Herbert Burora Anderson, the former Deputy Resident City Commissioner (RCC), has been summoned by the Chief Magistrate of Buganda Road Court to answer charges of hate speech and malicious communication. The summons were issued after Burora failed to appear in court as scheduled on the morning of December 3, 2024.

Charges against Burora

The charges against Burora include six counts of hate speech and malicious communication. According to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), between March and June 2024, Burora allegedly used his social media account on X (formerly Twitter) to make defamatory statements about Hon. Annet Anita Among, Speaker of Parliament.

The statements reportedly accused Among of being a torturer, murderer, corrupt, and a kidnapper. The DPP claims that the information shared by Burora was intended to harm the Speaker’s reputation and incite hostility against her.

Court proceedings

Burora was expected to appear before the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court on December 3, 2024, but neither he, his sureties, nor his legal representatives attended the hearing. In response, the Chief Magistrate issued criminal summons requiring Burora to appear in court.

The court has set January 7, 2025, as the next hearing date for this case when Burora is expected to appear in court to respond to the charges.