On March 29, 2026, men in plainclothes snatched Arnold Anthony Mukose, program director of the online outlet Alternative Digitalk, off the street in the Ugandan capital, Kampala.
He was pushed into a Toyota Noah minivan waiting outside the main gate of Metro FM 90.8, according to media reports. Eyewitnesses told those outlets that the men identified themselves to Mukose as security officers. Ugandans have nicknamed the vehicles “drones” because of the speed with which they drive off with those they have picked up.
The Independent magazine cited Mukose’s lawyer Kato Tumusiime as saying that operatives from the multi-agency Joint Anti-Terrorism Task Force took his client to his house, which they searched, and seized electronic devices. A police search certificate, shared online by Eron Kizza, another lawyer for Alternative Digitalk, showed that the police took Mukose’s ID card, passport, a modem, laptop and two smart watches from his house on March 29, in his presence.
Mukose had just finished a live broadcast where he discussed the Constitutional Court’s March 17 ruling that nullified several sections of the Computer Misuse Act and criminal defamation in the penal code, which have frequently been used by authorities to target journalists and activists. Mukose was the third petitioner in the case.
Mukose was held in an undisclosed location for three days. On April 1, he was produced at Kampala’s LDC Chief Magistrate’s Court and charged, along with "others still at large," with publishing "fake news" and "a false distress signal" that "the First Lady Janet Kataha Museveni is dead," according to the March 31 charge sheet, reviewed by CPJ.
Ugandans had been publicly speculating about the First Lady's recent absence from official engagements. CPJ was unable to verify the existence or content of the alleged report.
The Uganda Communications Commission’s 2019 Licensing Regulations stipulate fines of up to 960,000 shillings (US$266) and/or up to two years' imprisonment for “publishing fake news.” Under Uganda’s 2013 Communications Act, a first-time offender convicted of “sending false distress signals” faces a fine of up to 600,000 shillings (US$160).
In a statement on April 1, Alternative Digitalk rejected the allegations and challenged authorities to “produce evidence of our organization's social media posts, videos or statements declaring the death of the individual as is on the charge sheet.” It described the charges as “deceitful, misleading and malicious” and said the state was “persecuting” Mukose and Alternative Digitalk “following the successful constitutional petition” against the Computer Misuse Act.
On April 14, Mukose was remanded to Luzira Maximum Security Prison until May 5 because the magistrate was not in court to hear his bail application.
On May 5, Mukose was granted bail after more than five weeks in detention.
On July 27, Mukose’s application to have his case dismissed on jurisdictional grounds, as the charge sheet did not include the location of the alleged offenses, was rejected. The magistrate ordered the charge sheet be amended and Mukose to return to court on August 24.
Alternative Digitalk described Mukose as its most senior journalist who has worked in the profession for over 15 years. He hosted talk shows, provided political commentary, and published analysis on national developments prior to becoming program director.
In 2022, authorities raided Alternative Digitalk’s offices and charged two of its staff with “offensive communication,” under a provision of the Computer Misuse Act that was later struck down, and cyberstalking.