Ugandans raise Shs24 million in 24 hours to save cartoonist Spire Ssentongo from jail

• The public raised Shs24 million within 24 hours, leaving Shs6 million to reach the target.

• The High Court ordered Ssentongo to pay a Shs10 million fine and Shs20 million in damages to KIU.

• The contempt case arose from posts he made despite an existing court injunction.

Ugandans have raised Shs24 million in under 24 hours to help academic and cartoonist Jimmy Spire Ssentongo meet a Shs30 million court penalty and avoid three months in civil prison.

The fundraising campaign was launched over the weekend with activists, journalists, political leaders and other Ugandans rallying behind Ssentongo following his legal battle with Kampala International University (KIU).

Human rights activist Agather Atuhaire, who is coordinating the campaign, announced last evening that contributions had reached Shs24 million.

“We now stand at UGX 24,000,000 for @SpireJim. So Ugandans have contributed 24M in the last 24 hours!! This is love. This is solidarity. This is defiance. This is appreciation... and so much more,” Atuhaire revealed.

The figure left the campaign about Shs6 million short of its Shs30 million target.

Ssentongo thanked Atuhaire, human rights lawyer Eron Kiiza and other contributors after the fundraiser exceeded expectations.

“I read from @kiizaeron that the launch was to be on Monday, but Love couldn’t wait to speak! What more wealth than living in people’s hearts! Thank you all, friends indeed. I can’t finish the list,” Ssentongo wrote.

In another response, he said: “Thanks @AAgather and @kiizaeron, thanks everyone! No words.”

Opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, also known as Bobi Wine, amplified the campaign and urged Ugandans to support Ssentongo. He said the cartoonist had spent years using his work to demand accountability. 

The fundraising followed a June 18, 2026, High Court ruling that found Ssentongo in contempt of court.

High Court Civil Division Registrar Kintu Simon Zirintusa ordered him to pay a Shs10 million fine within 14 days or spend three months in civil prison. The court also ordered him to pay KIU Shs20 million in punitive and exemplary damages, as well as costs. 

The case arose from an earlier court order restraining Ssentongo from publishing or circulating information the court considered injurious to KIU's reputation.

Ssentongo challenged  that order and continued posting about the university. The court ruled that his appeal did not suspend the injunction because he had not obtained a stay. 

The contempt proceedings centred on a March 18, 2026, post in which Ssentongo accused KIU of failing to transfer Shs15.57 million in tuition fees paid for two of his nephews.

Ssentongo said the two had paid their fees but changed universities before beginning their studies at KIU. He said university officials later agreed to transfer the money to two other students at KIU, but the transfer was not completed. 

KIU then returned to court, arguing that the post violated the existing injunction.

The university had sought Shs1 billion in exemplary damages and a Shs200 million fine, but the court instead imposed the Shs30 million in fines and damages. 

Ssentongo is an academic, columnist and editorial cartoonist whose work has appeared in The Observer since 2006. In May 2026, he jointly received the Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award from the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation and the City of Geneva. 

He has also built a large following through online campaigns that invite Ugandans to highlight corruption, poor public services and institutional failures.