Miria Matembe, supported by a friend following her appearance in court on Monday
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I The grave nature of her remarks has landed former Ethics and Integrity Minister Dr. Miria Matembe behind bars after she was charged with promoting sectarianism over statements prosecutors say were likely to incite hostility against members of the Banyankole ethnic group.
The 73-year-old veteran politician on Monday appeared before Grade One Magistrate Sheilla Gloria Atim at the Luzira Magistrate’s Court, where she was formally charged with promoting sectarianism contrary to Section 38(1)(d) of the Penal Code Act.
Matembe denied the charge but was denied bail and remanded to Luzira Prison.
According to the charge sheet, the prosecution alleges that while appearing on DK TV Uganda earlier this month, Matembe remarked that “all our taxes are being spent on the Banyankole women ministers.”
The state contends that the statement amounted to hate speech and was highly likely to promote hostility, hatred or ill will against members of the Banyankole ethnic community.
Prosecutors argue that by attributing alleged government expenditure to a specific ethnic group, Matembe’s remarks crossed the boundary between political criticism and speech capable of inflaming ethnic divisions.
Her prosecution comes only days after her family reported her missing following a security operation at her lakeside residence in Luzira, Kampala.
Security operatives had earlier raided the former minister’s home in an operation that lasted several hours while she was away. At the time, authorities did not publicly disclose her whereabouts or the reasons for the operation, prompting concern from family members and political allies.
Her court appearance on Monday clarified that she had been taken into custody as part of investigations leading to the sectarianism charge.
Matembe has for decades remained one of Uganda’s most outspoken political figures. A former Member of Parliament and minister in President Yoweri Museveni’s government, she later became one of the administration’s fiercest critics, regularly speaking out against corruption, governance failures and what she has described as growing intolerance of dissent.
The offence of promoting sectarianism is one of Uganda’s long-standing criminal provisions aimed at preventing speech or actions considered capable of creating divisions based on ethnicity, religion, tribe, place of origin or other identity markers. Authorities have increasingly relied on the law to prosecute individuals accused of making inflammatory public statements, particularly through broadcast and online media.
Legal analysts note that while the law seeks to preserve national cohesion, prosecutions under the provision often generate debate over the balance between protecting freedom of expression and preventing hate speech.
If convicted under Section 38(1)(d) of the Penal Code Act, Matembe could face penalties prescribed by law for promoting sectarianism.
