TikToker Pressure 24/7 Granted Mandatory Bail

Social media content creator Ibrahim Musana, popularly known as Pressure 24/7, has been granted mandatory bail after spending about five months on remand without trial.

Buganda Road Chief Magistrate Neumbe Ritah Kidasa granted the bail on Wednesday, ruling that Musana had exceeded the constitutional 60-day threshold for pre-trial detention.

Musana is facing charges of unlawfully obtaining or processing personal data and hate speech, contrary to the Data Protection and Privacy Act and the Computer Misuse Act. The charges arise from an incident allegedly involving the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba,

According to the prosecution, on March 5, 2026, Musana unlawfully obtained and processed a photograph and the name of Gen Kainerugaba without his consent. The prosecution further alleges that Musana later used his TikTok account, @pressure247, to publish content about Kainerugaba that was likely to ridicule, degrade or demean him.

Musana was taken into custody around March 10 or 11, shortly after the charges were sanctioned and presented before court. He was subsequently remanded as the case came up for mention on several occasions. However, the matter did not progress to trial, with several adjournments attributed to the prosecution.

Court records indicate that the case file was at Police Headquarters for review and was also undergoing scrutiny by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), contributing to the delay in commencing proceedings. It’s against this background that Musana’s lawyer, Yasin Ssentumbwe Munagomba, notified the court on July 22 that he would seek mandatory bail.

The lawyer initially presented Robert Kironde as a surety and told the court that a second surety was being sought. On August 5, Munagomba formally argued that his client had spent more than the constitutionally prescribed 60 days on remand without trial.

The State initially asked for time to research the law governing mandatory bail. However, when the matter returned for ruling, State Attorney Grace Amy told the court that the prosecution did not oppose Musana’s release, provided that appropriate conditions were imposed to ensure that he attends court.

Kidasa found that Musana had spent approximately five months on remand, well beyond the constitutional 60-day threshold, without his trial commencing. She further noted that the delay was not attributable to him and therefore held that he was entitled to bail, with the remaining issue being the conditions for his release.

The court ordered Musana to deposit 1 million Shillings in cash bail and undertake to attend court on every date to which the case is adjourned until its final determination. He was also ordered to deposit his National Identity Card and an introductory letter from the LC1 chairperson of his place of residence.

In addition, Musana must present two substantial sureties, each of whom must be a Ugandan citizen with a fixed and verifiable place of residence or employment within the court’s jurisdiction. The sureties must provide valid identification documents and LCI introductory letters and execute non-cash surety bonds of 5 million Shillings each.

The court also barred Musana from directly or indirectly interfering with the complainant, witnesses or ongoing investigations. Musana will only regain his temporary freedom after fulfilling all the bail conditions.

This is not Musana’s first encounter with the Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court over controversial social media posts, nor is it his first time securing bail.

In February 2024, then Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi granted him bail after he was charged with eight counts of promoting hate speech against President Museveni, former Speaker of Parliament Anita Among and the Kabaka of Buganda, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II.

Musana, who has been known for his criticism of the Kabaka and members of Uganda’s First Family, did not directly plead to the charges at the time. Instead, he told the court that he had been unaware that his online posts constituted criminal offences and promised to stop attacking public leaders and delete the offending content from his TikTok account.

During the bail proceedings, Musana also told the court that he had previously been admitted to Butabika Hospital over mental illness, triggered by the spirits of Buganda’s deceased kings, whom he said were demanding that he repair their tombs, as a member of the loyal family in Buganda.

Musana told the court that he had spent about two years writing to Buganda Kingdom officials about the matter, saying he was a prince tasked with fulfilling the spiritual demand, but had received no response. The 2024 case followed a complaint by Buganda Kingdom officials over allegations that Musana had ridiculed the Kabaka.

He was arrested and held in police custody for about a week before being charged and remanded to prison. He spent nearly two months in custody before securing bail.

Among the conditions imposed on his release was an order barring him from mentioning the names of President Museveni, Anita Among, and the Kabaka of Buganda. The case, however, ultimately collapsed on September 24, 2025, when the court dismissed all the charges due to lack of sufficient evidence to sustain the case.

Barely six months later, he was back before the same court, this time over allegations involving Gen Kainerugaba and the publication of content that the prosecution says amounted to hate speech and unlawful processing of personal data.