The Civil Division of the High Court in Kampala has ordered journalist Dean Lubowa to pay Shs100 million in damages to Deputy Inspector General of Government (IGG) Anne Twinomugisha Muhairwe for defamation.
In a ruling delivered on Wednesday, Lady Justice Joyce Kavuma said evidence presented before court showed that Lubowa’s statements were defamatory and intended to damage the reputation of the Deputy IGG.
“The plain and ordinary meaning of the published words or utterances made by the defendant, when analysed by a right-thinking member of society, suggest that she is a corrupt and fraudulent person unfit to serve in the office of the Inspector General of Government of Uganda,” Justice Kavuma ruled.
The case stems from a suit by the deputy IGG that Dean Lubowa using TV10 GANO MAZIMA on TikTok around July 2025 when he made claims that she is corrupt and not a fit and proper person to occupy any public office.
The deputy IGG said that Lubowa’s defamatory statements were intended to lower her reputation in the eyes of the right thinking members of society resultantly causing irreparable injury to the plaintiff’s reputation.
In her decision, the judge said in making these claims directly and indirectly, Dean Lubowa insinuated without show of proof that the Deputy Inspector General of Government, is part and parcel of the corruption she ought to eliminate.
“The said defamatory statements were repeated on several occasions despite warning from the plaintiff to the defendant to desist from publishing the said defamatory statements. The continued publishing of the said defamatory statements shows the desire and intent by the defendant to cause pain to the plaintiff.”
She said this meant Lubowa’s conduct was malicious and reckless.
The judge consequently ruled that in a bid to punish the recklessness by Dean Lubowa, court ought to condemn him to costs.
The court issued a permanent injunction against Lubowa restraining him and his agents from making, uttering, publishing, communicating any further defamatory statements against or about the current deputy IGG.
He was also directed to issue a public apology on his TV10 GANO MAZIMA TikTok page/platform where the defamatory statements were published but also pay shs100 million to the deputy IGG.
