KAMPALA, 12 November 2025 — The High Court in Kampala has issued an interim order restraining Dr. Jimmy Spire Ssentongo from publishing or circulating any new information on social media deemed injurious to the reputation of Kampala International University (KIU).
The interim order, delivered by His Worship Kintu Simon Zirintusa, follows an application filed by KIU under Miscellaneous Application No. 0964 of 2025, arising from Civil Suit No. 0413 of 2025, in which the university accuses Dr. Ssentongo of libel and defamation.
According to the court documents, KIU, represented by M/s Lwere, Lwanyaga and Co. Advocates, sought a restraining order against Dr. Ssentongo, whom it accuses of posting and circulating information on various social media platforms that allegedly tarnished the institution’s name.
In his ruling, Zirintusa ordered that: “An interim order of injunction is issued restraining the respondent and/or any person acting on his instruction from continuing to post, publish, distribute and/or circulate in print and/or social media any new and fresh information and messages injurious and/or damaging to the name and reputation of the Kampala International University (KIU).”
The interim injunction will remain in force until the main application for a temporary injunction is determined. The court set December 16, 2025, as the date for the ruling on the main application.
The Deputy Registrar of the Civil Division signed the interim order, indicating that the matter came before the court in the absence of the respondent and/or his counsel.
In its main plaint, KIU identifies itself as a “chartered higher institution of learning with capacity to sue and be sued in its own name.” The university seeks a permanent injunction, punitive and exemplary damages, and costs of the suit, accusing Dr. Ssentongo of defamation.
Dr. Ssentongo, a Ugandan academic, writer, and social commentator, has gained wide recognition for his social media activism on issues of governance, corruption, and social justice. It remains unclear which specific posts prompted KIU’s legal action.
