By Kabuye Ronald
Detained journalist Arnold Anthony Mukose has vowed to remain steadfast despite his continued incarceration, declaring in a handwritten prison letter that he is “still in high spirit” and committed to the fight against injustice.
In the letter, written from Luzira’s Murchison Bay Prison, Mukose addressed journalists, activists and human rights defenders across the globe:
“MUKOSE ARNOA ANTHONY
P.No: 1004/26
Salutations to all my fellow ugandans, journalists, media practitioners, rights defenders and activists across the globe. I am basing on remand at Luzira’s Murchison Bay prison to let you know that am still in high spirit and this pen of has offered me an opportunity to interact with other ugandans in this world (prison).
I beseech everyone to steadfastly in the fight against all forms of injustices and rights violations. My oppressors thought by remanding me they would break but rather opened up another new chapter in my media & Human rights activism journey.
Fellow journalists/media practitioners, rights defenders should continue to speak out against all forms of violations. I am 100% innocent but God wanted me to expose and accelerate my activism spirit. I am not on remand but rather it is our rights and freedoms on remand.
For as long as I breath, no weapon against media in uganda shall prosper. I thank everyone who has stood and continue to stand with me right from my abduction to Murchison’s coolest isolation basement to upto Luzira.”
Mukose, a journalist with Digital Talk Online Television, was on Tuesday further remanded to Luzira Prisons until May 5, 2026, after the trial magistrate failed to sit.
He was initially charged on April 1, 2026, with publishing false and distressing news regarding the alleged death of First Lady Janet Museveni. Following the charge, he was remanded to Luzira Prison.
According to reports, Mukose was arrested as he exited Metro FM after appearing on a radio talk show. Security operatives, believed to be attached to the Joint Anti-Terrorist Task Force (JATT), later searched his residence in Lukuli Nanganda. He was first detained at Old Kampala Police Division before being moved to an undisclosed location ahead of his court appearance.
Mukose was subsequently presented before Grade One Magistrate Ivan Maloba at the Law Development Centre Court.
His legal team, led by lawyers Kato Tumusiime and Kakulu Tumusiime, applied for bail, which the court initially granted. However, the state prosecutor, Namutebi, requested additional time to verify the credentials of the sureties, including their residences and National Identity Cards. The court granted the request, adjourning the matter to April 14, 2026.
With the magistrate absent on the scheduled date, the case has now been pushed further, extending Mukose’s stay on remand.
Despite the delays in his case, Mukose’s message from prison underscores a tone of defiance and resilience, as he frames his detention as part of a broader struggle for media freedom and human rights.
