A Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) officer has been awarded Shs100 million in damages after the High Court found that a colleague defamed him by sharing unverified allegations in a senior management WhatsApp group.
In a ruling delivered on June 17, 2026, Justice Isaac Bonny Teko ordered James Abola, who was serving as Assistant Commissioner for Staff Compliance, to compensate Nicholas Jjengo, a tax auditor, for defamatory statements circulated on the URA Senior Management WhatsApp forum.
The case stemmed from messages posted by Abola on September 18, 2022, in which Jjengo was identified by name and linked to a shooting incident. The messages claimed that police were searching for him in connection with the alleged attack.
One of the messages stated that police in Kasangati were looking for Jjengo, describing him as a customs officer who had allegedly fired three bullets at victims. A second message expanded on the claims, alleging that he had followed another vehicle and opened fire after a woman declined to enter his car following a social outing.
Jjengo argued that the allegations were entirely false and had severely damaged his reputation among his supervisors, colleagues, and the wider URA community. He told the court that the messages portrayed him as a wanted criminal, a violent individual, and a person of questionable moral character.
Abola denied wrongdoing, maintaining that he had received the information from ASP Patrick Lumumba Okello, an officer attached to the Staff Compliance Division. He argued that he shared the information in good faith as part of his official responsibilities and that the communication was protected under qualified privilege because it related to staff conduct and security concerns.
He further contended that the messages clearly indicated the information was unverified by using phrases such as “it is alleged” and “investigation is still ongoing.”
However, Justice Teko ruled that the messages went beyond what could reasonably be considered a management alert and carried a clear implication that Jjengo had committed a serious criminal offence.
“The natural and ordinary meaning of that message is that the Plaintiff was wanted by police for shooting at victims,” the judge stated. “That is a serious imputation of criminality and violence.”
The court also took issue with the second message, which introduced allegations involving a woman and suggested jealousy as a motive for the shooting. Justice Teko said the wording used created a damaging narrative that portrayed Jjengo as immoral, reckless, and unfit to hold public trust.
According to the ruling, while Abola had a legitimate duty to inform management about serious allegations involving a staff member, that responsibility did not justify sharing unverified claims or embellishing them with sensational details.
“Qualified privilege protects responsible communication made in good faith; it does not protect reckless embellishment, sensationalism or publication made with indifference to truth,” the judge ruled.
Court records showed that several senior URA officials who received the messages sought clarification from Jjengo and were informed that the allegations were false. Despite this, there was no evidence that Abola took adequate steps to verify the information before sharing it.
Justice Teko also dismissed the argument that repeating allegations from another source shields a person from liability.
The court held that individuals who republish defamatory statements can still be held responsible, particularly when the allegations are serious and the publisher has the means to verify their accuracy.
As a result, the court found that the statements were defamatory and that Abola’s defence of qualified privilege had been defeated by his failure to verify the claims and his disregard for the truth.
The judge ordered Abola to issue a written apology within 14 days and publish it on the same URA Senior Management WhatsApp group where the allegations had originally been circulated.
Jjengo was awarded Shs70 million in general damages and Shs30 million in exemplary damages, bringing the total compensation to Shs100 million.
The court also issued a permanent injunction preventing Abola from publishing similar allegations against Jjengo unless they are made lawfully, in good faith, and after proper verification within the scope of his official duties.
In addition, the damages awarded will attract interest at a rate of eight percent per annum until they are fully paid. Jjengo was also awarded the costs of the suit.
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