False: The Kabaka of Buganda Is Not Under House Arrest
A screenshot from TikTok was shared on WhatsApp alleging that the Kabaka (King) of the Buganda kingdom, His Highness Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, is under house arrest. This claim is false. The motive is clear: to incite violence and mislead the Baganda to riot, as history has seen.
The screenshot shows the post gained significant traction, garnering 3113 Likes, 511 Likes, 230 saves, and 357 shares.
It was captioned: “His highness the king of Buganda woke up this morning with his home surrounded. Uganda is bleeding, and Buganda is shrinking! No one is safe…”
The Facts
The Buganda Kingdom is one of Uganda’s traditional kingdoms with large, dedicated, and loyal subjects. Located in central Uganda, it is comprised of the Baganda people and situated in 18 counties. These are often highly sensitive to perceived threats or restrictions involving their king. Kabaka; for instance, in September 2009, when the Kabaka was blocked from travelling to Kayunga district for an event, widespread youth-led riots erupted here, here, here and here.
Evidence:
To fact-check it, we conducted a simple Google search with keywords from the text on the screenshot, “is the kabaka under house arrest?” The search revealed no credible media reports supporting the claim, aside from a single unverified X post.
It is alleged that Kabaka of Buganda is also under House Arrest.#FreeUgandaNow 🇺🇬
— Wounded Ugandan 🇺🇬 (@woundedUgandan) January 16, 2026
We also did a Google reverse image search on the screenshot to trace its origin and context. The results showed that the image has appeared many times in unrelated contexts but not on TikTok.
Further checks were conducted on TikTok by searching for the account Zakayo Omuwooza to find the video where that screenshot was taken. Although the account exists, the specific video containing the claim could not be found, and the only logical conclusion is it was deleted.
@zakayotaxcollector
The screenshot also alleges that “Muhoozi Kainerugaba posted this morning”; however, a review of his official social media accounts, like his X account, Instagram and FaceBook, showed no such post, further discrediting the claim.
On speaking to the spokesperson of the Buganda Kingdom, Owek. Israel Kazibwe said he had seen the post and dismissed the allegations.
“That is not true; the Kabaka is not under house arrest. Such claims have been made to divert our attention from important matters, which we shall not give in to,” he said in a phone call with Debunk Media Initiative.
Verdict
False. The kabaka of Buganda is not under house arrest. The claim was made to mislead the public and incite violence, as suggested by the call to action in the post, urging Ugandans to “take it to the streets”.
This fact-check was produced by NAMAJJA ELIZABETH with support from Debunk Media Initiative and BBC Media Action.