A blogger known as Kasagga Bashir, aka Kasagga Matovu has been charged with four counts of unauthorized modification of computer material, under the Computer Misuse Act.
Fred Enanga, the police spokesperson said that during the months of August and September 2022, while in Kampala, the suspect, with requisite intent and knowledge, used his social engineering techniques to create, obtain, and modify tweets and screenshots of Twitter handles of the Defence Spokesperson @UPDFspokesperson, Uganda Police Force @PoliceUg, Annita Annet Among @Anita Among and Balaam Barugahare Ateenyi @Balaam 1980.
He said the suspect then allegedly modified the codes to cause the sites to display a string of pictures and words that were abusive and offensive.
“Following months of bragging on social media, he was finally arrested and electronic gadgets, which are relevant to the investigation, were recovered from him,” said Enanga.
Enanga claimed that the suspect has been the leader of the network of social media abusers.
“His communication matrix is linked to thousands of group members. It also clearly shows selected individuals and political groups, that have been glorifying and sponsoring his offensive behavior, towards government officials and institutions. We have retrieved some of the deceptive posts, charts, accounts, and pictorials, which he has been sharing with 6,588 followers on Twitter and 5,625 Facebook followers,” he said.
Enanga said although cybercrimes cannot be eliminated, the risks of abuse can be mitigated through law enforcement.
“We have meanwhile strengthened the Cyber Crime Unit at CID Headquarters, and come up with valuable ways of raising public awareness about cybercrime, as well as methods of mitigating risks, by pursuing perpetrators of cybercrime. We continue to develop their expertise,” he said.