A senior Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) official has been ordered by the High Court to pay Shs100 million to a colleague after sharing explosive allegations in a management WhatsApp group that turned out to be false.
Justice Isaac Bonny Teko ruled in favour of URA tax auditor Nicholas Jjengo, who sued Assistant Commissioner Staff Compliance James Abola over messages posted in a URA Senior Management WhatsApp forum.
The controversial messages, shared in September 2022, claimed that Jjengo was being hunted by police over a shooting incident and allegedly involved in a dramatic love triangle.
One of the messages reportedly informed senior managers that police in Kasangati were looking for Jjengo for allegedly shooting at victims.
Another message added even more drama, claiming the incident happened after a woman refused to enter Jjengo’s car following a social outing, triggering what was described as a violent confrontation.
Jjengo dragged Abola to court, arguing that the claims painted him as a dangerous criminal, a reckless gunman, and an immoral man, severely damaging his reputation among colleagues and bosses.
Abola defended himself by claiming he had received the information from another officer and only shared it in good faith as part of his responsibilities.
However, the court wasn’t convinced.
Justice Teko ruled that the messages clearly portrayed Jjengo as a violent criminal and went beyond what would be considered a legitimate management alert.
The judge also took issue with the message’s references to a woman, saying it introduced damaging moral allegations against the married URA officer.
According to the ruling, simply saying claims are “alleged” does not protect someone from liability when they spread serious accusations without first verifying the facts.
The court found that Abola acted recklessly and failed to properly verify the information before sharing it with senior managers.
As a result, Justice Teko awarded Jjengo Shs70 million in general damages and another Shs30 million in exemplary damages, bringing the total compensation to Shs100 million.
The court also ordered Abola to issue a written apology within 14 days through the same URA Senior Management WhatsApp group where the allegations were circulated.
In addition, he was permanently barred from publishing similar claims against Jjengo unless they are properly verified and made lawfully within the scope of his official duties.
The damages will attract annual interest of eight percent until the money is fully paid.
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