Exiled Uganda Law Society president senior counsel Isaac Ssemakadde has dispatched a team of lawyers to provide legal services and save jailed journalist Dean Lubowa Ssaava.
On Thursday this week, the assigned lawyers officially visited the incarcerated journalist at Luzira prison and were given instructions with immediate effect to start fighting for his rights and struggle to make sure that he gains his freedom again
Ssemakadde intervened after the maverick journalist was abandoned by Uganda Journalists Association (UJA) a body responsible to fight for the rights of journalists in the country and fellow journalists claiming that he is the one responsible for his troubles after practicing his profession unprofessional.
In October 2025, Lubowa was arrested by police operatives from his Wakaliga offices and driven directly to Makindye based Standard Utilities and Wildlife Chief Magistrate Court where he was charged with the offence related to operating a YouTube channel Gano mazima television without a broadcasting licence from the telecom and communications regulator the Uganda Communication Commission.
Presiding magistrate Gladys Kamasanyu dismissed his application for bail on grounds that he failed to provide suitable sureties to satisfy Court that they have the capacity to bring him back to court at any time Courts needs him. He was advised to apply again with suitable sureties
As he was struggling to file another bail application and defend himself because Uganda Communication Commission had started producing witnesses to testify against him, he was also slapped with another set of criminal charges related to Computer misuse, defamation, extortion at another Makindye Chief Magistrates Court.
According to the chargesheet, Lubowa defamed Anne Twinomugisha Muhairwe, the Deputy Inspector General of Government through his YouTube channel that she is a corrupt government officer thus he is not fit to hold a public office. It is alleged he even tried to extort money from her not to run the story.
Fighting desperately without lawyers to represent him, Lubowa asked the presiding magistrate to give him an opportunity to talk to ruthless prosecutor Richard Birivumbuka to strategize on how to settle the matter out of court. However, they failed to agree after the accused person declined to accept the terms that the complainant and the prosecutor set.
The condition was to reveal the source of the information he broadcasted on his media channel involving the complainant. Being a trained journalist, he decided to face the law and be imprisoned instead of revealing his sources because he is obliged to protect them.
He was served with evidence and a number of witnesses to prepare his defence.
The witnesses included Kakooza Savio Ntesibe, the Director Ombudsman Affairs at the Inspectorate of Government who is ready to testify against him.
The development comes at a time when seasoned crime investigative veteran journalist Stanley Ndawula initiated a move of talking to Nyombi Thembo the Chief Executive Officer of the Uganda Communication Commission and Dr Abdul Salaam Waiswa the head of legal and prosecution in the above government agency to settle Lubowa’s issues out of court which is before Her Worship Gladyce Kamasanyu.
However, Ono Bwino has established that Lubowa is facing many complaints stemming from defamation, extortion, computer misuse and he is consulting his lawyers to know whether apologising to Nyombi Thembo will save him from the troubles he is currently going through.
Lubowa is also battling with a Civil defamation case filed by the Leader of Opposition in Parliament Joel Ssenyonyi who claims that Lubowa defamed him when he used his media channel to spread defamatory information on him using his office in parliament to solicit bribes and pocketed billions of shillings.
