They are charged together with 19-year-old Julius Taiebwa, who has already been tried and jailed for the same offences.
Prosecutors say they posted the information on TikTok with the intention of “ridiculing, degrading and promoting enmity” against the first family and others
A judge allowed their detention after police said they were continuing to investigate the case.
“You will arrive on November 13 when the case is heard. Until then, you are in Kiga prison,” the judge ordered.
In September, police spokesman Rusoke Kituuma warned that violence against the president, whom he described as a “source of honor”, was an offence. He mentioned a Tiktoker under the name Lucky Choice who he said is being investigated. The TikToker was later arrested.
It is not clear which post led to the arrest, but a video posted in April on the TikTok page LuckyChoice70 under the title “My First Enemies” criticized the first family using language of a sexual nature.
In July, a 24-year-old man was sentenced to six years in prison for insulting the president and the first family in a TikTok video. He pleaded guilty and apologized.
This comes after the government was criticized for restricting people’s ability to criticize the actions of the state or its officials.
The US government in a report last year accused Uganda of restricting Internet freedom through the use of criminal penalties.
Human rights groups also regularly condemn the Ugandan authorities for violating human rights and freedom of speech.
In 2022, award-winning Ugandan author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija was charged with two counts of “offensive communication” after he made disparaging remarks about the president and his son on Twitter.
He fled the country to Germany after spending a month in prison where he said he was tortured.
