Back to Africa Check

No, cash fines for violating Covid-19 rules not in place in Uganda – beware of fake notice

A notice posted on a popular Facebook group claims police in Uganda will fine people caught breaking Covid-19 rules. 

Posted on 12 June 2021 in a group with over 116,000 followers, the notice is dated 10 June and bears the logo of Uganda’s police force

It reads: “BE WARNED. OFFICIAL COVID-19 GUIDELINES VIOLATION. CASH FINES!!!!” It says perpetrators will face cash fines from USh100,000 to USh250,000 (from US$28 to $70). 

In an address on 6 June Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni said any Ugandans breaking Covid-19 restrictions should be fined.

“Violation of these measures will lead to fines that will be given out soon in a Statutory Instrument signed by the Permanent Secretary (PS) Treasury,” he said. ‘Those who do not care about the health of Ugandans will pay financially.” 

But is the notice circulating on social media genuine? We checked.

CovidFines_False

Fines not implemented – yet

The notice does not appear on the verified Facebook and Twitter pages of the Ugandan police.

On 11 June, the police posted the notice with a red “FAKE NEWS” label across it on Twitter.

Please ignore this fake news. Police has no instrument in place yet, to implement this. Until then, don’t be caught on the wrong side of the law. Observe [standard operating procedures], adhere to curfew guidelines, keep safe,” read the tweet. 

The treasury has developed new guidelines and it has been reported that these were submitted to the health ministry. But the notice circulating on Facebook is not from the Ugandan police and is untrue.

Republish our content for free

Please complete this form to receive the HTML sharing code.

For publishers: what to do if your post is rated false

A fact-checker has rated your Facebook or Instagram post as “false”, “altered”, “partly false” or “missing context”. This could have serious consequences. What do you do?

Click on our guide for the steps you should follow.

Publishers guide

Africa Check teams up with Facebook

Africa Check is a partner in Meta's third-party fact-checking programme to help stop the spread of false information on social media.

The content we rate as “false” will be downgraded on Facebook and Instagram. This means fewer people will see it.

You can also help identify false information on Facebook. This guide explains how.

Add new comment

Restricted HTML

  • Allowed HTML tags: <a href hreflang> <em> <strong> <cite> <blockquote cite> <code> <ul type> <ol start type> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <h2 id> <h3 id> <h4 id> <h5 id> <h6 id>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.
limit: 600 characters

Want to keep reading our fact-checks?

We will never charge you for verified, reliable information. Help us keep it that way by supporting our work.

Become a newsletter subscriber

Support independent fact-checking in Africa.