"Spire you won't be spared for disturbing the peace of the Prince. I love you so much but I also fear for you," wrote one of his twitter followers after another "provocative" cartoon.
Everyone these days, it appears, fears for Jimmy Spire Ssentongo, the sharp witted, reflective, intellectual and stubborn academic-cum-cartoonist whose drawings have captivated the nation.
For the last 10 years and more, the quiet and reserved Ssentongo fondly referred to as "Spire" has drawn editorial cartoons for The Observer newspaper while at the same time tending to his teaching responsibilities at Uganda Martyrs University in Nkozi. He is also a talented writer.
But he officially came to the limelight after his captivating tales on social media on his experience in quarantine during the first lockdown. These tales are the subject of his book, Quarantined: My ordeal in Uganda's Covid-19 Isolation Centres, released in 2021.
Indeed after drawing a cartoon depicting the horrifying life in the isolation centres, authorities decided to release him.
As the political space has narrowed in the last couple of years, Spire's cartoons have become sharper and more critical of those who abuse their power.
To put it simply, he has sharpened his pen to caricature the growing injustice and human rights violations perpetrated mainly by those in authority.
His cartoons, it appears, speak louder than words. To some, they hurt more than a bullet to the chest.
They have tickled hundreds of his followers and annoyed some senior officials who are sensitive to criticism even when in Spire's case it is always sarcastic.
His latest 'enemy' is Assistant Inspector General of Police, Asan Kasingye, the self appointed president of the so called "Ugandans on Twitter (UoT).
Kasingye blocked Spire on twitter after an altercation.
The cartoonist pointed out, sarcastically, that a tweet from senior police officer [Kasingye] had not mentioned the name of the institution to which the army officer who shot a traffic policeman, belonged.
Kasingye had tweeted about the incident but was careful not to mention that the suspect (Maj Okua) was attached to CMI, even when it was public knowledge.
In a series of frames, Spire had elected to draw a cartoon depicting this altercation with Kasingye. Instead, he chose to draw a cartoon depicting the rising costs of fuel.
Over the last couple of months, Spire's cartoons, shared mainly on twitter and Facebook, have been hard-hitting, leaving little to imagination.
Spire's cartoons are thought provoking, some are rib cracking but many are tear-inducing.
Where acclaimed writers like Kakwenza Rukirabashaija and Dr Stella Nyanzi would use their writing prowess and pointed words to make their case, Spire resorts to his sharp pencil.
For thousands of his social media followers, his cartoons, beyond the humour, provide them with a moment for a deep and sober reflection of what is going on in the country.
"He is essentially a freedom fighter who through cartoons speaks what others like me are afraid to point out," said Ivan Matovu, an IT specialist, an admirer of Spire.
The cartoons
Some of his eye popping cartoons include the one his drew on January 14, depicting a puffed up officer in what appears to be a military uniform writing on a chalkboard: "2026 Manifesto: Build more prisons; Expand Kitalya; Boost censorship; Block critics."
Above the head of the officer is a feeding bottle, dripping. In the extreme corner of the frame is a drawing of two legs tied together with blood dripping on the floor.
Spire does not assign name tags to his subjects [for legal reasons] but his followers believe that the officer in question is the First Son, Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
The cartoon was drawn at the height of reports of alleged torture of Kakwenza by security personnel attached to the Special Forces Command.
There is another cartoon that he shared on January 20 about a police officer tutoring a senior government official on "How to tell Gov't Lais" in a classroom setting. The setting is completed with two bottles dripping with water above the duo and charts of images with their description.
From the cartoon, "a drone" is described as a "star" while a red beret is labelled as a "gun."
To his followers, the officer in question is none other than Fred Enanga, the police spokesperson, while the official being tutored is Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja. However that is just an assumption.
.Signature
A typical Spire cartoon depicting President Museveni or those acting under his orders will not be complete without the signature bottle of dripping water or the peeping AK-47.
The "dripping bottle" gained prominence after Museveni championed the use of bottle irrigation for those who could not afford expensive irrigation systems. It is usually tied to Museveni's over bearing stetson hat. The peeping AK-47 in Spire's cartoons signifies the "Ssabalwanyi" or the chief fighter.
Cartoons depicting the Fist Son, Muhoozi, usually include a baby feeding bottle nestled somewhere on his body. The officer usually has a moustache.
For the Inspector General of Police, Okoth Ochola, Spire's cartoons of him put emphasis on an enhanced nose, similar to that of Clown Ferdinand, a fictional character in a children's TV series that used to feature on UTV in the 80s.
For effect, Ochola's nose is usually painted yellow, the official colour of the NRM
In a country where many leaders are sensitive to criticism, some of his followers in Uganda have counselled Spire to tread carefully predicting that he will end up in a torture chamber of sorts for annoying the powers that be.
For instance in his latest cartoon instalment that shows an army officer trying to erase the acronym SRB from a building and replacing it with that of SFC, one of his followers says the cartoon is not "satirical" suggesting that he has "gone beyond".
In reply, Spire concurs, writing sarcastically: "The torture is going beyond."
