Free speech in Uganda exists in a precarious state. It is a right that is proclaimed on paper, but is often a punishable offence in practice. The environment demonstrates a clear pattern where the state leverages its legal and security apparatus to narrow the boundaries of acceptable discourse, making the act of speaking truth to power a courageous and often dangerous undertaking. The vibrant, critical voice of Ugandan civil society persists, but it does so under significant and relentless pressure.