Ugandans on X have raised more than Shs 24 million in less than 24 hours towards the Shs 30 million fine imposed on Dr Jimmy Spire Ssentongo for contempt of court, even before an official fundraising drive was launched.The fundraising effort, driven largely through social media, had raised more than Shs 24 million by the end of Sunday, according to journalist and activist Agather Atuhaire.The development comes after the Kampala High Court (Civil Division) ordered Ssentongo, popularly known as Spire, to pay a Shs 30 million fine or face three months in civil prison over contempt of court.Registrar Kintu Simon Zirintusa found Ssentongo in contempt of court over a social media post he made concerning Kampala International University (KIU).Ssentongo, a cartoonist, philosophy lecturer and political columnist for The Observer, had previously led a social media campaign after publicly raising money concerns he said KIU had refused to refund or transfer. The money, according to Ssentongo, belonged to the children of his late brother.His campaign also drew complaints from other people who raised concerns about KIU’s admission and tuition refund policies, as well as missing marks, among other grievances.KIU subsequently went to court, resulting in the contempt proceedings against Ssentongo and the Shs 30 million fine. The swift fundraising response has triggered an outpouring of support for Ssentongo, with contributors using social media to raise the money needed to meet the court order.Ssentongo said he was overwhelmed by the solidarity and support shown by Ugandans who contributed towards the fine in such a short time. The formal fundraising drive was announced by lawyer Eron Kiiza, who has reportedly gone into exile.Kiiza has himself previously faced contempt of court proceedings and was jailed by a military court after protesting the treatment of opposition politician Dr Kizza Besigye, who is currently detained at Luzira Prison.The post Ugandans raise Shs 24m for Dr Spire in 24 hours appeared first on The Observer Media Ltd.