Muduku Derrick Brian
Wednesday, February 17, 2021 started just like any other usual day in the life of a journalist for Timothy Murungi. Setting off from the New Vision offices in a company car, he was assigned to cover a story where the National Unity Platform president, Robert Kyagulanyi, was delivering an electoral petition to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
Two hundred metres away from the UNHCR offices, a road block manned by both police and military men was set up.
“We didn’t mind the roadblock and proceeded, but along the way, we were interrupted by the military and told that only two people would go along with Kyagulanyi inside the offices,” he said.
Murungi, who was now approximately 100 metres away from the UNHCR offices, says that he started to sense something wrong was going to happen when he and the group were told not to leave their spot.
“We were told not to go back to the other side where the rest were and we were surrounded,” he said.
About five minutes later, Murungi says, a military van suddenly drove to the UNCHR offices, and on returning, soldiers disembarked from the van and started beating people.
“I heard strikes on people’s heads and backs. I continued to run, but I realized that I was getting weaker and weaker, “he said.
Murungi says he had not realized that blood was oozing out of his head. Along with injuries to the elbow, he was severely bruised.
He adds that he was whisked away in the company car and was lucky to receive first aid.
However, the injuries he sustained did not leave him the same again. “It was tough. I still get headaches, especially when I am exposed to the sun for a long time, “he said.
Murungi says that he experiences traumatic flashbacks and nightmares from the incident.
He expressed his worry at the fact that real journalism is under serious threat.
“The people in influence want us to practice safe journalism where one just goes and covers an event, but that is not it.” “The real journalism is ironing out the ills in our society and trying to address them,” he said.
Murungi calls on media bodies like the Editor’s Guild to come out and speak out to protect the rights of journalists and media practitioners in Uganda.
According to a publication in the Daily Monitor dated Wednesday, May 04, 2022, the 2022 global press freedom index by Reporters Without Borders indicates that Uganda’s press freedom index has continued to decline, with the nation falling to 132 from 180.
This statistic is seven steps lower as compared to the 2021 index, where the country was rated 125 out of 180 countries. Uganda’s overall score declined to 46.5, down from 58.9 in 2021, showing that the situation keeps on deteriorating every year.
According to David Vosh Ajuna, an editor at Daily Monitor, the degree of press freedom on online platforms and social media is relatively nonexistent.
He said the forces that would affect press freedom are limited because they lack the capacity to control online systems.
He says that the online systems are sophisticated and will need a lot of technological advancements, which are lacking in Uganda.
Ajuna adds that the main form of press freedom limitation is threats from people of authority.
He says that mainstream media like radio and television are limited because they can be shut down.
“We have seen cases of radios being closed by Uganda Communications Communication.” Through that, information is censored and favors a certain sect most profoundly being political big shots, “he said.
Abbey Tumusiime, a first-year student pursuing Journalism, Media and Communication at Uganda Christian University (UCU), says that he gets worried when he sees journalists being beaten up on television.
As a student, it scares me a lot. I just wonder what lies ahead of me, “he said.
He adds that limiting press freedom is blocking the public from accessing the truth, and yet a journalist’s role is to inform the public through stories.
Tumusiime says that the journalism profession should be given more respect.
Just like a doctor saves lives, a journalist is more or less a personal assistant to each person watching. “We need to be taken seriously,” he said.
Emily Comfort Maractho, the Director of the UCU Africa Policy Centre, says that there is media freedom in Uganda considering the provision for it in the constitution and the proliferation of media in the country.
However, Maractho adds that there are limitations on critical reporting and some cases of abuse have been witnessed in the country over the years.
“The just released state of the media freedom report by the Human Rights Network for Journalists speaks to those limitations.” Some of the drawbacks are also in other areas regulating the media and the conduct of the regulators, “she said.
She says that media ownership is also a big hindrance to journalism in Uganda.
To realize an improvement in press freedom in the country, Maractho says that there is a need for legal reforms and recognition that the media has an important role to play in the proper running of the state.
“The laws like the Press and Journalist Act of 1995 no longer support journalism as it should be given the rapid change in technology,” she said.
Maractho says that there is a wide range of unfavorable environments for practicing journalism in Uganda.
Every 3 May, governments are reminded of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom, and it is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics.
This year, Uganda celebrated world press freedom in Kampala in an event which was highlighted by the launch of the Editor’s Guild.
According to Daniel Kalinaki, the Chairman of the Editor’s Guild, he says it will ensure the protection of journalists’ rights and the independence of the media and added that journalists are not enemies of the state.
In a press release dated May 3, 2022, the Press and Public Relations Officer of the Uganda Police Force, Fred Enanga, pledged to continue working with media associations like the Editor’s Guild, HRM, UJA, Media Council, and UCC to dialogue in order to avoid friction or clashes between the police, other security agencies, and members of the media, especially in times of crisis, electoral periods, and during public demonstrations.
