Journalists under their umbrella body, Uganda Journalist Association (UJA) have announced an immediate total blackout on all police activities following a sustained attack on journalists covering Makerere University students strike over a 15 per cent tuition increment.
While addressing a press conference in Kampala on Thursday, October 31, 2019, UJA President Bashir Kazibwe said journalists intend to engage in a peaceful demonstration on Monday that will see them hand in a petition to the Inspector General of Police after which they will proceed to Parliament where they will discuss their dissatisfaction with the Speaker of Parliament, Ms Rebecca Kadaga.
The peaceful strike that started on Tuesday last week turned violent when the army responded with highhandedness, brutalising several students including raiding students halls of residence and hostels outside the university at night. Journalists were not spared the barbaric brutality either with the university declaring the university a no go area by the university management.
On Wednesday, two journalists of Nation Media Group – Uganda were hospitalized after they were injured as security agencies quelled a protest at Makerere University on Wednesday, October 30, 2019.
NTV Uganda photo journalist Geoffrey Twesigye and Daily Monitor’s Alex Esagala were admitted to International Hospital Kampala after a teargas canister thrown by police exploded before them. The journalists were also beaten up by security agencies.
KFM’s Stephen Mbidde and others of NBS TV was also beaten in the protest. In a statement, NBS TV condemned the assault of their journalists.
“We express concern, and condemn, the brutal assault of our Journalists by a section of the security on duty on the Makerere University premises, on the 29th of October, 2019. Our journalists, who were out to perform their core mandate of telling an objective story, guided by their primary ethics, among which are fairness and impartiality, independence and accountability to our viewers, were openly attacked,” the statement reads in part.
“As Next Media Services, we commit to remaining steadfast in our cause, and request that the Uganda Police Force and her sister agencies maintain a standard of respect towards the duty we ought to play to Ugandans,” it adds.
However, Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesman Patrick Onyango said the assault of journalists was not intentional.
UJA president Bashir says the brutality meted out on journalists seems to be well orchestrated by security agencies and to date, the authorities have remained silent. Kazibwe said no single security personnel has been paraded, highlighted and or shown to the public especially those ones involved in orchestrating violation of rights of journalists in the country.
“We are just messengers and we don’t know why police are turning against our members whose only crime is carrying a pen, notebooks, cameras. We were not protesting or anything during the Makerere University saga,” he said.
“We cannot continue giving them publicity when they are at the helm of brutalizing, beating, maiming and nearly killing members of journalists. We’re sending this message humbly & resolutely to our dear media houses, our employers please be part of us in this struggle. We cannot work productively when we are lame and or hospitalised. This is a struggle geared towards protecting the rights of media practitioners in Uganda.” he added.
Today journalists walked out on deputy police spokesperson Polly Namaye during a press conference by Uganda National Examination Board (Uneb) on Primary Leaving Education (PLE) exams. As soon as she started making her speech the journalists walked out leaving her just the Uneb photographer and two New Vision journalists.
