Threats to and censorship of freedom of speech and Media Rights in Uganda are real and increasing

An attack on one is an attack on all (of us), Felix Warom Okello, West Nile based seasoned journalist twitted with hash tag FreePressUg after the arrest of eight Pepper Publication Ltd directors and editors.

Another comrade in the professional, Ivan Kimbowa, noted that the move against Red Pepper is part of a pattern of state actions geared at silencing dissent and free speech.

Rep pepper aside, Several reports have been indicating that since 2005 attempts by Ugandan journalists to conduct independent political reporting and analysis in print and on radio have been met by increasing government threats, intimidation, and harassment.

And this year issues of media rights and freedom have been worsening especially during the hot debate on Constitutional Amendment bill which seeks to amend Article 102(b) to scrap the presidential upper and lower age limits among other issues.

The Uganda Communication Commission has been fond of suspending poplar political talk and current affair shows on different radio stations across the country claiming that they have breached minimum broadcasting standards.

Bowing to the pressure, several media houses have started to put restrictions on their reporters and presenters to “not talk about issues or host government critics” so that they survive the wave.

Some others have suspended their own on orders of UCC.

Unfortunately, it appears that even journalists are not united enough to fight the wave forgetting a common saying: united we stand, divided we fall.

Few humanitarian organisations like, African Centre for Media Excellence Human Right Network for Journalists-Uganda and the US-Embassy in Uganda have turned up to condemned government’s move to silence and suppress the press.

Over years the National Resistance Movement government has been bossing of offering freedom of expression and media rights than the past tranny governments but each year passing the press freedom has been considerably decreasing.

“Journalists and broadcasters continue to be subject to the negative government reaction and interference,” notes the 2007 freedom of expression paper.

Civil society organization and the public must also join the press freedom battle, for they must not forget that the media is their ear, eyes and voice. Freedom of expression and Meadia rights and freedom is the beacon of democracy.

And to my fellow journalists, why we who fight for other marginalised groups cannot fight for our own rights? It hurts when a journalist attack someone who freely chose to fight on our behalf.

Threats to and censorship of freedom of speech and Media Rights in Uganda are real and increasing. To survive the wave, we must stand together as one and so firm.