In a region where official secrecy inherited from the colonial days is still prevalent and where bad governance has benefited from this veil of secrecy, the passage of a Freedom of Information law in Uganda signals a first step to reverse this legacy. An international freedom of information conference organized by Human Rights Network-Uganda (HURINET), with support from OSIEA and OSI's Justice Initiative, took place in Uganda. The April meeting brought together over 50 human rights, legal and media practitioners from Africa, Madagascar, India and Indonesia.
The participants discussed ways to secure and implement a robust freedom of information legislation regime in Uganda and the broader East African region. Learning from the experiences of South Africa and India, discussion focused on the successes and challenges of implementing such a law. In Uganda where it was passed in 2005, no mechanisms as yet exist for it to start functioning in practice.
The conference equipped participants with strategies on how to bridge implementation gaps and to effectively handle the culture of secrecy, including monitoring information as well as a practical session on using computer technology to monitor freedom of information claims. The conference concluded with strategies to advance freedom of information in East Africa.