How Prepared Is the Ugandan Media to Deliver Free and Fair Elections?

The following article originally appeared in The East African. Linda Ochiel is communications officer for the Open Society Initiative for East Africa.

Confronted by government secrecy and increasing hostility toward the media, it is time for Ugandans to push back. While Uganda has progressively enjoyed a vibrant print and electronic media, and enacted freedom of information laws, free speech faces serious constraints and access to information is limited. With elections slated for 2011, increasing government control over the press threatens democratic development. 

Recently, the Ugandan government has taken steps to limit press freedom dramatically. It is currently pushing forward legislation that would allow state security agents to intercept mobile, print, and electronic communications, which will severely limit journalists' ability to maintain confidentiality when gathering information. In fact, high ranking politicians want to make it mandatory for journalists to reveal their sources whenever challenged. In 2008, a cabinet subcommittee was formed to rein in the media, with plans to expunge press freedom provisions from the Ugandan constitution. In 2007, President Museveni accused the media of being "saboteurs."

Journalists in Uganda increasingly find themselves subjected to arrest, violence, and harassment for critical reporting. Over the last decade, robust and critical journalism has rubbed those in power the wrong way. Media houses routinely receive censuring calls from the President's Office. Outspoken journalists are faced with termination from their work place. Journalists working for independent media regularly have politically motivated criminal charges made against them. While these charges are legally untenable, the state presses ahead to intimidate and discourage journalists, resulting in increased self-censorship.

Reflecting these trends, Uganda's performance in the annual Worldwide Press Freedom Index has worsened. The country ranked 107th out of 173 countries in 2008. In 2007, it ranked 96th out of 169. Uganda continues to maintain restrictive freedom of information laws, including libel, sedition, obscenity, and invasion of privacy. Strict licensing laws target the media and discourage citizen engagement, with jail terms for those who practice journalism without official registration. Uganda's anti-terrorism laws prescribe the death penalty for any journalist who publishes a positive story about an officially designated terrorist organization.

At a media colloquium hosted by the Open Society Initiative for East Africa in Kampala in March, over 150 prominent journalists, academics, activists, and human rights experts called on the Ugandan government to guarantee access to independent and credible information, as well as protect journalists' rights. 

This is especially critical in the lead-up to general elections in 2011, during which press freedom is essential to the democratic process. According to the journalists, it is unclear whether the Ugandan media will be able to give political candidates equal access and report relevant issues in a timely, objective manner. If the ruling party feels its power threatened, journalists fear a crackdown.

The need for action is clear.

Uganda's government must recognize that state control of the media is unacceptable and review laws that restrict press freedom. Clauses that conflict with universally recognized human rights standards should be amended.

If the media is to play a meaningful role in promoting democratic governance and truly serve the public interest, the industry must strive for greater openness. Journalists themselves must demand greater editorial independence and advocate for strong media institutions. In addition, they should establish a professional association to help protect media freedom and provide collective security for journalists threatened by state action. It is critical that the association set higher standards for journalism, rejecting self-censorship and encouraging objective, ethical reporting. The association should encourage investments in investigative reporting and more training in the use of new technology.

A stronger sense of professionalism within the field, as well as support by civil society and critical readers in Uganda, can help move this forward. Ugandans deserve a media that truly serves the public interest, not a tool of the governing elites.