Journalists threatens to boycott covering the general elections if EC doesn’t work on their demands

4 May 2025, 11:49 am

By Ronald Ssemagonja

In 1993, the United Nations general assembly proclaimed World Press Freedom Day to be celebrated every year on May 3rd. This was after the recommendations by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) from their general assembly. The formation of this day was to remind governments and other Stakeholders, their roles in protecting freedom of the press. The theme for this year by UNESCO, is that, “Reporting in the brave new world, the impact of Artificial intelligence on press freedom.” It is against this background that the leading organization body in Uganda, Uganda Journalists Association (UJA), organized celebrations of this day at Emerald Hotel in Kampala.

Veteran Journalist, Richard Baguma, in his address, tasked journalists to unite if they are to overcome the most of the challenges in their profession. “UJA has been here for over 60 years but coordination is lacking. You must have courage and the honesty to look inside and reorganize. I don’t want you to be massaged. You must unite, I want to be honest with you. Form a cooperative for yourself, I know it is good to beg president Museveni, but even if he gives you UGX 100 million, when you are not coordinated, you won’t gain anything. Another thing, media has the power which we are not using. We can use AI to fight the battle. Look at the missions of your media houses and see if it matches with your goals,” he said. Baguma went on to task journalists to fight for themselves because it starts with them. By uniting, Baguma said they will be able to confront their fears as a coordinated group. He also reminded them that they have the power which they are not using. So, they should wake-up and organize.

In the same spirit, the president of the association, Mattheus Rukundo, begun his speech by requesting journalists to stand up and observe a moment of silence, in memory of 122 journalists who were killed in 2024, worldwide. After, he thanked the journalists for the work they do despite of the many challenges in the industry. “Let’s all stand in memory of the 122 journalists who were killed in 2024, may their souls rest in peace. We can say no to the Electoral Commission if they don’t guarantee our safety in the general elections, the time is now. They must think. At least let them do something and fail, than doing nothing because most of the beating happens during elections. Before an election, we must know the stand of the Electoral Commission on this matter,” he said. The president also stated that what governs the world is money, and without it, you can not do much. “We have no money and it is what governs the world. I agree with Mr Baguma, we must unite,” he said

In his response, the Spokesperson of the Electoral Commission, Julius Musinguzi, urged journalists not to lose hope and energy in doing their work. Emmanuel Kirunda, the secretary general of UJA, appealed to government to act, because the challenges the media is facing, are almost the same each year. Noelyn Nasuuna from DPI, advised journalists to be careful while using AI because it has got its challenges. Top television reporter, who was injured during the by-election in Kawempe North, Miracle Ibra narrated how he was beaten and asked the security agencies to cooperate with the media. The event was attended by journalists from different media houses in the country. However, almost in all parts of the country, journalists celebrated the day.