by Nina Feldman, Paula Genius & Zoe Gleisberg
May 2024 – Journalists in the Masaka region of Uganda report on the funeral of the late Pascal Ssekasamba, a UK-based businessman.
Out of nowhere, they are attacked. They are ambushed by bodyguards of the opposition politician Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, president of the National Unity Platform (NUP). Radio journalist Margaret Kayondo is beaten up, and Next Media journalist Zainab Namusaazi Ssengendo has her camera lens torn out.
Incidents like these are not uncommon in Uganda. Journalists are regularly arrested, the majority of media outlets are controlled by the state, and media houses are searched or closed. But how dangerous is it really to work as a journalist there? And how does social media influence freedom of the press in Uganda? The Ugandan journalist Benon Herbert Oluka tells us.
Uganda has a broad and diverse media landscape. More than 300 radio stations, 30 television stations, two daily newspapers and one weekly newspaper, privately or state-owned, regularly report in Uganda. Officially, there are more private media outlets than state-owned ones. However, many media houses owned by private politicians, companies or religious groups are linked to the government.
For example, the daily newspaper News Vision is supposed to report independently and even critically of the government. However, the reality is different. Founded in 1986 after President Yoweri Museveni came to power and owned by the state, it tends to report in a pro-government manner.
Infobox Benon Herbert Oluka
Benon Herbert Oluka is a Ugandan multimedia journalist, co-founder of The Watchdog, a centre for investigative journalism in his home country, and a member of the African Investigative Publishing Collective. Oluka has worked as a reporter and editor for the newspapers The East African, Daily Monitor and The Observer. He has also worked for the Reuters Sub-Saharan Africa bureau in Johannesburg and for the BBC World Service Radio’s Newsday programme in London.
The Daily Monitor is the other major daily newspaper in Uganda, founded in 1992 by six journalists and privately owned. However, even the private media are subject to the autocratic regime’s censorship – for example, in terms of the topics covered. Journalists who demand accountability from the state are forced out of their jobs. They are indirectly forced to censor themselves and thus report on topics as the state wishes.
In addition to the restrictions on content, the government in Uganda is responsible for controlling the media. The Uganda Media Council, the media regulatory authority of Uganda, is controlled by the state. According to the council, it is responsible for ‘promoting good ethical standards and the discipline of journalists’ and ‘mediating disputes between the public and the media and the state and the media’.
In addition, private companies influence the media through their advertising. Benon Herbert Oluka has been working as a multimedia journalist for 12 years. He explains why advertising plays a different role in Uganda than in Germany:
‘If the country’s largest advertiser has a corruption scandal, they threaten the media with withdrawing advertising if they report on it. And that usually deters media houses from reporting.’
Without state advertising, the private media would also not be able to survive, says Benon Oluka. ‘The private media organisations, of which there are many, are also heavily dependent on state advertising, and therefore they cannot practice journalism as it should be.’ These restrictions are the reason why Uganda currently ranks 128th in the press ranking of the organisation Reporters Without Borders.
Journalism – a high-risk profession
Journalists are among the lowest-paid professionals in the country. They rarely earn the equivalent of more than €180 per month and have permanent contracts. This insecurity makes them vulnerable to influence. Despite these challenges, the journalistic profession has gained in prestige over time.
In addition to the restrictions on journalists in their work, the profession also entails risks. Journalists may be attacked, seriously injured or even killed while doing their job. There is a hostile atmosphere towards journalists, which is made visible by attacks and threats. Reporters are often the target of attacks, especially during political events or protests. During the 2021 election campaign, when the current President of Uganda stood for re-election for the sixth time in 2021, there were a total of over 40 attacks on the media and journalists.
The 2021 election was not free and fair. The Ugandan government under President Museveni has an increasingly autocratic leadership style. Corruption is a major problem in the sub-Saharan state. The opposition is suppressed and civil participation is restricted, especially before elections.
According to the constitution, Uganda is a presidential republic. In reality, however, the government also has totalitarian tendencies. President Museveni has been in power since 1986. He abolished the limited term of office and the age limit for presidents. During his rule, the political and economic situation has improved, but according to the Federal Foreign Office, the human rights situation is ‘precarious in many areas. In July 2023, the UN Human Rights Office in Uganda, which opened in 2005, had to close after the president chose not to extend its mandate.’
The role of social media
According to Benon Herbert Oluka, educated people in Uganda are aware that some media houses do not practice non-governmental and neutral journalism.
On social media, some users draw attention to this problem. However, not all Ugandans have access to social networks. In rural areas, where radio is more popular, it is more difficult for many people to distinguish propaganda from independent information. Here, less criticism is levelled at the state of the media landscape and the work of journalists is therefore more dangerous.
Internet use in Uganda
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) estimates that by 2023, about 5.4 billion people – or 67 per cent of the world’s population – will be using the internet. About 2.6 billion people, or about 33 per cent, will still be offline. Uganda is well below this average: according to the ITU, only 10 per cent of Uganda’s population used the internet in 2021.
In July 2018, Uganda introduced the so-called social media tax, an over-the-top (OTT) tax that affected social network users. Anyone who wanted to communicate daily via social networks had to pay a tax of the equivalent of €16 per year. This measure led to a decline of about 2.5 million in internet subscriptions.
In 2021, the OTT tax was abolished and replaced by a new 12 per cent tax on internet data. This is in addition to the existing 18 per cent VAT, which means that internet use is currently taxed at 30 per cent. For many people in Uganda, access to the internet is therefore unaffordable. The average price for 1 gigabyte of mobile prepaid data in August 2022 was around $1.32, which is 5.63% of the gross national income per capita.
In 2020, the Oxford Internet Institute conducted an analysis of the manipulation of public opinion in various countries around the world. It shows that in 81 countries, social media is used by political organisations as a tool to spread targeted propaganda and misinformation. Facebook and Twitter have taken action against this by blocking accounts.
In Uganda, too, political propaganda and the spreading of false information are not uncommon on social media. 11 per cent of the 3,500 Twitter accounts closed for propaganda purposes were operated by members of the Ugandan ruling party NRM.
The last elections were also marked by influence on social media. On 12 January 2021, two days before the general election, access to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram and other social media platforms was restricted. The EU subsequently described these restrictions as undermining ‘freedom of expression, freedom of information and normal economic and social activities.’
This article, “Being a journalist in Uganda-reporting despite insecurites” was originally published by the European Journalism Observatory on 6 August 2024.