How President Museveni’s capture of power with barrel of the gun 34 years ago paved way for vibrant free press in Uganda

By Ashraf Ajobe Habib

Uganda today has a vibrant media industry. But this has not always been the case. Because of Uganda’s unstable political past, media had never had a chance to thrive under the political upheaval from 1966 to 1986.

Uganda is a landlocked East African country in the Great Lakes region in central Africa. With a population of almost 24 million, Uganda is a country with 52 languages spoken by four major people groups: the Bantu, Nilotics, Nilo-Hamitics, and those of Sudanese origin. The country covers 241,000 square Kilometres with 83 percent of the people living in rural areas.

Media Background

Uganda is in a state of post-conflict recovery. The dictator Idi Amin is a household name in most parts of the world, although his term as national leader lasted only eight years. He was overthrown by the same person whom Amin himself toppled, Milton Obote, with the help on troops from neighbouring Tanzania’ People’s Defence Force. Obote’s second regime endured from 1979 until 1985, when the guerrilla fighter and next president, Yoweri Museveni, successfully concluded his rebellion and took power.

The country has enjoyed relative stability under Museveni, and has been welcomed for the most part back into the family of nations. However, northern parts of Uganda still experience military and political insecurity from rebellion promulgated by the Lord’s Resistance Army, a Sudan-based insurgency group active in the Gulu, Kitgum, and Pader districts. Nevertheless, Uganda has made gains in rebuilding important institutions such as a parliament, the police, the army, as well as the judiciary and the executive branches of government.

Newspapers and Magazines

The newspapers and magazines of Uganda have not increased as fast as the radio sector. Moreover, many of the oldest newspapers have ceased publication, such as the Uganda Argus, Weekly Topic, Taifa Empya, Sekanyolya, Musizi, Munansi, Star Ngabo, Munno, Crusader, Weekly Message, Confidential, Onion, The Razor and Citizen.

New Vision is the country’s leading daily

Published by the New Vision Printing and Publishing Corporation, the paper has a print run of about 34,000 copies and a readership of 300,000. The New Vision is 15 by 11 inches in size and averages 36 pages per issue, but can also reach as many as 60 pages in an issue. Approximately 70 percent of the paper is news copy, with 30 percent of the space dedicated to advertising. Created in 1986, the corporation is a government-owned company headed by European editor-in-chief, William Pike. The corporation also has several local publications. Bukedde , the Luganda-language daily, distributes 26,000 copies per day; the Luo-language paper, Orumuri , is published weekly in Runyankole; and the Ateso-language paper is called Etop. The New Vision also ventured into TV and Radio running numerous outlets within the country. Bukedde TV and TV West are among the popular brands. The New Vision Corporation employs over 1000 full-time staff and an additional 500 are contract workers. There are over 400 vendors, who usually offer distribution services to multiple publications, can be considered indirectly employed by New Vision.

Nation Media Group NMG

In 1999 the Nation Media Group (NMG) of Kenya, owner of Nairobi’s leading paper Nation, bought the Monitor. This brought an influx of capital and expertise to the Monitor as the Nation has been in the news industry for a much longer time. In 2001, the Monitor opened an FM radio station. Some of the print media journalists also work at the FM station. The synergy at work in this new venture is interesting and innovative and helped establish other ventures like NTV, transforming of Monitor FM to KFM and acquisition of Dembe FM. NMG and its TV stations; NTV, Spark TV, FM stations KFM and Dembe FM have over 300 full-time workers and 150 part-time workers.

Others

Other papers and magazines include Sunrise, Kampala Bwino, Kamunye and Entatsi are among other news print choices from the vendors in Uganda. The regional weekly paper, East African, published by the Nation Media Group, circulates widely in Uganda’s elite circles. At the other end of the spectrum, The Red Pepper is a tabloid weekly that focuses on sleaze stories and tends toward the pornographic. Its editors have been charged for publishing obscene pictures. The paper’s editor, Richard Tusiime, has argued that the paper’s stories are factual and should be published to awaken society. All newspapers are published in Kampala and circulate throughout Uganda; no print media is based in the countryside. The Monitor and New Vision have readership in Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania where copies are taken daily.

Journalism and quality

The quality of journalism is impressive since broadcasting was liberalized in 1994. Entertainment radio and television, vastly different from the previous state-controlled media, is still something of a novelty in the country. Critics, who come from a strong tradition of state-run media, are strongly critical of FM radio’s overwhelming emphasis on music and advertising at the sacrifice of news reporting and pubic information.

Although the government controlled broadcast media until 1994, print media enjoyed relative openness as early as 1986, when several papers were launched. The quality of journalism has improved with the increased competition from the privately owned newspapers, radio, and television stations. Improved training at Makerere University and the Uganda Management Institute’s School of Journalism and the other private universities like Uganda Christian University, Kampala University, Kampala International University, UMCAT among others, have also served to provide higher quality journalists for the growing and changing industry.

Press Laws

Several statutes affect the media industry: the Constitution of 1995, the Press and Journalists Statute (1995), the Electronic Media Statute (1996), the Uganda Communications Act (1997), the Referendum and Other Provisions Act (1999), and the Penal Code Act. The constitution requires that “all organs and agencies of the State, all citizens, organisations and other bodies and persons in applying or interpreting the Constitution or any law and in taking and implementing any policy decisions for the establishment and promotion of a just, free and democratic society.” The media industry is required under this law to follow the principles and objectives of the 1995 constitution. Article 29 (1) of the constitution states: “Every person shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression which shall include freedom of the press and other media.” But this freedom is restricted in Article 41 (1) which states: “Every citizen has a right of access to information in the possession of the State or any other organ or agency of the State except where the release of the information is likely to prejudice the security or sovereignty of the State or interfere with the right to privacy of any other person.” This provision of the law makes investigative journalism very difficult as numerous questions are left unanswered. Whose privacy is protected, and who decides when privacy invasion has occurred? Such lack of clarity directly impedes the fact-finding and reporting capabilities of journalists. Finally, the ominous possibility that media investigations might jeopardize the security of the state raises the bar and poses the ever-present possibility that charges of treason, not merely privacy violations, could result.

Government officials, who are usually the target of investigative reporting, find this part of the law to be a convenient and flexible tool. The situation is further complicated by the freedom of information act, which Parliament passed in 2005 but not being respected by those being investigated. Over 90 percent of requests for information presented to government departments are rejected, a research done by the African Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC) has revealed.

The Press and Journalist Statute of 1995 created the National Institute of Journalists of Uganda to which all practicing journalists are required to belong. It aims to establish and maintain professional standards; to foster the spirit of professional fellowship among journalists; to encourage, train, equip and enable journalists to play their part in society; and to establish and maintain mutual relationships with international journalists’ organizations. The statute even prescribes the type of education full members of the institute should have. A full member is required under this statute to be a holder of a university degree in journalism or mass communication. Alternatively a person may be a full member if he or she has a university degree in any other field plus a qualification in journalism or mass communication and has practiced journalism for at least one year. The law stipulates that a practicing certificate valid for one year is required by all who work in journalism, unless the worker possesses the longer-term certificate. The penalty for noncompliance is a fine of US$170 or three months of imprisonment. Nonetheless, many journalists practice without these certifications, and the law is not normally enforced. It remains a tool of the bureaucracy; though not at this time an active one.

Disciplinary committee

The Press and Journalists Statute 1995, provides for a disciplinary committee that hears complaints, allegations of professional misconduct, and other inquiries. As a reference point for responsible practice, the Statute presents in clear language a nine-point code of conduct which addresses such issues as disclosure of sources of information, accepting bribes, denying a person a legitimate claim of right to reply to a statement, separating opinion from factual news, correcting any damage done through factual error, and discouraging the dissemination of information designed to promote or having the effect of promoting tribalism, racism or any other form of discrimination.

The Press and Journalist Statute (1995) created a Media Council that is appointed by the Minister of Information. The functions of the council are to regulate the conduct and promote good ethical standards among journalists; to arbitrate disputes between the public and the state and the media; to exercise disciplinary control over journalists, editors, and publishers; to promote the flow of information; to censor films, video tapes, plays and other related media for public consumption; and to do for the press anything that may be authorized or required by any other law. However, the government has often resorted to the courts before engaging the services of the Media Council, which has gone unused. Since the law’s passage, members of the public have sought due process in the courts, without turning to the Council. To be effective, the Media Council must begin asserting itself and define its role in ensuring that journalists are not harassed in freely pursuing their work.

Anti-Terrorism Act

Passed in March of 2002, the Anti-Terrorism Act is likely to complicate the life of practicing journalists. Several controversial sections of the law have drawn response from international agencies. Soon after the law was passed, Reporters Without Borders (the French media advocacy group) urged the Uganda government not to implement the new anti-terrorism law until clauses which could be used against journalists for “encouraging terrorism”—a 10-year prison sentence offense—are removed.

The Uganda Journalists Safety Committee helps journalists who are harassed by the state. The committee provides financial support to hire lawyers and sometimes offers support for the family while a journalist is in jail.

Regulations

Uganda’s Parliament recently passed a new media law, the Uganda Communications Act 2012, and created a “contents committee” to review complaints submitted about the contents of various media, including broadcasting, cinema, telecommunications, postal services, and video libraries.

State-Press Relations

Despite the ambiguities of the law and process, the relation between state and press in Uganda continues to improve. Perhaps that improvement is more a comment on the abhorrent conditions under which the press operated during Amin’s rule rather than a statement of current liberal practice and press freedom. During the Amin regime, the working life of a dissident journalist was often cut violently short, and from the state’s point of view, due process was properly hierarchical, fast, and emphatic. Many journalists were killed, a practice not uncommon in the East African region. That executions no longer occur is improvement indeed. That journalists may now appeal their case and cause based on legislation which at least defines the state’s interests (albeit overly broad and with characteristic vagueness) illustrates significant advances over the arbitrary censorship and intimidation of the recent past.

The liberalized atmosphere in which licenses to operate are relatively easy to get makes relations between the state and the press easy to manage. In power since the mid-1980s, the National Resistance Movement government has carried out far-reaching reforms in the country. The media has played a vital role in exposing corruption, in the HIV/AIDS campaign, and in the campaign against poverty. Media have been allies with government in this regard.

Yet certain tensions remain. The government has criticized the media for concentrating on sensational stories. President Yoweri Museveni is particularly angered at times by the press’ natural tendency to focus on problems and difficulties in Uganda, which Museveni claims drive away international investors. At times he has called such reporting “enemy action.” Nevertheless his government has an open door to the media industry. He is been the only president in the region who regularly interacts with the media in lengthy press conferences. His presidential press unit, headed by press secretary Don Wanyama former Daily Monitor Managing Editor, holds regular press briefings. Wanyama contributes articles to both the New Vision and Monitor and appears on NBS and NTV breakfast shows. Government Media Centre holds weekly news conferences inviting heads of agencies and ministers to address the media on goings on in their portfolios. Mead Centre head Ofwono Opondo continues to appear as panellist on Capital Gang, NBS TV frontline political show and also writes a column for New Vision. This is evidence of the good working relationship that the government has with the media.

The same holds true for the electronic media. It is not uncommon for a minister of government to be a guest at a talk show to explain a particular policy to the public.

Attitude toward Foreign Media

Article 30 (1) and (2) of the Press and Journalist Statute states: “No person being an employee of a foreign mass media organization or working as a freelance for the mass media shall practice journalism in Uganda unless he is in possession of an accreditation card issued by the Council. The accreditation card referred to in this section shall be issued upon payment of fees and upon such terms as may be prescribed by the council.”

Foreign media are active in Uganda without harassment. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Radio France International, CNN, The Financial Times of London, and others have operated in Uganda. Free to report within the country, even foreign journalists in print and electronic media coming for assignments from neighbouring Kenya are required to secure accreditation from the Ugandan government. The foreign press’s presence is especially apparent when regional events are taking place in Kampala. The BBC and Radio France International run local FM stations and relay their programs through the country.

News Agencies

Uganda is host to Reuters, Agence France Press, Associated Press, the Chinese News Agency, and one local agency, the Uganda Radio Network URN. All have a good working relation with the State. Most foreign news agencies employ local journalists to cover the country for them.

Broadcast Media

The Electronic Media Statute of 1996 guides the Broadcast Media. According to the most reliable source for broadcast news, this statute repeals the earlier Cinematography Act and Television Licensing Act. It amends and consolidates previous statutes relating to broadcasting in particular, the Uganda Posts and Telecommunications Corporation Act. The right to broadcast is guaranteed by the statute. The Act states: “No person shall, on the ground of content of program, take any action not authorized under the statute or any law to prevent the broadcasting of the program.” Moral constraints limit what may be broadcast, and according the statute, producers must be at least 18 years old.

The Statute created a regulatory authority for electronic media, the Broadcasting Council. This body is responsible for the licensing and operations of radio and television; publishing a code of ethics for broadcasters in consultation with the Media Council; and standardizing, planning and managing the frequency spectrum in the public interest so as to ensure its optimal utilization and the widest possible variety of programming, including incentive payments where appropriate to ensure provision of broadcasting to rural remote areas. The Council is also charged with licensing and operations of cinematography theatres and videotape libraries.

The Uganda Communication Commission was established by parliament and is responsible for allocation of frequencies to operators who have been approved licensed by the Broadcasting Council.

Like in television, radio was dominated by the state owned Radio Uganda up until the early 1990s when the first independent radio stations got licenses to operate. Sanyu fm and Capital fm are among the first and oldest radio stations in Uganda. Gradually other stations have joined the media industry and as of November 2013 there are well over 100 different radio stations on FM alone.

Some other popular stations include CBS, Simba, Super and Dembe. Programming on radio is dominated by music, with most stations following a Top 40 format. Talk shows and comedy are also popular.

Radio is now embracing new kind of media and integrating with other communication channels. For instance Radio stations in Uganda integrate mobile technology in their programming to increase on audience engagement. Listeners can call in to a talk show and contribute their own opinions about what’s been talked about.

Radio stations are also using the Internet to widen their reach. Most radio stations use online radio streaming services such as Odyovi, Listenfmradios.com, Streema, Streame, co, UGO to reach wider audiences that traditional broadcasting means don’t especially Ugandans in the diaspora.

State-owned Uganda Broadcasting Corporation UBC formerly Uganda Television UTV dominated the country’s television broadcasting primarily because its signal covered about 60 percent of the country and provided the best picture and sound quality of all active Ugandan stations. UTV broadcast 12 hours a day and approximately 40 percent of the programming content. In the early 2000s a new private station, the Wavah Broadcasting Service (WBS), entered the market. Focused on creative news and entertainment programs, some of its content is locally produced, including two of popular shows, Showtime Magazine and Jam Agenda. WBS broadcasts for 18 hours each day and airs Cable News Network every morning.

Airing some local religious programming, Lighthouse Television depended mainly on relaying programs from the U.S.-based Trinity Broadcasting Network. Its 24-hour broadcasting format consisted of religious programming and 90 minutes of CNN. In general, television reached its highest level of viewership from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The peak time of viewing is 9:00 p.m. TV Africa, which aired 24-hours a day in Uganda, had also taken a share of Uganda’s television audience. Broadcasting from South Africa, the station’s signal was not as good as UTV and WBS, but still offered Ugandans another choice of stations with quality programming.

However, with the emergency into the market of NMG and Next Media, NTV and NBS plus government owned Bukedde TV have taken over the air space. Buganda’s BBS, another government Vision Group Urban TV plus several religious ones have provided more competition for UBC.

Pay television also exists in Uganda. Uganda is now driving towards migrating from analogue to digital TV broadcasting. The Uganda Communication Commission has launched a country-wide campaign to ensure that users switch to the standard. To access digital TV, users need to have digital-ready TV sets or purchase digital TV decoders. The Commission has licensed up to five firms to sell free-to-air decoders in the country. Users also have the option of subscribing to Digital Pay TV service providers such as DSTV, GoTV, Zuku, SimbaTV and Startimes to access both paid-for and Free-to-air channels.

Private broadcasters complain about the high fees charged by government for the license to operate.

Electronic News Media

The internet as a media platform in Uganda is still quite new. Internet penetration levels are still very low when compared to other African countries. The recent Indian Ocean fiber optic cable project brought a lot of optimism and lead to an increased interest in the internet as a media platform. It also led to investment with a number of local telecommunication companies investing into broadband and GPRS subscription services. This has led to a surge in levels of internet penetration with almost anyone able to connect to the internet using simple USB dongles or even via mobile phones.

The recent Facebook deal with MTN Uganda made Facebook by far the most popular website in the country and a place where most young and working class individuals spend a lot of time. The hope is that these new opportunities will spur more individual investments in the internet sector. A number of the local newspapers operate newspapers online. These newspapers, particularly those of Monitor, New Vision, Uganda Observer, Galaxy FM, are among the most popular Ugandan websites.

As of 2014, the Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) put mobile Internet subscriptions at 4,196,133 compared to 106,900 fixed Internet subscriptions.

Education & Training

The level of education for Uganda’s journalists is increasing. Requirements for membership in the National Institute of Journalists of Uganda have pushed several practicing journalists back to school to improve their academic qualifications. Continuous training is also being increasingly emphasized. Specialization is encouraged in fields such as business journalism and environmental reporting. The Mass Communication Program at Makerere University offered the first journalism degree in the country in 1988. The Uganda Management Institute’s School of Journalism also offers a degree program; however, in the 2000s, the school was under threat to close due to financial difficulties. Other schools, including the Uganda Christian University, Kampala University and Kampala International University are among several high institutes of learning now offering journalism programs. Every year at least 150 new journalists enter the job market.

The National Institute of Journalists of Uganda, the Uganda Journalists Association, the Uganda Sports Press Association, the Uganda Press Photographers Association, and the Uganda Media Women’s Association all serve to monitor and improve professional journalistic standards. The East Africa Media Institute and the Commonwealth Journalists Association are the newest additions to Uganda’s professional organizations. Yet another global grouping with membership in Uganda is the U.K-based World Association of Christian Communication. Reporters Without Borders, Human Rights Network For Journalists-Uganda, Kampala and the Uganda Journalists Safety Committee address concerns regarding journalists’ welfare, including assistance for imprisoned journalists.

Summary

Since the process of liberalizing the media industry started in 1994, Uganda has experienced an increase in the number of press and media outlets, especially in the broadcast media. Although print media still experience difficulties in increasing readership, the broadcast media maintains a strong and stable viewer base. Competition is stiff but most media are active and prospering. Because Uganda is a developing country, issues of poverty, HIV/ AIDS, and governance are critical. The media play a crucial role in improving the welfare of the people by highlighting the issues and increasing the level of public debate. Since the end of Amin’s regime in the mid-1980s, press freedom has improved. Journalists commonly work without harassment; however, occasionally reporters are beaten, pressured and even imprisoned. In general, the 1995 constitution is well written, but advances in press freedoms must continue to provide the country with the full services and potential of the services its media outlets can provide.

Significant Dates

1997: Uganda Communications Commission Act is passed.

1999: Nation Group buys Monitor Publications.

2002: Uganda Television and Radio Uganda are brought under one leadership; Channel Television and TV Africa merge.

2012: Uganda Communications Act is passed.

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