Journalists put pressure on FDC, threaten to boycott Monday press conferences

By Elizabeth Ankunda

21^st July 2023

A group of media activists have given an ultimatum of three days to the opposition political party Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) to give a written apology, return stolen items and compensate for spoiled gadgets belonging to journalists.

Yesterday, a gang of youths from the FDC headquarter premises at Najjanankumbi descended on journalists who had camped at the entrance waiting for a press briefing from the party chairman Ambassador Wasswa Birigwa, beat them up and many got injured.

The errant youths also robbed the Journalists and destroyed their work items among others; mobile phones, voice recorders and Cameras were stolen or damaged.

During a press conference at the centenary park gardens on Friday addressed by Abubaker Lubowa one of the journalists working with one of the dailies gave FDC up to Monday 24th July 2023 morning to have the apology done, returned stolen items and committed to foot the medical bills of those journalists who were injured or else they are to boycott their events.

Lubowa urged the editors of different media houses to support them by not running FDC stories if they refuse to make the apology.

Charles Katabalwa, a journalist from Radio Sapientia who was also among the victims at Najjanankumbi says he lost his phone Tecno Camon 16 Pro and a sum of money from the attackers that he needs FDC to compensate.

He further explains that the assaults he went through by the attackers made him seek medical attention on his bill that FDC should have footed.

Before the end of the press conference, the FDC’s communication director Norman Turyatemba came in with a document from the party which looked to be an apology but was not honoured since it had not addressed the issue of the stolen gadgets.

Meanwhile, the FDC Media Coordinator Norman Turyatemba met the leaders of Uganda Journalists Association (UJA) led by the President Matthias Rukundo at Kawempe where he requested for a week from the journalists for the party to discuss on addressing all issues that went wrong.

Rukundo then reminded FDC that once they don’t positively respond to the demands of journalists, the association will petition court against the party.

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