Religious leaders join journalists to mark World Press Freedom Day

By Ben Musanje

3^rd May 2023

Religious leaders have joined the Uganda Journalists Association (UJA) to condemn the acts of violating the rights of Journalists like torture and none payment.

This was during the World Press Freedom Day celebration held under the theme; Stand up for human rights at UJA headquarters in Kawempe division Kati Falawo.

Rev. Fr. Charles Kimbowa, the Jinja Kalooli Catholic Parish Priest says that Uganda is sitting a time bomb once the acts of silencing journalists by violating their freedom of expression continue.

Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) Secretary for Religious Affairs Sheikh Imran Abdunoor Ssali called on the government to come up with another strategy of cooperating with journalists by initiating media and security training on press freedom instead of issuing apologies whenever violation acts happen.

The Uganda Journalists Association (UJA) President Matthias Rukundo called for unity among journalists and media houses in efforts to ensure zero violations of media rights in the country.

Meanwhile Teddy Nambooze, the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Forum on Media has highlighted none payments, poor pay and torture as most challenges currently affecting the journalism fraternity in the country.

Nambooze who is also the Woman Member of Parliament for Mpigi district in her address during the World Press Freedom Day at Kawempe noted since the creation of the forum, issues of none payments and poor pay have been mostly raised by the Journalists, reports of torturing of journalists mostly by the security agencies like Police and the army and this can be fought if there is unity amongst Journalists.

Nambooze explains that the passing of the Computer Misuse Act 2022 by Parliament was also an infringement of the press freedom though later the constitutional court nullified the controversial sections within that law.