Uganda’s Press Freedom Crumbles Amid Electoral Repression
By James Kabengwa Kampala, Uganda. As Kawempe North parliamentary by-election descended into chaos, Thursday, the arrests of two opposition lawmakers and multiple journalists—paired with a shocking military crackdown—have laid bare the escalating dangers faced by media workers. The decision by Nation Media Group Uganda to withdraw Daily Monitor and NTV Uganda journalists from covering the polls, citing targeted attacks by soldiers and plainclothes agents, underscores a grim reality: journalism has become a life-threatening act of defiance. Daniel Kalinaki, the Nation Media group’s General Manager, framed the withdrawal as a reluctant survival tactic in a message posted on X. “Our teams are being hunted, their equipment destroyed, and their lives endangered simply for documenting the truth,” he said. This retreat marks an ugly situation revealing how far the state will go to silence scrutiny during pivotal political moments. The Kawempe North […]
