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A journalists' body has called for tougher sanctions against perpetrators of violence against journalists, saying it undermines the work of journalism and sows seeds of fear in journalists thereby deterring them from properly doing their work.

Citing the four recent cases of journalists who were detained and tortured while doing their work, Mathias Rukundo, the president of the Uganda Journalists Association (UJA) decried the persistent harassment of journalists by police officers with impunity, which undermines journalists’ safety.

He identified the victims as Julius Tukacungurwa of Umoja News, Moses Lemisa with Vision Group, Paul Mugaba of Delta TV, and Ggaliwango with Vision Group— who he said had their rights violated while doing their work in February this year.

Lemisa was brutally arrested on February 22, 2024, by two Police officers while covering a land eviction story.

His work tools, a camera, phone, and identification card, were reportedly taken away from him by the same police officers on top of picking money from the journalist’s pocket after which he was thrown inside the police cells where he lost consciousness and fainted according to UJA.

As if that was not enough, UJA said the journalist was charged with criminal trespass on the Police post.

That arrest followed several brutal treatments, including the arrest of Julius Tukacungurwa Mugagga of the Umoja website which occurred on February 7, 2024.

"In light of such incidents, we are embarking on a process for the constitutionalisation of the concept of the Fourth Estate, similar to the three branches of government: the Executive, Parliament, and Judiciary, " said Rukundo.

Rukundo said that he would help uplift the profile of the media beyond what is now, adding that simply referring to journalists as members of the fourth estate is merely lip service, as it is not reflected in the Ugandan Constitution.

He said the concept (constitutionalisation of the fourth estate) is based on a successful study with Ghana where it has successfully yielded results.

He said the draft concept which can help the country realise a positive development agenda will be presented to parliament for consideration.

He made the revelations during the World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) commemoration joint press conference on May 3, 2024, at Speke Hotel in Kampala.

During the commemoration, Rukundo also called for the creation of a media fund to complement the noble services of journalists, adding that this has worked well in some countries.

Speaking during the same press conference, UJU general secretary Stephen Ouma demanded a police report into the mysterious death of journalists including the former UJA president Robert Kagolo.

Kagolo was gunned down on the evening of March 20, 2021, at his late brother's home entrance in Kasengejje-Wakiso district, but no report has ever come out about his death.

Better working conditions

Ouma said there is also a need to address what he called the exploitation of journalists. This, he said, is a result of media owners taking advantage of their employees due to the absence of a minimum wage in the country, which adversely impacts journalism professional standards.

A senior principal Magistrate Grade 1 officer, who is also the Uganda Judicial Officers Association (UJOA) secretary general Martin Kirya, observed that Ghana has a full chapter in its constitution that provides for journalism.

He said if championed by the lawmakers in Uganda it could be an enabler of buttressing the concept of the Fourth Estate in the constitution.

He noted that the enjoyment of press freedom spins around independence, wondering how it can be realized when journalists are not properly facilitated.

A journalist’s trainer under the Media Challenge Initiative (MCI) Ivan Kigozi Kimuli expressed fear over the exodus of journalists from the newsrooms for greener pastures abroad and in other sectors. If not urgently addressed, this is likely to destroy the profession, he said.

Brenda Namata from the Uganda Media Women’s Association (UMWA) decried sexual harassment of female journalists by some employers, noting that this has to stop as it violates their rights.

The Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Media (UPFM) chairperson Teddy Nambooze underscored the need for a sectoral minimum wage for journalists as it will answer the outstanding exploitation question.

The environment and climate change scholar Peter Kibuka observed that there was declining media coverage on climate justice and yet it is a phenomenon that impacts agriculture and the economy.

Kibuka urged journalists to utilise data in uncovering the realities of environmental degradation as one way of fostering climate justice.

The information shadow minister Hellen Nakimuli committed to intensifying the fight for journalists' welfare, pledging to rally parliament to approve the media fund to help journalists.

Nakimuli also received memoranda to the parliament from the UJA president Rukundo, containing journalist's issues for further handling by the house.