2-8 May 2016

Contents

Compiled by Emma Allison Howie

1. The City Prepares For The Swearing In Of Yoweri Museveni
2. Government Stifles Media

1. The City Prepares For The Swearing In Of  Yoweri Museveni

Government-Owned Media

New Vision, May 6th 2016 – Fighter jets over Kampala not for intimidation

• The army is testing fighter jets in preparation for the swearing in of President Yoweri Museveni on May 12.
• UPDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda said: "I hear people are worried about the air crafts that flew over Kampala this morning. Calm down, these were routine test flights. The purpose was not to intimidate anyone as some people are alleging.”

Privately-Owned Media

The Daily Monitor, May 10th 2016 – Don’t dare demonstrate ahead of Museveni swearing in – Police to FDC

• Anyone planning to participate in the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) national wide defiance campaigns will taste the state wrath, police has warned.
• Ms Polly Namaye, the Deputy Police spokesperson, said they have deployed security and intelligence personnel across the country to encumber any activities intended to disrupt the May 12th President Yoweri Museveni’s swearing in.
• President Museveni on Sunday vowed to deal with whoever intends to demonstrate against his February 18 victory, saying he will not allow any opposition forces to destabilise the country.

2. Government Stifles Media

Government-Owned Media

New Vision, May 5th 2016 – Defiance campaign: Govt bans live media coverage

• Reading from a prepared short statement, Muhwezi said cabinet directed that all live coverage of the defiance campaign activities in the electronic media should stop forthwith and that defiant media houses run the risk of having their broadcasting licenses revoked. -
• The minister also announced that cabinet also directed the police to ensure that the Constitutional Court interim order barring FDC and Besigye as well as their sympathizers from engaging in defiance activities, is strictly adhered to.

Privately-Owned Media

The Daily Monitor, May 3rd 2016 – Press freedom: Uganda on the decline

• The Washington based-rights body, Freedom House, in its 2016 annual report titled; “The Battle for the Dominant Message” released last week revealed that global press freedom declined to its lowest point in 12 years in 2015, as political, criminal, and terrorist forces sought to co-opt or silence the media in their broader struggle for power.
• In Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Kenya, journalists continued to experience legal and political pressure, as well as physical attacks and intimidation.
• “Uganda declined due to increased government pressure on media outlets regarding coverage of political events, along with a growth in bribery in exchange for favourable election-related reporting,” the report reads in part.
• The Human Rights Network for Journalists, a network of human rights journalists, in its recent report indicated that between October 2015 and February 25, 2016, 17 journalists were assaulted by contestants, their supporters, police and UPDF’ Special Forces Command.

The Daily Monitor, May 6th 2016 – Govt draws media into Museveni, Besigye fight

• The Cabinet pronouncement banning live broadcasts of the “defiance campaign” placed the media right at the centre of the fight between President Museveni and Dr Kizza Besigye, prompting reactions from different circles.
• The ban primarily targets television and radio live broadcasts, but live reporting in the digital age goes beyond that, with newspapers now also capable of maintaining live feeds on their websites.