In a disturbing escalation of violence against the press, security forces in Uganda have been accused of brutalizing journalists while covering the Kawempe North by-election on Thursday 13, March 2025.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage and raised concerns about the safety of journalists in the country.
According to multiple reports , security personnel arrested and assaulted several Journalists from different Television stations and many others from radios and print media while they were covering on the election. The journalists were allegedly beaten and detained for several hours without charge.
However in a bizarre twist, security sources reportedly say that some of those journalists are being sponsored by the LGBTQ community to taint the security image.
“These guys are being sponsored by donors who want to taint the democracy of the country,they literally provoke the security forces and then start recording themselves when security retaliates,” a source revealed .
Another well-known analyst weighed in on the current situation, suggesting that journalists are doing this primarily to appease their donors and improve their financial standing.
“ It’s the desperation of journalists that compels them to risk their lives to obtain the next viral scoop in the hopes of improving their economic situation. It’s tragic, though understandable,”the analyst said.
Police spokesperson ACP Kituuma Rusoke addressed the allegations made by the National Unity Platform (NUP), criticizing the actions of certain political actors who took matters into their own hands instead of following proper legal procedures.
He explained, “Like I said, there was an allegation made by NUP. But it was also not very sound for particular political actors choosing to take the law into their hands. They first went to carry out a search in a premise they suspected to have been a scene of crime, of an electoral offense—something which is not procedurally correct. Then, it is later after they attempted entry into that scene that they come and now inform the police. I think that one was procedurally irregular.”
He emphasized the need to address the root causes of violence to prevent its escalation, particularly in situations where journalists become victims.
He stated, “First and foremost, if we could have a way in which all this violence can be curtailed from the root causes. There is usually intermittent breakdowns in communication. Then chaos comes in. And finally, now a journalist also becomes a victim. You can take an instance like this one of Kawempe today. Really, you could see there was a challenge in the management of the process. One group had an accusation, and that is NUP. Now the question would have been how to manage the accusation so that we do not go into these altercations you saw and now the injury of the journalist becoming a non-intended outcome.”
As the investigation into the incident continues, journalists and human rights groups remain vigilant, calling for greater protections for the press and an end to the escalating violence against Journalists in Uganda.
