Kampala, Uganda | THE NORTHERN PRESS | Uganda’s media landscape has taken a bold stand as leading organizations impose a news blackout on security agencies, protesting violent attacks on journalists during the Kawempe North by-election.

This unprecedented move follows multiple incidents of harassment, physical assaults, and destruction of media equipment by security operatives.

In a joint press conference at Speke Hotel, journalist associations, including the Uganda Parliamentary Press Association (UPPA), Uganda Sports Press Association (USPA), Uganda Journalists Association (UJA), and Human Rights Network for Journalists (HRNJ), condemned the actions as a targeted assault on press freedom. UPPA President Samuel Ibanda decried the attacks, emphasizing that journalists, clearly identifiable and performing their duties, have become targets of unacceptable violence.

The media blackout will persist until demands are met, including compensation for injured journalists, replacement of damaged equipment, and the return of confiscated items. HRNJ National Coordinator Robert Sempala declared that no security agency would receive media coverage until justice is served.

The violence left at least seven journalists injured, with some hospitalized, and eyewitnesses reported that security operatives not only assaulted reporters but also confiscated cameras and deleted footage. UJA General Secretary Emmanuel Kirunda described these actions as a calculated effort to silence the media and erase evidence of brutality.

The Ugandan government has yet to respond, raising concerns about the implications for the 2026 general elections. Media watchdogs warn that the attacks set a dangerous precedent, with ACME Executive Director Dr. George Lugalambi cautioning that the safety of journalists during future elections is at risk.

International condemnation has also poured in, with the International Press Association of Uganda (IPAU) demanding the release of detained journalists and describing the targeting of media professionals as an attack on democracy itself. The blackout is a united stand against what media houses describe as state-sponsored brutality.

Written by:

Francis Oyet

Oyet Francis Opwonya, known commonly as Francis L’Oyet is a Ugandan South Sudanese investigative journalist and software engineer. Oyet is the founder and CEO of Oyet Broadcasting Services (OBS Network), an innovation hub and headquarters of The Northern Press in Uganda and The Malakal Press, located in Malakal City, Upper Nile State in the Greater Upper Nile region of South Sudan