As you crack down the media, be sensitive to the needs of the rural poor

In July 2005, the Ugandan Parliament passed “The Access to Information Act, 2005” granting all people to access and share relevant and up todate information of public interest to anyone without intimidation.

However, access to reliable and timely information and knowledge sharing on public accountability especially in rural communities is still a neglected issue and remains an exclusive privilege for the elite and urban population.

Elected leaders try to silence voices who try to exercise their freedom of expression and information access rights especially, rural journalists and human rights defenders because they are deemed ‘enemies of the state’ since they empower the local people with appropriate information to demand for public accountability from their leaders for better service delivery which at the end exposes the ill’s of the government.

Both local and central government leaders have exploited the ignorance of the people who are not empowered with appropriate information to put their leaders to account as an advantage to exploit the rural population by just being “rhetoric and politicking” in addition to swindling public resources especially in awarding contracts. The rural Kabarole and Bundibugyo districts, were ranked among the most corrupt districts in Uganda (Rwenzori Anti-Corruption Coalition, RAC: Report 2009) because of poor accountability resulting from an ignorant rural population.

When it comes to marginalized groups like the rural women and youth’s, the situation has been aggravated. This has continued to render elections of leaders in the country irrelevant because leaders have failed to address real development issues like access to better markets, health services, unemployment and improving the standards of education in the country hence creating friction between government leaders and the local people as manifested by the recent “walk to work,” campaigns by the opposition.

When Ugandans went for multi-party primary elections in August 2010 and thereafter, general presidential, parliamentary and local government leaders’ elections in early 2011. The rural people who are the majority clearly manifested lack of capacity to make appropriate choices based on issues of good leadership with accountability because of ignorance and fear. They were compromised with mere “hand outs” to buy their votes as admitted by both local and international election observers.

Individuals and civil society activists who volunteer to share such information are even intimidated by opportunistic politicians, curtailing the realization of a community that is well informed, knowledgeable and empowered, democratic, wealthier and responsible for her own development processes.

In 2008, The Fort Portal based Life FM Radio transmitter was burnt down because it hosted a radio program called Twerwaneho which was deemed “critical to the establishment.” The moderator and panelists were also suspended indefinitely and arrested on charges of defamation, inciting violence, and creating public anger against the government which case, they later won. The radio program covered issues of human rights, public accountability and good governance aimed at holding public leaders more accountable.

Therefore, its is important that the government of Uganda desists from intimidating and stopping journalists from reporting information which exposes the ill’s of the leadership to avoid breeding corruption which leads to poor service delivery.