The Supreme Court of Uganda is taking action on the petition filed by the Uganda Parliamentary Press Association (UPPA) curtailing their rights on covering of the parliamentary procedure.
Moses Kajangu, the Secretary General of UPPA, thwarted that the resolution released by the parliament infringes the freedom of the press.
"We are 'professionalising' slowly but what he has attributed to us that most journalists are unprofessional, that one is false. Journalists who are reporting from parliament where I do report, have gone through elementary training or higher institutions of learning where they teach journalism and other related areas," said Kajangu.
The Parliament bars only the journalists without degrees from covering proceedings of the House.
Chris Obore, the Director of the Office of Communications and Public Affairs, directed the Sergeant-at-Arms to close the offices of the UPPA in a letter released on January 18, "We do not have space for every journalist in Uganda to cover parliament, it would require us buying all the offices around here."
"Do journalists work in the office? In my training, a journalist who is in the office is a lazy journalist, he is useless. Their office in parliament is the press gallery," further stated in Africa News.
As stated earlier in the letter, "We are in the process of accrediting reporters to cover the 10th Parliament. We wrote to the editors to second journalists with degrees."
Further, Obore stated in the letter that not until the good working relationship between Parliament and UPPA is restored, the office space for the press is temporarily withdrawn. He also consulted the Parliamentary Speaker Rebecca Kadaga and got her assent to such resolution.
Meanwhile, the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), the global network of 104 organizations dedicated to promoting and defending freedom of expression, writes with serious concern about the deteriorating human rights situation in Uganda in the lead up to Presidential and parliamentary elections, called the attention of the heads of the government.
"We call on you to use all diplomatic channels to urge the Government of Uganda to respect freedom of expression, assembly and information as fundamental rights that are essential to the conduct of free and fair elections."
Uganda will be conducting general elections and will be opening its 10th parliament for which the Commission needs a top caliber journalist to cover its proceeding.
The office for UPPA was first provided during the seventh parliament when the then Speaker of Parliament, Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi, in consultation with the Parliamentary Commission granted a request from journalists under the umbrella body to have an office to ease their work.
After June 2006, this is the second time the journalists were struck off from the parliament. The first was due to the space constraints because of the increased number of the parliamentarians under the multi-party system.
The UPPA office is furnished with computers, internet and other hassle-free needs to cover the proceedings of the Parliamentary.
