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By Kabuye Ronald
The Uganda Journalists Association (UJA) has condemned Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Robina Nabbanja and Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Dr. Diana Atwine for allegedly intimidating and ordering the arrest of journalist David Mwesigwa after he reported on dire conditions in government health facilities in Mukono and Kayunga districts.
In a strongly-worded statement released Friday, UJA described the actions of the Prime Minister and the Health PS as a calculated attack on press freedom and an attempt to gag a journalist who was fulfilling his constitutional duty to hold public officials accountable.
Mwesigwa, a reporter with Galaxy FM and TV, came under fire after publicly raising concerns with President Yoweri Museveni during a post-nomination press briefing, pointing to serious service delivery failures at health centres in Mukono, Namuganga, and Kayunga. According to UJA, this was not the first time Mwesigwa had raised the issue, he reportedly tried to engage senior officials, including Gen. Proscovia Nalweyiso and PS Atwine, months earlier, to no avail.
Instead of acting on the health concerns, UJA says Nabbanja and Atwine launched personal attacks on the journalist. During a media briefing, the Prime Minister allegedly dismissed Mwesigwa as “a liar” and called for his immediate arrest, a sentiment echoed by Dr. Atwine. UJA claims this public condemnation was a deflection from the real issue: poor health service delivery.
“It is unfortunate that the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister declined to cooperate with the whistleblower, who had voluntarily approached her with a humble request in good faith,” UJA said, accusing Nabbanja of mobilizing local officials in Mukono to “sanitize” health centres ahead of her visit.
Despite these efforts, Nabbanja reportedly admitted during her visit to Mukono that the health facility was in urgent need of government intervention, confirming much of what Mwesigwa had reported to the President.
The association further claims that new oxygen equipment was hurriedly delivered to Kayunga Regional Hospital just before Nabbanja’s inspection, contradicting her claims that the facility had never faced shortages. In Namuganga, health workers were allegedly instructed to coach patients on what to say during the Prime Minister’s tour.
Contrary to the Prime Minister’s assertion that Mwesigwa avoided the Kayunga visit “because he knew he was lying,” UJA clarified that the journalist was blocked by police from joining the Prime Minister’s convoy after attending the Mukono leg of the tour.
“This was an attack on Mwesigwa for performing his journalistic watchdog role and thus an attack on all journalists,” said UJA Secretary General Emmanuel Kirunda. “Even if Mwesigwa was ‘a liar’ as alleged, he still retains his constitutional right to freedom of expression.”
Citing Articles 29(1)(a) and 40(2) of the Constitution, UJA vowed to stand by Mwesigwa. The association announced plans for a public show of solidarity, where journalists will escort Mwesigwa in a peaceful procession as he reports to police in response to the Prime Minister’s directive.
UJA’s legal team has also been activated to ensure Mwesigwa’s rights are protected and to explore legal remedies for what it calls an orchestrated campaign to silence a whistleblower.
“We are concerned that the whistleblower, whose leads would be helpful in addressing real problems affecting ordinary Ugandans, has instead been turned into a suspect,” said Kirunda.
The unfolding standoff between the media and senior government officials is likely to reignite national debate on the state of press freedom in Uganda and whether whistleblowers are safe when exposing systemic failures in public service delivery.
