Justice Simon Byabakama, Chairperson, Uganda Electoral Commission has called upon Editors at media houses to use their gatekeeping mandate to stop the promotion of hate speech and campaign against acts of violence ahead of the 2026 general elections.
“Don’t give ammunition to those who want to sow seeds of sectarianism, hopelessness and division through the use of hate speech and language that creates discord and bitterness among the voters,” Byabakama stated .
Byabakama said the media should educate the Ugandans public about the responsibilities of every citizens and their rights to participate in electoral processes peacefully and by respecting each other. He decried the widespread commercialisation of Uganda’s elections , spread of misinformation, disinformation and fake news noting that these fuel violence and empathy among voters .
The EC boss was addressing Editors at the 3rd two day annual Uganda Editors’ Guild Convention in Kampala. The event brought together editors and media practicing professionals to discuss key issues affecting journalism in Uganda – including AI in newsrooms, investigative journalism, data-driven reporting, and combating misinformation and disinformation ahead of the elections season .
Mr. Daniel Kalinaki, the president of Uganda Editors’ Guild describing the convention as timely in light of the election year, emphasized that high-level engagements with key stakeholders are critical to negotiating for space and freedom for journalists to be able to do their work and speak a unified voice and counter vices such as electoral violence, and violence against journalists.
“The convention aims to focus on emerging issues around elections so we have all the key stakeholders in one room, editors can get a sense of the state of preparations for the elections, legislative changes and have high level engagement with decision makers,” he said.
“We must have in-depth conversations with people at the other end of the fence and bodies like Uganda Editors Guild create avenues for us to understand and hear each other.”
Kalinaki also highlighted that it is important that we focus on the relevance of journalism in Uganda and how to ensure that the quality of journalists coming into the newsrooms is not a mismatch with what the editors want.
Dr. George Lugalambi Executive Director The African Center for Media Excellence (ACME) emphasized that for sustainability to uplift the quality of journalism across the board is important not to have pockets of excellence but to collaborate at a high level as players in the media industry. “Conversations such as we are having are critical to enable us strengthen our internal mechanisms in the profession to enable self-regulation. As an editor you are the first regulator,” Dr Lugalambi highlighted.
The convention is supported by M-SPACE, a programme being implemented by consortium partners Uganda Editors Guild, ACME, Uganda Radio Network, and Uganda Media Women’s Association that is working towards enhancing the professionalism and accountability of media practitioners and institutions and improving the operating environment for media.
The Secretary/ Director of Legal Affairs at Uganda Communication Commission Ms. Susan Wegoye has called for a partnership with the media as we reflect on our role in society and ensuring accountability.
She has stressed the importance of verifying information before it is published now that the digital revolution and technological advancement have changed things around.
