Anitah Among”s Corruption Story Lands The Observer editors In Problems

The Media Council of Uganda has summoned editors of The Observer newspaper to answer for “derogation of the sanctity of Parliament”, among a raft of accusations related to not helping maintain public trust in MPs.

The Council chairman Paulo Ekochu said the May 8 summons is in reference to an article published in The Observer newspaper edition of April 24-30.

“Pursuant to powers vested in the Council under Section 9 of the Press and Journalists Act Cap. 105, you are hereby summoned to appear before the disciplinary committee of the Council on May 20 at 10am to answer to the issues raised herein,” he said.

Mr Pius Muteekani Katunzi, managing editor of The Observer, confirmed receipt of the letter and said they will prepare an explanation to be delivered to the Council.

The bi-weekly paper ran the article under the headline, “MPs bribed to save government agencies“.

Quoting unnamed sources, the article said MPs had received bribes ranging from Shs500,000 to Shs2 million to stop their merger under the government’s rationalisation push.

“These agencies, facing the prospect of being phased out, have been actively lobbying MPs to support their continued existence,” it said.

“The financial incentives reportedly come from influential figures within both the government and parliament, aiming to sway MPs in favour of retaining these agencies.”

Parliament took strong issues with the publication, with Speaker Anita Among decrying the allegations during a plenary sitting on April 24.

“I am going to ask our legal officer to take up this case because you can’t tarnish the integrity of my members, because no member was bribed… whatever didn’t go through, it was a consensus,” she said.

Mr Ekochu said that to a “reasonable man”, the article “manifests a derogation of the sanctity of Parliament”.

“It is necessary that its substance be interrogated with a view to assuring that journalistic principles of accuracy and balance have been exercised to the letter,” he added.

But the summons has been heavily criticised as many appeared to see bias in Mr Ekochu’s letter that starts by lecturing The Observer on the works of Parliament and goes as far as suggesting that it is “very important that the public trust in Parliament and in government is maintained.”

Ms Agather Atuhaire, a journalist, lawyer and rights activist, said it was interesting that the Council was making maintainance of public trust in Parliament and its sanctity a job of journalists.

“They are not concerned at all about how the people occupying that Parliament are conducting themselves but they’re in essence telling journalists that no matter what the occupiers of these offices do, make sure you protect the sanctity of the institution,” she said.

“That’s not what journalists, as members of the Fourth Estate, are supposed to do.”

Media scholar and activist Dr Jimmy Spire Ssentongo called the letter “an obvious proxy fight for Parliament” and that it was flawed at many fronts.

“While summoning, they already passed judgement, and they are instead advising The Observer to do propaganda job for Parliament,” he said.

“It [the Council] doesn’t seem to be interested in whether Observer has evidence for its story or not, all that has been in the media about Parliament notwithstanding. They simply want to enforce ‘public trust’ in Parliament.”