UGANDA MEDIA DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION

Transcription

1 UGANDA MEDIA DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION Annual Report 2013

2 ANNUAL REPORT 2013 UGANDA MEDIA DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION

3 CONTENTS Acknowledgment 5 Executive Summary 6 UMDF Geographic Coverage 7 Mission Statement 8 Introduction Current Board 9 2. Peace Journalism Project objective Project activities Activity one Activity two Activity three The Media and Democracy Project Project objectives Rationale for Project activities Activity one Activity two Activity three Activity four Way forward Feedback at a Glance Action for transparency General objective Project objectives: Project activities Activity one Activity two 23

4 ACKNOWLEDGMENT... Uganda Media Development Foundation (UMDF) is a registered media training and policy advocacy non-governmental organization that has been in existence for the last 18 years, working to strengthen the media s role in governance and democracy building processes in Uganda. This annual report provides an overview of the activities that UMDF conducted in 2013 and shares the challenges and lessons learnt in the implementation of three major projects. These are Consolidating Peace Journalism in Uganda ( ), funded by funded by Church Development Service (EED) and later on in the final phase by Bread for the World following the merger with (EED); The Media and Democracy project funded by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Action for Transparency project funded by the Government of Sweden through the Fojo Media Institute. On behalf of the entire membership of UMDF and all the implementing partners, I take this opportunity to express our appreciation to our development partners for the financial assistance extended towards all the activities that culminated into this study. We applaud the support from the United States Mission in Kampala that enabled us train journalists in New Media and Human Rightsand the generous support towards the successful commemoration of World Press Freedom Day activities. We also thank Mr. Ronald Kitanda of Development Initiative Services and his team for the capacity building training to UMDF staff that has gone a long way in improving our understanding of project planning, monitoring and evaluation as well as development aid dynamics. UMDF also thanks its Board of Directors for providing overall policy guidance and oversight to the management and staff of UMDF; and to the latter for their consistent efforts in ensuring the successful implementation of the projects as well as their commitment to advancing the organization s aspiration of strengthening the role of the media in democracy and development. James Kigozi Executive Director UMDF 5

5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY... UMDF is registered media training and policy advocacy non-governmental organization that has been in existence for the last 18 years, working to strengthen the media s role in governance and democracy building processes in Uganda. The organisation has implemented three main projects for the period 2012/2013, these are; a) Peace Journalism (PJ) b) Action for transparency c) Media and Democracy project. a) Peace Journalism The Peace Journalism project, funded by Bread for the World of Germany, trains media practitioners to produce conflict-sensitive Programming on eight FM radio stations in four post conflict regions of Rwenzori (Kasese Guide Radio and Voice of Toro in Fort Portal); in West Nile (Rainbow Radio in Nebbi and Radio Pacis in Arua); In Lango Region (Radio Wa in Lira and Luo FM in Pader); and in Eastern Uganda (Radio Kyoga Veritas in Soroti and Step FM in Mbale.) b) Action for transparency This is a three year project in collaboration with the FOJO Media Institute of Sweden and Transparency International Uganda. Action for Transparency literally puts the power to change in the hands of the citizens. The project aims at developing innovative and catalytic tools and methods to strengthen journalists, human rights activists and citizens in their capacity to fight corruption, demanding enhanced democratization and freedom of expression and their human rights to education and health care and it is implemented in the district of Kampala, Mukono and Wakiso. c) Media and Democracy Media and Democracy, is a project funded by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) of Germany. This project has engaged the media fraternity through trainings in various thematic areas. These include: media and elections, corruption, environment, human rights, information technology and currently good governance among others. The trainings offered have targeted media practitioners and through Journalists associations from Parliament, Court and regions and equipped them with relevant skills and knowledge to play this active role in the development of Uganda. 6

6 UMDF GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE... The map highlights with a green star the areas reached with UMDF programmes. 7

7 MISSION STATEMENT policy 4. To promote media engagement in peace building & conflict transformation UMDF Vision To be the lead organization in uplifting the role of media in democracy and development Mission To enhance the capacity of journalists to achieve media excellence in media practice by offering programs that contribute to better governance and livelihood choices Core Values Integrity Service Teamwork Results-oriented Objectives 1. To enhance journalists skills & professionalism through mid-career training 2. To improve media regulation & journalism practice 3. To increase research on media and advocacy on media UMDF Vision To be the lead organization in uplifting the role of media in democracy and development Mission To enhance the capacity of journalists to achieve media excellence in media practice by offering programs that contribute to better governance and livelihood choices Core Values Integrity Service Teamwork Results-oriented Objectives 1. To enhance journalists skills & professionalism through mid-career training 2. To improve media regulation & journalism practice 3. To increase research on media and advocacy on media policy 4. To promote media engagement in peace building & conflict transformation 8

8 1. INTRODUCTION... Uganda Media Development Foundation (UMDF) is a registered media training and policy advocacy non-governmental organization that has been in existence for the last 18 years. It is membership organization comprising media professionals that received scholarships at various levels from the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung of Germany. It has a seven member Board of Directors who serves a renewable three year term. It has a secretariat headed by an Executive Director and professional staff who implements programs. UMDF works through mobilizing resources from donor organizations which are then used to fund projects nationwide CURRENT BOARD John B.Wasswa (Chairman), Lecturer, School of Journalism & Communication, Makerere University, Tel: , johnbwasswa@gmail.com Samuel MpimbazaHashaka, Resident City Commissioner, Kampala, Tel: , Hashaka.samuel@yahoo.com Paul Kihika, Managing Director, UBC, Tel: , kihix@hotmail.com Paul Serwanga, Advocate, High Court, Tel: , msserwanga@gmail.com Collins Juuko, Journalist, Tel: , jukcollin@yahoo.com Joyce Tabingwa, Information Officer, UBOS, Tel: , namuwayaphil@yahoo.com Lucy Lapoti, Journalist/Social Worker, lapcy@yahoo.com 9

9 2. PEACE JOURNALISM... Peace journalism is when editors and reporters make choices - of what to report, and how to report it - that create opportunities for society at large to consider and value non-violent responses to conflict (Lynch and Mc Gold rick, 2005). The PJ project through UMDF provides skills to journalist through trainings, support radio stations to peace reporting and to allow an enabling legislative environment and policies for media to operate. The project measure of performance indicators include; 2.1. Project objective 1. By the end of the project, a group of media practitioners that understand and actively promote peace through peace journalism which elicits active community participation in peace building initiatives will have been created. 2. By the end of the project, we want to achieve a more positive and enabling policy and legislative environment for the media to operate through active networking with Parliament and government on media policy formulation. The project measure of performance indicators include; Recordings of Model radio programmes that conform to the principles of peace journalism Contributions and discussions by media practitioners on Google groups of what they intend to run on their radio programmes and how they intend to run the programmes, such as who they will host. This would demonstrate increased interest in peace journalism. Records of meetings of community peace clubs detailing their involvement in peace building activities, and their connection to the media 2.2. Project activities Activity one Support production of Radio Programmes modelled on the principles of peace journalism in the Model Radio stations. UMDF provided monthly facilitation to the following eight model FM radio stations in the indicated project areas on the basis of submitted scripts and detailed mapping schemes: Radio Pacis, Rainbow Radio (West 10

10 Nile), Radio Wa, Luo FM (Northern Uganda), Step FM, Kyoga Veritas FM (Eastern Uganda), Voice of Toro and Guide Radio ( Rwenzori Region). Output One The topics that were discussed vary from region to region, but some common topics that featured in all the project areas include land conflicts as people resettle in former war ravaged areas, early girl child marriages (where children as young as 13 years are married off in return for dowry), tribal/cultural conflicts, poor social service delivery in local communities, environment degradation due to pressure on limited land, and leadership wrangles. However, there were also problems that were peculiar to specific regions. Rwenzori Region Other topics in the region included witchcraft and cannibalism, which led to the deaths of 14 people, according to Police reports. There were also reports of conflicts between the youths and elders over cultural obligations, with the young people opting to behave contrary to expected local norms. There was also a growing conflict between the Uganda Wildlife Authority and local communities over killer crocodiles that attacked and ate 7 people. Following the radio programmes, the crocodiles have now been captured and relocated to a game park; Fences have also been built to restrict the movement of people to the park... Security officers participate in UMDF dialogues 11

11 West Nile Region In West Nile region (Arua and Nebbi districts), conflicts over land were prominently highlighted. In Nebbi, these were mainly between the Alur Kingdom and the National Forestry Authority, herdsmen and peasants, the side-lining of people with disabilities in the local governments planning and budgets, violence related to local council byelections. Other conflicts related to the discovery of oil. Since the beginning of the year, there is a growing conflict between local communities and government over issues of displacement of people and adequate compensation, resettlement and revenue sharing/ payment of royalties when oil mining eventually starts. In Arua conflicts were mainly caused due to rivalry over land ownership, demarcation of boundaries for administrative units, cultural differences (Arua has several ethnic groups). Being a prominent commercial centre that serves both South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Arua also has serious conflicts related to the handling of commercial sex workers, smuggling and an ever growing population. Journalists attend a media dialogue Northern Uganda The major conflicts highlighted related to the challenges caused by decentralization, especially the problem of growing corruption and poor social service delivery. Others related to the overall Northern Uganda Recovery Programme, especially the allocation of resources. What can be done to consolidate the current peace in northern Uganda? What are the strategies that can be adopted to scale down the rampant land conflict in Northern Uganda? And the major challenges facing health and works departments in Pader district local government 12

12 Output two Editors Dialogue The main reason for holding this meeting was to examine success stories, challenges, and invent effective and possible ways to make changes as the peace journalism project expands in the New Year. The aim of this activity was to show how much the concept of the Peace Journalism Project has been understood and embraced to bring about effectiveness in these project areas by the mentored journalists. As one way of enhancing experience sharing and exposure, the meeting was held at Radio Wa, Lira, in Northern Uganda, instead of Kampala. This initiative was warmly welcomed by all editors because some of the participants had never travelled to post- conflict Northern Uganda. It was resolved that such dialogues will be hosted on a rotational basis in different project areas. Moreover, the management of Radio Wa, which is a church- owned organization, has excelled in mobilizing resources from partners and had just moved into a new building with modern facilities, including digital studio equipment. Therefore it provided a great opportunity for other partner stations, especially as they shared how they had achieved all this success. Editors were given a platform to tell the success stories, challenges they have faced during the running of the project and the way forward to better the concept of the project activity. Peace Journalism editors in the meeting at Radio Wa, Lira, in Northern Uganda 13

13 Emerging issues a) Inadequate mentoring training period-stations request for more mentoring days to anchor the practice and on- station engagement with management practices. b) Interviewing technique should be dealt with in future mentoring visits in order to focus questions on issues c) Number of mentoring visits insufficient, visited stations suggested they be met once in two months instead of the current arrangement where they are given one visit in a quarter. The remoteness of some of the sources makes it difficult for journalists to enlist these sources as voices in the stories, hence the dominance of prominent personalities in privileged institutions. This problem is compounded by poor travel facilitation of reporters by management. Output Three Community Dialogues Community dialogues empower local people to appreciate and participate in the design, development and critiquing of peace journalism programming. Community dialogues were held in Eastern Uganda, Northern Uganda and Rwenzori Regions. Participants in the dialogues included journalists, police officers, members of Amnesty Commission, representatives, Members of Parliament, Justice, and Peace Commission, Religious Leaders, and representatives from Non-Government organizations. Rwenzorie region The first dialogue was held on Monday, 25 February, 2013 at Garden Restaurant, Fort Portal, the topic for discussion was Early marriages (for the girl child) as a major cause of domestic violence and conflict among communities. Covering Kasese and Kabarole districts, the problem of child marriages was highlighted in both the radio programmes and also in the community dialogues. This cultural practice of marrying off young girls has created new challenges, with the child-brides being exposed to grave health risks. Because they are married off early, their bodies are not fully developed for child birth, and increasingly cases of fistula are becoming common in this group. It was also reported that this group has higher chances of being infected with HIV, since they are married off to much older polygamous men. 14

14 Eastern region The second dialogue was held in the Eastern region town of Mbale and focused on the challenges of poor social service delivery in local communities. This dialogue was a major opportunity for local communities to ask for accountability from their elected local leaders... There were 45 people in attendance. The 5 panelists presented their thoughts on social services, and attendees responded with questions and comments. This dialogue was very enlightening as it was conducted in a predominantly opposition led community which felt that government had deliberately sidelined them with regard to provision of social services. Northern region The third dialogue held was focusing on The status of communal land in the post conflict Lango Sub Region as the topic of discussion. The dialogue was officially opened by Lira District s Chairman Mr. Oremo Alex. This dialogue was especially important in that it was the first of its kind since a new wave of conflict emerged over land in the region. The occurrence and ending of the LRA insurgency in northern Uganda is the very reason why land conflicts occur instead of the peaceful communal landownership system that existed about 20(twenty) years ago. The following however illustrates how the aftermath of the war could have influenced status of communal land in the post conflict Lango Sub-Region. POST WAR LAND CONFLICT 15

15 An elder view on the status of communal land in Lango sub-region after the war. At the end of the dialogue, participants zeroed out the following suggestions to end land conflicts in Lango region. Journalists should spearhead the resolving of land conflicts since they are the voice of the voiceless people. Land owners-whether communal or individuals should endeavor to register their land so as to get legal evidence and protection if need arises. Elders and cultural leaders articulate issues during community dialogues Emerging Issues Some questions that emerged during the dialogues centered on the role of journalists in conflict resolution. The fact that community members could reflect on such questions was proof that they are adequately engaging with the programme. The following were some of the key questions that emerged from the dialogue: Are communities satisfied with the way that journalists have reported on violent conflict situations in recent years? Has the way journalists reported the conflicts improved the situation or made it worse? How should the journalists have reported the conflicts over the past few years? What are the roles and responsibilities of journalists in conflict situations? Does the current political/social situation in Uganda help or hinder journalists from carrying out their roles and responsibilities? 16

16 Special interest group express their views during dialogues Activities two Draft Shield Law to protect journalists and their sources: Progress to date: Output 2.1 There is a draft shield law report on this process and a stakeholders meeting will be held in the third week of October to get more input before engaging Members of Parliament in the last quarter of A shield law protects journalists from revealing their news sources. But the privilege must be balanced against a variety of competing government interests such as the right of the government to apprehend criminals and to prevent the impairment of investigations. Still, most states have enacted shield laws, based on the right to access information which guarantee the freedom of the press as provided for in the bill of Rights In the case of Uganda, this is in Chapter Four of the Uganda constitution. 17

17 Peace journalism coordinators attend an end of project evaluation workshop There have always existed questions on the relationship between journalists and their sources of information. But this privileged relationship is increasingly being challenged by third parties including the state and its agents, raising the pertinent question whether a shield law should be introduced to Uganda s media industry. Now, more than ever before, many senior media practitioners agree on the need to accelerate advocacy for parliament to pass a shield law that protects journalists and their sources. With this law in place, industry players argue that journalists will effectively play their traditional and democratic watchdog role without being compelled to reveal their sources of information. Challenges: Government has cracked down hard on critical media houses, closing down two radio stations and two daily newspapers for fifteen days. This tendency is likely to force the media into self-censorship and this may get worse in the run-up to the 2016 general elections. UMDF played a leading role in campaigning for the re-opening of the media houses and issued a strong statement that was widely published in local media and posted on several media websites Activity three Media Policy Dialogues We conducted one media policy dialogue on World Press Freedom Day, May 3,2013, under the theme Safe to speak: securing freedom of expression in all media. Activities for the day focused on the issues of journalists safety, combating impunity 18

18 for crimes against freedom of expression and securing a free and open internet as a precondition for online safety. The event was attended by the Minister for Information, media personalities, senior government officials, diplomats and human rights activists. Mr. Gawaya Tegule facilitates at the shield law workshop While government continuously re-assures the country of its commitment to upholding fundamental media freedoms, this is not borne out by its actions. Shortly after this event, police closed down two national newspapers- The Daily Monitor and The Red Pepper, as well as two FM radio stations ( Dembe FM and KFM), for publishing contents of a letter written by a former security chief now turned opponent -in exile. The siege of the media premises continued for 11 days and caused great loss to the media houses. This clearly shows that government is growing increasingly more intolerant to dissenting voices; there are concerns that this may become worse in the run up to the general elections in Lessons learnt a) It is critical for media owners to play a more active role as stakeholders in the implementation and sustainability of the CSJ approach in broadcasting b) Questions regarding the sustainability of conflict sensitive programs should be addressed by all stakeholders 19

19 c) It is important that media houses invest in multimedia technologies as a matter of strategic priority and put in place policies to ensure a systematic and appropriate training of their staff d) Information sharing and on-site visits by media managers in the project areas very vital e) Community dialogues broaden the base of understanding of issues and strengthens the partnership between media and the communities f) Media policy dialogues should also focus on regulation of the new media technologies in order to effectively utilize the platforms offered. g) Media training institutions, both academic and professional need to foster a closer collaboration with the Media NGOs in order to develop and mainstream the CSJ approach in broadcasting. Way forward As the project enters the final quarter, a number of suggestions have been made to ensure smooth operation of the next phase. Points to consider include: Initiate a Peace Journalism Center through short study courses where journalist can be trained and re-trained about the concept of the Peace Project Uniform reporting tools should also be introduced to journalists to ensure that they stay on the same course of what the project concept is all about. Funds in terms of facilitation should be reduced and instead more equipment should be bought for the station for example recorders More facilitation is needed to carry out investigations and interviews in the field smoothly and effectively An association of peace journalism of Uganda should be formed to create a plat form for journalists to easily express and exchange ideas to better the implementation of this project Peace building should be built into all programs as one way of popularizing the project concept Given existing health-related challenges, reproductive health issues must also be tackled as a major component of the project and gradually built to run as an independent project. Media managers should be trained (may be under a separate arrangement) on how to manage radio as a business. This will ensure that radios are run professionally on sound business principles. 20

20 3. ACTION FOR TRANSPARENCY... This is a three year project in collaboration with the FOJO Media Institute of Sweden and Transparency International Uganda. Action for Transparency literally puts the power to change in the hands of the citizens. The project aims at developing innovative and catalytic tools and methods to strengthen journalists, human rights activists and citizens in their capacity to fight corruption, demanding enhanced democratization and freedom of expression and their human rights to education and health care and it is implemented in the district of Kampala, Mukono and Wakiso. The project is funded by Swedish agency Sida in collaboration with the Fojo Media Institute and is implemented in the districts of Kampala, Mukono and Wakiso as pilot areas. Locally UMDF is partnering with Transparency International Uganda to implement the project General objective To develop innovative and catalytic tools and methods in such a way that they can be used in other countries and sectors, thus providing a possibility to improve conditions and increasing opportunities for actors for change all over the world Project objectives: 1. To strengthen capacity among journalists and human rights activists to access, asses and communicate information about government budgets and spending and capture of government funds. 2. To develop innovative and catalytic tools and methods to facilitate for journalists, human rights organizations and citizens to monitor capture of government funds allocated for schools and health care centers. 3. To decrease capture of government funds designated to schools and health care centers. 4. To stimulate journalists, human rights activists and citizens to report corruption and capture of funds to authorities, media and the public Project activities Activity one Trainings for Journalists, civil society and local government leaders 21

21 Baseline To ensure proper direction for the project, a Public Expenditure Tracking Study has been carried out in Wakiso by our partners, Transparency International Uganda. This will together with the baseline study carried out by UK research firm Intermedia help us understand the status of the community awareness and interest with public spending and hence the in measuring the impact of project. As we ended 2013, the project was launching its trainings over the next four months for over 2,000 journalists, human rights activists and local government leaders to enable the use of mobile and web tools to access, asses and communicate budget allocations. UMDF is carrying out these trainings together with African Center for Media Excellence. Training of activists The trainings focus on helping participants understand the prevailing corruption issues, its extent and negative implications on lives and wellbeing of citizens, as well as their responsibility as citizens to expose corruption. Participants are also be introduced to their rights to access government information as well as the whistle blowing act which protects those who reveal corruption from being victimized. We also empower participants with the skills to understand the government budgeting process, how budgets and disbursements are made, and where to check for information on budgeting or budget allocations. Participants are also taught how to use the app and website available at www. actionfortransparency.org (as well as Google play and app store) to access budget allocations, and report any anomalies on the website/app. People have a choice to report anonymously or include their name. Every report is sent directly to our face book page, where more discussions on the reports and issues will continue. Monitoring The trained will be part of our public awareness campaign planned from May 2014 and be able to track government expenditures and act as whistle-blowers by reporting any findings on the mobile app, website and within face book, as well as SMS to or calling Those trained are expected to train and sensitize others so that one by one, we can increase on people knowledgeable in the importance of fighting corruption, people who can access budget information on the website or mobile phones and be able to report any anomalies. The app, website 22

22 connected to it and the face book page will provide a digital space for informed debates about corruption and misuse of tax payers money. The debates are open to everyone who wants to contribute Activity two Partners involvement The key strength of the Action for Transparency (A4T) project is the breadth of involvement by many stakeholders including donors, civil society organizations, private technology companies, government agencies and professionals interesting in technology and fighting corruption. The A4T project has since inception collaborated with government agencies, including the Inspector General of Government, Ministries of Finance, Health and Education, as well Wakiso Local government. The three local partner NGOs (UMDF, ACME and TIU) have also been working with members from different civil society organizations in the planning and execution of project activities, including conducting trainings. The 17 trainers for the project who underwent a Trainer of Trainers in September 2013 were drawn from over 10 organizations and professionals interested in fighting corruption and using technology tools for community empowerment. The app and website has been developed by IT consulting firm Centigo and Indian firm Indpro who have and hope to continue tapping inputs from African IT professionals to make the app and website the best it can be. We are working with many CSOs and local governments in Wakiso, Mukono and Kampala in organizing the trainings, and hope to work with even more during the public awareness campaign that will kick off in May Following up reports The project welcomes ideas and proposals of how we can work together have more people know about how and why they should play a role in fighting corruption, especially by checking out government allocations and cross checking with their area to see whether the money allocated was put to good use, and making a report about it. 23

23 While there is already apathy about reporting but no action being taken, our project partners Transparency International will follow up the key issues reported with the relevant authorities and keep the pressure to ensure corrections or prosecution is undertaken. But most importantly, we believe availing this platform where citizens can access up-to-date government allocations for their school or health center, and be able to report as per what they find on the ground or verify or counter what has been reported, will go a long way in reducing corruption since information is being made readily available and people empowered to report any anomalies in interactive ever accessible platforms (website, app and face book). We look forward to more partnerships as the fight against corruption is best when we are all engaged and expose the vice in all its manifestations when it is not too late to save public funds involved. Participants during one of the trainings 24

24 4. THE MEDIA AND DEMOCRACY PROJECT Project objectives In 2012 UMDF selected the theme of Media and Democracy to inform its schedule of activities for the year. The rationale for this thematic selection arose from emerging lessons and experiences of previously conducted activities on corruption. a) A weak appreciation of the implication of bad governance on media and society b) Limited appreciation of governance in the media that is restricted to politicians and abuse of public office c) Failure to clearly link the role of Media in good governance particularly at the local Government and community levels d) Near absence of engagement with governance issues at community and local government levels in media mainstream programming e) Poor participation of the media in community sensitization on topical governance issues 4.2. Rationale for 2013 In 2012 Uganda marked a national governance landmark namely 50 years since the attainment of political independence. The celebrations have brought to centre stage a number of existential questions and concerns about the trajectory of governance, Uganda have taken in the past and present. The future for governance in Uganda remains a heated but uncertain debate. A number of high profile media interventions on the governance dialogue to mark the independence Golden Jubilee were organized. These include the Nation Media Group s thought leadership conference organized under the auspices of the Monitor Publications and the KFM Radio 4-hour live debate. While these interventions are urban specific and occasional, UMDF would wish to sustain and focus the governance dialogue in the media and at the local government and Community levels beyond October With reference to the trainings undertaken in 2012, UMDF proposes to continue engaging with the theme of Media and Democracy seeking comprehensive responses to the following Governance issues: 25

25 1. What is good governance and why is it important for the media to engage in? 2. How do media practitioners and managers transit effectively from simply covering the story to engaging with the complex debate surrounding those stories e.g. how do journalists move away from sensational person centered corruption stories to debating the systemic causes and intermediate / long term effects of the vice on governance and ultimately the country s development? 3. How can media management practice best be mainstreamed in engagement with governance challenges? 4. In what ways can the participants innovatively market the governance debate to their media houses and consciously influence its inclusion in mainstream programming? 5. How do we effectively cross-fertilize the knowledge, experiences, and skills of media practitioners and managers on the one hand, and Communication officers in local government, NGO, CSOs and CBOs? 6. How can the media strategies be more effectively used to lobby local government, mobilize resources, and target diverse audiences for the governance debate? 4.3. Project activities Activity one Network Meeting One network meeting was held and attracted 36 UMDF members both the founder members and other media consultants and stakeholders since they had opened up membership in the last AGM meeting It was held at Grand Imperial Hotel Kampala. This meeting provided a platform for UMDF members and stakeholders to interact and review knowledge and experiences about topical thematic interventions on media development. It also helped to critique and refine facilitator methodologies in delivering UMDF training programmes. 26

26 Journalist attend a media dialogue Activity two Training Workshops The training workshops were held to consolidate follow-up at the local Government level by significantly shifting the focus of interface to the media with the various communication officers particularly in the different departments of local government. Further as part of the training target group, include journalists from print and electronic media from the four selected journalists associations Though Media Managers were among the participants none attended but rather some station managers and editors did attend. The targeted participants will therefore include Media Managers and practitioners, Communication Officers from the local government departments, NGO, CSOs, and CBOs. Gawaya Tegulle was the resource person. The faclitatation was through dialogue to relations between media representatives and other governance actors in the districts. Four (4) training workshops were implemented as proposed. The venues are to representatively cover the spread of local government across Uganda s regions. Eight (80) participants were trained from 27

27 four journalists associations were trained and these included; Mityana Mubende Journalist association, Teso Karamoja journalist association, Kigezi Journalist association and mid-western Uganda journalist association(bunyoro region) Activity three Public Dialogues UMDF proposed to hold a series of Public dialogues concurrently with the four (4) conducted training workshops. These were concluded and averages of 50 participants for the four regional public dialogues were attracted. A topic Working for the promotion of good governance and service delivery: Media relations with stakeholders in local governments was the title discussed. A presenter from the district local governance unit was always selected and a media person to discuss. In addition, one public dialogue titled Safe to Speak: Securing Freedom of Expression in All Media was held and attracted 268 participants. They included Practising and retired Journalists from the print and electronic media, Human rights activists, students from Journalism schools around Kampala district, politicians and members of the Diplomatic core. Three public dialogues had been earlier envisaged for Kampala to interface with MPs, local councilors and City authorities in Kampala. However the two were cancelled due to limited funds from our partners KAS Activity four The Annual Media Review Journal UMDF proposed to publish its Media Review journal on the theme of Media and Democracy. The journal is proposed as a commemorative edition to Uganda s independence Golden Jubilee and will seek articles that not only offer reflective insights into the role played by the media in Uganda s 50 years but also provide fresh and innovative proposals for Uganda Media governance future. UMDF proposes to scale up its list of contributors by seeking submissions from Media scholars and seasoned media practitioners, Development partners and government officials. Mr.John Baptis Wasswa was the Media Review Journal Editor. 28

28 2013 Uganda Media Review launch at UMDF Headquarters in Kampala Way Forward There is a knowledge gap among media practitioners with media and elections, media management plus conflict management Recommendation to start a national dialogue. There is need to increase funding for these activities Feedback Basing on the feedback of participants, the media houses that second participants to the training, the observations of the trainers and the assessment by UMDF, the following stand out as positive outcomes for further consolidation in the future: 1. Goodwill and support from Media houses 2. High enthusiastic participant response to the training curriculum 3. Relevance of the topics and activities to the work experience of the participants, 4. Training methodology highly interactive, 5. Promotes networking among journalists within and across the regions and between media houses, 6. Empowering the participants with winning skills of designing, developing and implementing media strategies as critical interventions governance, 7. Raising awareness of and proposing workable solutions to topical governance challenges faced at local Government level. 29

29 AT A GLANCE The peace journalism project is expanding from four regions to seven to reflect the evergrowing demand for conflict-sensitive programs. The new regions include Karamoja, The peace journalism project is expanding from four regions to seven to reflect the ever-growing demand for conflict-sensitive programs. The new commonly regions include referred Karamoja, to as the land commonly of the warriors, referred in Busonga to as the and land Buganda. of the warriors, in Busonga and Buganda. Karamoja exhibits the country s lowest human development indicators despite government and Karamoja partner s efforts exhibits to uplift the country s it... Combined lowest with human this reality development are continued indicators violence mostly despite interpersonal government violence and and partner s land conflict efforts and to uplift cattle raiding it... Combined and proliferation with this of reality weapons are and crime continued Karamoja. violence mostly interpersonal violence and land conflict and cattle raiding and proliferation of weapons and crime in Karamoja. In Busoga Region, the growing number and intensity of conflicts related to land, cultural In Busoga Region, the growing number and intensity of conflicts related to issues, prevalence of preventable diseases and poverty have contributed to the land, cultural issues, prevalence of preventable diseases and poverty have underdevelopment contributed to of the the underdevelopment area. Yet there are a number of the area. of radio Yet stations there are broadcasting a number in of local languages radio which stations can broadcasting be used to uplift in livelihoods local languages and amicably which resolve can conflicts. be used to uplift livelihoods and amicably resolve conflicts. Buganda s land conflicts have escalated to the extent that several people have been killed as different Buganda s parties land fight conflicts over ownership. have escalated At the to same the time, extent given that its several central people location have and been killed as different parties fight over ownership. At the same time, given accessibility to markets, the region has attracted both local and foreign investors who take up its central location and accessibility to markets, the region has attracted both large local tracts and of foreign land for investors development. who However, take up squatters large tracts on of such land land for usually development. resist being displaced However, and widespread squatters conflicts such are land common. usually resist being displaced and widespread conflicts are common. The peace journalism programme is extending to South Sudan, where decades of war have adversely The peace affected journalism the newest programme African is state. extending The on-going to South fighting Sudan, between where government decades forces of war and have rebels adversely led by former affected Vice the President newest Riek African Machar state. has created The on-going further justification fighting for between our intervention. government The forces Konrad and Adenauer rebels Foundation led by former (KAF) will Vice fund President the intervention. Riek Machar has created further justification for our intervention. The Konrad This initiative will later be scaled up to cover Eastern DR Congo this year. Adenauer Foundation (KAF) will fund the intervention. This initiative will Under later be the scaled Media up and to Democracy cover Eastern project, DR KAF Congo will this fund year. a number of high level media symposiums as well as the publication of the Uganda Media Review Journal, one of Under the Media and Democracy project, KAF will fund a number of high level media symposiums as well as the publication of the Uganda Media Review Journal, one of UMDF s major brands. 30

30 UGANDA MEDIA DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION