By Jamilah Kemigisa
The Independent Online Journalists Association–Uganda (INDOJA-UG) has issued a blistering ultimatum to Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja, demanding that she publicly apologizes and retract alleged threats against journalist David Mwesigwa of Galaxy TV and Radio—or face an inevitable court showdown.
In a strongly-worded pressor released late Sunday night, the association condemned reports that the Prime Minister ordered the arrest of Mwesigwa following his hard-hitting exposé on the deplorable conditions at Mukono, Kayunga, and Namuganga hospitals. According to INDOJA-UG, the directive amounts to a “brazen assault on constitutional freedoms and an affront to democracy.”
“The Independent Online Journalists Association-Uganda (INDOJA-UG) hereby demands that the Prime Minister retracts her statements ordering the arrest of journalist Mwesigwa and issue a public apology within 48 hours,” the statement, signed by INDOJA-UG president Andrew Irumba Katusabe, declared. “Failure to comply will leave INDOJA-UG with no option but to seek legal redress and drag the Prime Minister to courts of law at her own peril and embarrassment.”
The association castigated what it described as Nabbanja’s “ironic hypocrisy,” noting that as a Member of Parliament, she was once celebrated for leveraging media platforms to expose service delivery failures—yet now appears to be persecuting the very scrutiny that elevated her political career.
“It is disheartening that a leader who built her reputation by speaking truth to power through the same media now seeks to intimidate journalists for doing exactly what she once did,” Irumba noted.
Backing Mwesigwa’s revelations, the INDOJA-UG president recounted his own fact-finding mission to Kayunga Hospital on August 6, where he witnessed firsthand the grim realities of Uganda’s ailing public health sector. He described a shocking situation where patients were forced to pay for oxygen, surgeries and even artificial limbs—services that are supposed to be provided free of charge in public hospitals.
“No patient can access oxygen without payment,” Irumba said. “Agents for artificial legs are the very doctors working on you. This is a shocking display of unpreparedness to meet public health needs.” He further revealed that while government pharmacies remain empty, private pharmacies in side the very Hospital are well-stocked, exacerbating the suffering of already desperate patients.
In a sharp contrast, Irumba praised President Yoweri Museveni for his restraint, noting that despite facing criticism from the press, he has historically used media reports to guide reforms rather than ordering arrests. “Instead of ordering her arrest then, President Museveni chose to bring her closer,” the statement read, urging all public officials to emulate the President’s tolerance for constructive media engagement.
The association laid out two non-negotiable demands: an immediate public apology and retraction from Nabbanja, and a clear government commitment to investigate and remedy the deplorable conditions in the mentioned hospitals. Anything short of these actions, INDOJA-UG warned, would trigger a legal battle to protect press freedoms.
“Journalism is not a crime,” the statement concluded. “Intimidating journalists is an assault on the constitutional right to press freedom and an affront to democracy.”
As the 48-hour deadline ticks away, all eyes are now on Prime Minister Nabbanja. Will she heed the call for contrition and accountability, or risk a courtroom confrontation that could further inflame the debate over government hostility toward the press? For Uganda’s media fraternity, the coming hours may set a precedent for how far leaders can go in silencing investigative reporting—and how fiercely journalists will fight back.
