Media experts threaten to take litigation measures on all government agencies

Media scholars and experts have threatened to take litigation measures against all government departments and agencies that fail to comply with information requests within the prescribed 21 days.

Uganda commemorated the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) 2025 with a national dialogue focused on the critical link between information access and environmental governance aligning with the global theme for 202UAI 2025, "Ensuring Access to Environmental Information in the Digital Age" organized by The Africa Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC), in partnership with Twaweza and the Department of Journalism and Communication at Makerere University.

The event brought together government ministries, civil society organizations, academia, journalists, and students to reflect on the progress and challenges in securing access to environmental information—a area of particular significance for Uganda as communities struggle to get timely data on climate financing and natural resource management.

In his opening remarks Gilbert Sendugwa, Executive Director of AFIC, underscored the need for government institutions to create systems that promote proactive disclosure and timely response to information requests but also train public servants on the importance of transparency and eliminate delays in processing information requests to avoid litigation.

KCCA and ministry of gender were the most compliant entities in responding to public requests and warned that moving forward adamancy and non compliance will be taken on through court litigations.

 He stressed the need for engaging in public campaigns about citizens’ right to information but also amending the access to information act to align with the AU model law.

 From their latest findings on climate change  Twaweza’s senior programs officer Marie Nanyanzi said 86% of Ugandans are concerned about the impact of climate change on their lives, radio is declining as a citizens’ source of information but remains well ahead of other forms of media, social media remains dominated by the young people, with very using online sources affecting trust levels of digital platforms.

The report recommends to government to expand multi-platform access by using a mix of radio, community dialogue, mobile alerts and digital media, translate and simplify information by communicating in local languages using stories , visuals and related formats, invest in rural digital infrastructure by expanding access to electricity, phones and mobile internet, train intermediaries by equipping local leaders , radio hosts and CSOs to interpret and disseminate environmental info and finally develop citizen feedback loops by creating platforms where communities can ask questions and share what they observe on ground such as Barazas.

In response on behalf of government, Joshua Akandwanaho from NITA-U highlighted the role of data sharing to the digital world revealing that government is working on an open data policy where all government ministries departments and agencies will be required to avail all the desired information to the public before litigation.

He says government is looking at reducing the cost of devices but also repealing the ban on importing old computers.

In his concluding remarks Dr. Gerald Walulya from  Makerere university’s department of Journalism and mass communication   says this year's commemoration occurs against a backdrop of concerning press freedom trends despite a busy political season.

Journalists in the country face intimidation and violence, and the media economy is fragile, creating a difficult environment for the practice of journalism .

This underscores the critical importance of events like the IDUAI dialogue in advocating for a more open and accountable information ecosystem.