A trusted Voice in an Uncertain World

This report covers the period during which political parties held primaries to vote for flag bearers at various political levels and the nominations of presidential candidates ahead of the 2026 general elections. Heavy security deployment, brutal clashes between rivals, bribery, impunity, and violence were the order of the day as politicians fought to secure these representative positions.  

The ruling party, National Resistance Movement(NRM), had the most violent primaries that proved fatal in some areas, like in Luuka district, where a police detective, Dennis Emojong shot at people during the grassroots elections, killing Swaliki Lwayanga. On the oppositional side, for instance, in the National Unity Platform (NUP), the narrative was more or less the same, as drama unfolded on who gets the party ticket. Some NUP’s long-serving mobilizers, felt betrayed and sidelined by what they describe as a “cult of personality” surrounding Robert Kyagulanyi. Amidst all these events, the project continued to focus on the Media Support for Public Accountability and Civic Engagement in Uganda.

The continued focus on strengthening the URN editorial and newsroom enabled thirteen more staff to be on boarded to the project team, three of whom are project staff and the rest to the newsroom. The regional content creation hub offices were fully equipped, which will improve public access to verified information, enhance local journalists’ investigative capacity, and support citizens in demanding transparency and better service delivery from their leaders. The target for the 27 monthly in-depth stories was met with an extra two additional stories and five audio magazines were also published.

The project was able to achieve the following milestones as compared to the planned activities.

The project planned to source information, conduct investigations, validate information collected from the field, and produce daily news stories. 2,111 news stories have been published within the three months.

URN planned to operate 3 regional local content creation hubs at existing URN bureau locations managed by the bureau chiefs in Karamoja, Northern Uganda, and West Nile. Three content creation hubs have been fully equipped, awaiting more cameras and tripods.

URN planned to produce 7 weekly accountability-related in-depth news stories for publication/broadcast on the URN website and disseminated to URN-partner media houses. More than 81 In-depth stories have been published within this reporting period.

URN planned to maintain the URN website for information transmission and fact-checking. The website was updated, and it's functional.

URN planned to produce and distribute 6 half-hour editions of quality radio news magazines on oversight of regionally delivered government services. More than three news magazines have been produced.

The newsroom’s editorial capacity was strengthened through the addition of two news editors and eight field reporters. This expansion improved countrywide coverage, enhanced consistent production of more balanced, accurate, and impactful news stories. As a result, 2,111 stories have been produced within the three months.

The newsroom restored its daily editorial meetings and the online system for pitching story ideas before setting off to the field. This has enabled the monitoring of both editors' and journalists' performance daily. With more manpower and an active system, URN is now operating at about 70 percent of its full capacity, enabling a coverage of almost 360 degrees on issues faced by Ugandans. This has made the daily story target of 40 stories achievable.

Next Steps:

In this period, the hub offices were fully equipped with computers and furniture which made the hub utilization more convenient for the regional content creators. The hub offices are not only a workspace for content creators but also a haven for journalists, enabling independent reporting.

The hubs recorded increased engagement with more walk-ins of content creators to produce and edit their content. Among these were women and youths who benefited from access to high-speed internet and a free workspace.

Challenges:

Lack of provision to do monitoring visits to the product users limits the record of the impact the product has made in society.

Next Steps:  The audio magazine will be produced continuously under the oversight of regionally delivered government services. 

Media practitioners and organizations capacitated to produce quality content and to facilitate constructive civic discourse.

 Gender-inclusive regional content creation hubs supported to become functional and offer accountable citizen-centered journalism.

 Risk/Issue 1: Political interference poses a significant threat to journalists, compromising editorial independence, distorting public discourse, and endangering journalist’s safety through censorship, intimidation, propaganda, and economic pressure.

Mitigation: Establishedclear editorial guidelines on journalism to ensure objective reporting, fact-based content, transparency, and editorial independence.

Risk/Issue 2: Societal distrust of the media, fueled by past experiences of bias and sensationalism that hinder public engagement program efforts to promote a more accountable and trusted media landscape.

Mitigation: Fostered citizen engagement through transparent, inclusive processes that encourage feedback, participation, and collaborative decision-making.

Risk/Issue 3: Financial Sustainability that can threaten the project viability.

Mitigation: Diversified Funding sources through client subscription fees for website access.

              Lessons Learned:

• Collaboration with Civil Society Organizations enhances civic engagement.
• Continuous support to media practitioners builds their capacity.
• Establishing a robust feedback system helps to know the real issues in the communities.

URN published over 223 in-depth stories covering politics, human rights, court, health, education, business, and the environment. Key headlines included Amuru widows fight for Land rights, lack of clean water sources in Dokolo, Learners Stranded as Arts Teachers Prolong Industrial Action, Supreme Court ruling against the Military Court Martial, the Kawempe by-elections and party primaries among others.

URN newsroom has undertaken the delivery on promise to report gender inclusive well balanced content on public accountability and human rights in order to foster civic engagement.

The key highlight for this reporting period was the newsroom’s focus on key areas of politics, human rights, and accountability, producing a series of impactful stories that contributed to public discourse and informed change. 2025 being the election year, URNs’ extensive coverage of the opposition figure, Dr. Besigye’s rendition from Nairobi and detention and attempts to try him through the military court, the Kawempe by-elections, with a more focus on the conduct of security agencies, political actors, and the Electoral Commission.

The human rights coverage highlighted stories of the contention between human rights activists and lawyers against the state’s continuous use of the General Court Martial unlawful trails of civilians and the human rights violations involved in the land evictions, access to justice and the fate of refugee and host communities.

Additionally, eight monthly editions of an audio magazine spotlighting government service delivery in the regions were released, further deepening national discourse. A major highlight was the successful establishment and operationalization of three regional content creation hubs in Karamoja, Gulu, and Arua.

Eight editions of the National Perspective magazine were produced between January and June, offering in-depth analysis and features on major national issues. The magazine served as a platform for investigative journalism, expert opinions, and diverse voices from across the country, contributing to informed public dialogue and increased civic engagement. Through these publications, URN provided readers with comprehensive and well-researched content that complemented its daily news coverage.