4 WESTERN UGANDA BASED JOURNALISTS DIE IN PERIOD OF ONE MONTH

By Ambrose Kweronda

www.mknewslink.com

In Western Uganda—

Western Uganda media fraternity has lost four journalists in a space of one month.

Enid Basiime, an employee at the Mbarara-based Revival Radio, passed on last at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital on Friday.

Basiime’s death came only days after a budding NBS television south-western Uganda bureau chief, Sheila Nakabuye, died only hours after giving birth to a baby girl.

After Nakabuye’s death, another reporter, Charles Muhindo Brinto, who had been working with Light FM in Kasese, also perished in a motorcycle accident on his way from Bunyangabu District, barely two weeks after a radio presenter, Dennis Mumbere from the same area also died in another accident.

Other journalists who have died since May 2020 include Allan Mandela Mateeka from Hunter Radio.

He was allegedly stabbed in a crime of passion in February 2021.

Another journalist, Francis Mutazindwa, a former Revival Radio   manager succumbed to pneumonia in June 2020.

Journalists play public watchdog roles as they provide information, education, and communication to different media platforms.

Mr Micheal Tumwakiire, the western Uganda coordinator in Human Rights Network for Journalists, said: “We are shocked because this is not normal. It is unfortunate that the eyes of the public are dying one by one in a short time.”

He added: “It is so because when a journalist dies; many people lose considering that we are the eyes of the public and sources of information.”

Ms Enid Ninsiima, a Daily Monitor journalist in Kasese District, said the media fraternity in the region has suffered a big blow following the death of colleagues.

She said in Kasese, they have lost two colleagues in road accidents.

Ms Ninsiima, who is also the chairperson of the Kasese Media Practitioners Association, said the fraternity has started a road safety campaign.

Mr Alex Ashaba, a journalist, said the campaign will involve road users, the media, security and civil society organizations to preach safe road usage to the public to reduce accidents

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