Jackson od'ng

@MoICT_Ug, @KabbyangaB @SectorUganda, @UCC_Official, @MediaCouncilUg, @Media_Focus, @AAfrimedia, @WomenLensAfrica, @UMWAandMamaFM, @IMChallengeug, @unescoug, @Nab_Uganda, @UgEditorsGuild, @Makerere, thank you for walking for Press Freedom. #WPFDUG2026

The Uganda Human Rights Commission, together with Media institutions under the Uganda Media Sector Working Group have this morning held a Walk for Press Freedom from @ubctvuganda Grounds to Lugogo, through Kati Kati to Kololo, and back to UBC Grounds. The Walk was flagged off by the State Minister for @MoICT_Ug, Hon. Godfrey Baluku Kabbyanga. He was joined by among others; the Acting Chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission, Hon. Lamex Omara Apitta, Member of the Commission, Hon. Crispin Kaheru, and the Chairperson of the Media Council of Uganda, Mr. Paulo Ekochu. The Walk has also been attended by; the Acting Secretary, Mr. Kamadi Byonabye, the Acting Director, Finance and Administration, Mr. Denis Kakeeto, the Director Regional Services, Ms. Sarah Nakhumitsa, and the Acting Director RED, Ms. Rosemary Kemigisha among other UHRC staff. @SectorUganda @MediaCouncilUg @MFAUganda @WomenLensAfrica @AAfrimedia @UCC_Official

"The first generation absorbs shocks. The second demands performance. The third institutionalises excellence." @ckaheru

"Across Kampala and beyond, the signs are beginning to show: Pavements are being reclaimed. Road reserves are being cleared. The noise of entitlement is fading" @ckaheru

"Today, Uganda’s foundation is stable and connected. But many systems have matured with inefficiencies. Informality has crept into formal structures. Corruption has found many more spaces to operate." @ckaheru

"That required patience, coalition-building, and compromises with realities on the ground. The foundation that was laid is evolving, resilient, and essential." @ckaheru

"Singapore: Lee Kuan Yew laid a strong foundation. His successors institutionalised discipline so deeply that clean streets, functional systems, and zero tolerance for corruption became culture." @ckaheru

"Tanzania: Julius Nyerere built national identity and unity in a post-colonial environment that could have fractured .He emphasised cohesion, language, and stability." @ckaheru

"India’s story: Jawaharlal Nehru and his team confronted a vast, diverse, newly independent nation. They liberalised the economy, dismantled rigid controls, and put India on a growth path." @ckaheru

Together with the Uganda Media Sector Working Group, we are issuing a joint press statement ahead of the World Press Freedom Day, 2026 @UgandaMediaCent. This year’s commemoration is under the theme, “Shaping a Future at Peace: Promoting Press Freedom for Human Rights, Development, and Security in Uganda.” @MFAUganda @UCC_Official @MediaCouncilUg @unescoug @Makerere @WomenLensAfrica

Earlier today, we held a Joint Press Conference at the @UgandaMediaCent together with actors in the Media under the @SectorUganda (UMSWG). Our statement was issued by Hon. @lo_apitta on behalf of the @ChairpersonUhrc and the UMSWG statement was jointly issued by the Chairperson @MediaCouncilUg, Mr. Paulo Ekochu and Mr. Alex B. Atuhaire from the Editors' Guild. The Press Conference is a precursor to the main event which will be held at UBC grounds on Sunday 3rd May, 2026 slated to kick off with a Walk at 7:00 am from the ground to Lugogo and back. @MFAUganda @UCC_Official @AAfrimedia @WomenLensAfrica @unescoug @Makerere

"Look at China: Mao Zedong unified the country and asserted sovereignty at a time of fragmentation. Deng Xiaoping came later and opened China to the world, shifting from ideology to results" @ckaheru

" The first phase of nation-building is slow, tedious, and often contested. It’s about stabilising, holding things together, and preventing reversal. Without this messy phase, nothing durable can stand. " @ckaheru

"Just like in construction, different leaders play different roles. Some break the ground. Others raise the walls. Some put on the roof. Few get to admire the finished building. Most work on the foundation." @ckaheru

"How national building really works. It’s not glamorous speeches or overnight miracles. It’s like constructing a building , messy, tedious, and done in phases" @ckaheru

"For years, Kampala's pavements became markets of survival, not spaces for walking. Now, enforcement is restoring them to pedestrians" @ckaheru

"Walking through downtown Kampala recently, I noticed something different. Pavements clearer, air lighter, less clutter from kiosks and stalls. Something has shifted. The tide is changing in Uganda" @ckaheru

“If Africa seeks the moral authority to speak to the world, it must also first put its own house in order. Moral authority does not come from words. It comes from conduct.” @ckaheru

“The Sahel is gripped by insurgency and countries like South Sudan, Nigeria, DR Congo and Mozambique continue to face cycles of violence.” @ckaheru

“Here is the hard truth: We cannot preach peace abroad while tolerating instability at home. The Horn of Africa remains fragile.” @ckaheru