Journalists in Northern Uganda have been asked to make good use of the access to information law. Under the law passed in 2005, journalists and members of the public can through writing request for information from public offices and government agencies.
The appeal was made by Edward Ronald Sekyewa, Executive Director of Hub for Investigative Media during a training for journalists last week in Gulu.
Sekyewa said instead of journalists feeling intimidated when public officials refuse to give them information, they should instead use the access to information law to ask for information government officials decline to give them.
The access to information law was passed in 2005 to ‘‘promote an efficient, effective, transparent and accountable Government; Protect persons disclosing evidence of contravention of the law, maladministration or corruption in Government bodies; Promote transparency and accountability in all organs of the State by providing the public with timely, accessible and accurate information; and to empower the public to effectively scrutinise and participate in Government decisions that affect them.”
At recent training on access to information for journalists at the Northern Uganda Media Club, Wairagala Wakabi of the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) urged media professionals and the public to use the portal www.AskYourGov.Ug to seek for information from public agencies using the access to information law..
