{UAH} UGANDA PARLIAMENT'S FORUM ON MEDIA REFORMS

UGANDA Parliamentary Forum on Media Reforms has held a two day retreat at Imperial Golf Course Hotel Entebbe to zero on a strategic plan.

The retreat was funded by the German based GIZ and attracted mostly executive committee members of the forum.

These included Peter Okeyoh (NRM/Bukholi Islands) the Vice Chairperson representing the chairperson of the forum Marian Namayanja (Independent/ Woman/Butambala), Secretary Dr. Lulube Bayiga (DP/Buikwe South, Treasurer Joy Achieng (Woman/UPC/Kole), and among others; Mr..Julius Maganda (Independent/Buikwe South) and  Mr..Waira Kyewalabye Majegere (NRM/Bunya East) .

They vowed to spear head the struggle for media reforms targeting especially the amended  Statutory Instrument which requires journalists to pay for practicing license at 200,000/- The UPFMR is almost 60 MPs strong and they promised to bring on board the rest of the MPs including Information and National Guidance Minister Rosemary Namayanja and the rest of her cabinet colleagues. They also vowed to talk even to President Yoweri Museveni.

In attendance were some journalists who represented Uganda Journalist Association and Uganda Parliamentary Press Association. These included Fred Kateregga, UJA Secretary General, Charles Kazooba, UJA member of Council of Elders, Abdasalam from UPPA, and others.

An eight man committee was set up to draft a one year strategic plan for the forum It will be chaired by Hon. Okeyoh and will include Hon. Dr. Lulume and Hon. Achieng, with UPFMR Coordinator Joshua Kyalimpa, as an ex-officio. Other members  includes  former UJA President  Ahmed Kateregga Musaazi , former UJA Presidential Candidate Florence Apolot, and academicians; Adolf Emmanuel Mbaine from Makerere University School of Mass Communication and Rosemary Kemigisha from Uganda Human Rights Commission.

The forum was launched by late last year by its Patron, Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga.

The other hot item among the journalists who attended, attended the retreat, was reconciliation efforts and accountability within UJA as the mother body and media fraternity generally and the UJA leadership is expected to come out strongly on this before the celebrations of World Press Freedom Day on May 3^rd.