A veteran journalist narrowly escapes death while reporting on Uganda’s elections. This harrowing account reveals the escalating war on truth in Yoweri Museveni’s Uganda.
In President Yoweri Museveni’s increasingly authoritarian Uganda, journalism is no longer a profession—it’s an act of resistance. For veteran journalist Samuel Sanya, telling the truth came at a cost measured in trauma, terror, and near-death.
Today, Uganda ranks among the most dangerous countries in Africa for journalists. The simple act of reporting on political rallies or government corruption can end in abduction, injury, or psychological scars. As Robert Ssempala, Director of the Human Rights Network for Journalists – Uganda, puts it:
“The attacks on journalists stem from a deep failure to understand the media’s role in a democracy. The state perceives scrutiny as sabotage, not service.”
This systemic fear was epitomized by a former Inspector General of Police who once chillingly declared:
“Yes, we shall beat you—for your own sake.”
March 4, 2025, began like any other workday. Samuel Sanya, a seasoned storyteller, was covering the nomination of Elias Nalukoola Luyimbazi, a National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate for the Kawempe North parliamentary seat.
The event drew large crowds that moved from the nomination grounds to the Mboggo Muslim grounds for a political rally in Kampala. Sanya was documenting the rally when everything descended into chaos.
Police launched a violent crackdown. Top TV’s Miracle Ibrah sustained eye injuries. NTV’s Stephen Mbidde was beaten. But for Sanya, it went further—to the edge of life.
“I saw a police officer in a green uniform with a crash helmet and an AK-47 rifle. I tried to run but fell into a trench. I was cornered and begged for mercy.”
What followed was not restraint, but cruelty.
“He pointed the gun directly at me and cocked it. It sounded like a mock execution. I was sure I was going to die.”
When he dared to ask, “What have I done?” the officer slapped him across the face and ordered him to sit silently. In a moment of distraction, Sanya fled.
“I never reported the incident to police,” says Sanya. “How could I? It was a police officer who assaulted me.”
Since that day, he has avoided covering political stories. The trauma lingers in recurring nightmares, anxiety attacks, and hypervigilance around uniformed officers. The emotional aftermath has rendered work and life in Uganda nearly unbearable.
He is not alone.
Ashraf Kasirye, a journalist Sanya once mentored, was shot in the head during the 2021 elections. Daily Monitor’s Irene Abalo was beaten so badly she could barely walk.
And it’s not just journalists under siege.
Opposition figures like Edward “Eddy Mutwe” Sebuufu, head of NUP security, were abducted and tortured in military basements. General Muhoozi Kainerugaba reportedly shaved Mutwe’s beard as a form of ethnic humiliation, saying he wanted to “teach him Runyankore.”
Under Museveni’s regime, critical journalism is viewed as rebellion. The constitution may protect freedom of expression, but in practice, the state treats journalism as a crime. The message is clear: speak truth to power and prepare to pay a steep price.
“We are working in a very volatile situation,” says Sanya. “And I really do not feel safe.”
His words echo across a silenced press corps. Uganda’s journalists are not just reporting the news—they are surviving it.
