According to new report by the Alliance for Finance Monitoring (ACFIM), an NGO that follows the money in politics including political parties and election campaigns has indicated that civic space has continued to shrink in the country.
Conducted in 13 districts within the purposively sampled eight sub regions of Uganda including Ankole, Buganda, Bugisu, Busoga, Renzori, Teso, Bukedi and Kigezi, the survey focused on the assessment was freedom of information and expression, rights of assembly and association, citizen participation, non-discrimination or inclusion and human rights or rule of law.
“Majority of the respondents believe that human rights and rule of law as well as freedom of assembly and association are the two most restricted civic space dimensions rating them at 75% and 71.4% respectively. The means used to restrict these civic space dimensions is enactment of draconian laws that are selectively enforced to suppress citizens’ dissenting voices and to silence political opposition,” the report indicates.
The report pointed out several laws aimed at suppressing dissenting voices and silencing political opposition including the Public Order Management Act (2013) the NGO Act (2016), the Penal Code Act (1950), the Anti-Terrorism Act (2002), the Police Act, cap 303 and the Press and Media Act (2000).
Several people, especially opposition politicians have been dispersed and others arrested by police for allegedly violating the Public Order Management Act when they held “unlawful” assemblies.
“It was the perception of the respondents that whereas the basic human rights are guaranteed by law, they are not respected in practices. There is a sense in which the regime and its operatives have placed the law upon their whims. The selective application and biased interpretation of the laws is one of the reasons cited by respondents who believe that it is restricted,” the report says.
The report also indicates that freedom of information and expression at 57.1% is the third most violated civic space in Uganda.
According to the report, Civil Society Organisations have not been spared, citing the 54 NGOs whose operations were suspended recently by government.
“The study recognized some of the common strategies used by the states to restrict civic space to include stigmatizing CSOs, tightening legal restrictions, employing repressive strategies, creating loyal voices, resorting to violent repression and restricting the free flow of information among others.”
The study indicates that the NGO Act 2016 which now primarily governs the NGOs in Uganda has continued to narrow the civic space for free speech especially for NGOs advocating for democracy in the governing of the country and the respect for human rights.
The report also points to the Computer Misuse Act as one of the biggest tools used to stifle civic space in Uganda.
“The introduction of the Computer Misuse Act has ended up curtailing civic space over cyber spaces. For example, the vaguely worded section 25 of the Computer Misuse Act 2011 prohibits “offensive communication” and threatens fines and imprisonment to anyone using “electronic communication to disturb or attempt to disturb the peace, quiet or right to privacy of any person,” the report says.
Several people including critical writer, Kakwenza Rukirabashaija, Stella Nyanzi and many NUP supporters among others have in the past been arrested and charged with offensive communication contrary to section 25 of the Computer Misuse Act 2011.
The report by ACFIM indicates that this legislation could potentially lead to removals of content and the criminalization of user comments.
