EC now says journalists are free to cover elections if they have work ID
The Electoral Commission (EC) has said the only requirement for journalists to cover the elections will be their work IDs not accreditation from the Media Council.
According to the EC, journalists who have not re-registered will now be free to do their duties during the elections without fear of arrest contradicting an earlier directive by the Media Council.
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In a circular by the EC vice chairperson, Aisha Lubega to city and district returning officers, she advised them to proceed and register journalists, as long as they have IDs from their media houses.
“Media personnel will only be required to present a valid identification/press cards issued by their media houses in order to access the polling stations and respective district/city tally centres,” she said.
EC's statement however came after editors from various media houses, challenged the legitimacy, timeliness, justification, and relevancy of the Uganda Media Council’s registration of the journalists.
The minister of ICT and National Guidance, Judith Nabakooba, encouraged up country journalists to reach out to RDCs for approval.
She also asked the EC to give guidance in case electoral process exceeds curfew time.
"These are few days but they are critical whereby one cannot say that let's go to our beds and comeback tomorrow. Agents will not accept that so the EC should be able to plan accordingly and give directives,"she told the media yesterday during a press conference.
