Kawempe byelection: Govt says will pay beaten journalist medical bill

KAMPALA - Journalist Ibrah Miracle, who was seriously injured a couple of days ago during a clash between security forces and supporters of Kawempe North National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate Erias Luyimbazi Nalukoola, is now out of danger.

Internal affairs state minister David Muhoozi made the revelations during the plenary on March 6, 2025, and said the Government would meet his medical bill.

The clash, which NUP supporters have blamed on provocations by the Joint Anti-Terrorism Taskforce (JATT), led to the remanding of several NUP supporters, including Derrick Nyeko (Makindye West) and Muwadda Nkunyingi (Kyadondo East), at Kitalya.

“The journalist whose eye was injured called Miracle in Nsambya Hospital, gladly he has been discharged. But I have been briefed by honourable David Bahati and I want to thank him for visiting him. We shall meet the bills of his treatment,” Muhoozi said.
Chipping in, investment state minister David Bahati informed MPs that he visited the scribe who works with TOP TV.

“It is true that he was injured and there were some limited operations on his face. The good thing is that his eye according to the doctor was saved. He is out of danger and was discharged yesterday. On behalf of Government, I promise that we are going to clear the bills. We also heard a complaint that his camera was damaged,” Bahati acknowledged.

However, according to Muhoozi, the clash was somewhat inevitable the moment, he saw a large group of NUP supporters at Kavule, marching like a military drill during their leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine’s birthday.

“I think we were all treated to that video that ran wild of people in military formations, and I knew it would attract consequences, both intended and unintended. I think going forward we may need to engage as security and all the players to ensure that we have credible electoral processes. The Government commits to have a clean and safe electoral process,” he said.

Fast forward, he assured that those behind bars would be presented in court and any excesses on the part of security officers would be firmly dealt with.

Additionally, he said that going forward they will publish items gazetted as military uniform for information purposes and disseminate rules of engagement to security officers to enhance their awareness.

Until when

In response, Joyce Bagala Ntwatwa (Mityana District Woman MP, NUP), a journalist by profession, questioned Government’s commitment to end violence against journalists.

She highlighted the long list of journalists who have been brutalised, noting that despite previous assurances that such incidents would cease, they continue to occur.

“Most of the time, the Government will try to compensate or buy a camera to replace it or pay the bills. But what about other journalists? Many other journalists have been brutalised and injured. Some of them will never be able to walk again,” Bagala pointed out.

“There has been Twaha Mukiibi at NBS TV, Yuda Musisi formerly of BBS, David Lubowa of Daily Monitor, Ali Mivule formerly of NTV, Ashraf Kasirye who everyone knows what happened to him, Joshua Mujunga and list goes on and on. From my understanding, I think the Government takes journalists for granted,” she added.

Furthermore, Bagala questioned how security operatives responsible for the violence could be individually prosecuted, given that their identities are difficult to ascertain due to their hooded attire.