Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Uganda pressures reporters covering pop star
Suspensions ordered to hinder opposition figure
KAMPALA, Uganda — Until recently the Ugandan pop star and opposition figure known as Bobi Wine could count on news crews trailing him. As his popularity grew in the past year, his activities were increasingly covered live by broadcasters satisfying public interest in his anti-government movement known as People Power.
Now that has changed. As authorities attempt to contain the political rise of Wine, whose real name is Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, journalists face painful pressure in a country where the longtime president has a firm grip on power.
This month a government regulator ordered the suspension of journalists at 13 radio and TV stations in apparent response to their coverage of Wine. The Uganda Communications Commission accused them of carrying “extremist or anarchic messages.” One journalists’ group called the directive “madness.” The local association of broadcasters indicated it would not comply, asserting press freedom.
The directive is the latest step in what appears to be a multi-pronged strategy to blunt the threat posed by Wine, who opposes President Yoweri Museveni and has suggested he could run for president in 2021.
Police have prevented Wine from holding concerts in recent months, saying their objective is to maintain public order. When he said he would walk to the police chief ’s office to file a complaint this month, he was placed under house arrest for days.
“The state is tightening every avenue,” said Joel Ssenyonyi, a spokesman for Wine. “But we are going to keep engaging with the people whenever an opportunity is made available.”
In his trademark red beret, Wine has urged young people to throw the old guard out of power in rallies that have transformed him from a popular entertainer to a national political figure. He has thrived on public anger against official corruption and Museveni’s long rule.
But Wine faces a number of charges that could keep him off the streets. In addition to treason charges over his alleged role in an incident last year in which the president’s convoy was pelted with stones, he also is charged with disobeying lawful orders when he led a street protest last year against a tax on social media.
One condition of his bail is that he stays away from what a magistrate called unlawful demonstrations.
Museveni, in power since 1986, insisted in an open letter this month that political assemblies in the capital, Kampala, must be “for a legitimate reason.”
Ugandan authorities have long been wary of the potential of protests to sweep the regime out of power, and broadcasters who present live coverage are caught in the crosshairs. The communications commission in 2011 threatened to revoke broadcasters’ licenses during a protest movement led by opposition leader Kizza Besigye.