Access to information in Uganda a myth: court dismisses oil agreements case

by Rosebell's Blog, posted in Uncategorized

A court in Uganda has dismissed a case for access to oil sharing agreements filed by two journalists.

Charles  Mpagi and Angelo Izama took the government to court, seeking disclosure of information regarding oil agreements to empower the public to participate in the government decisions that affect them for efficient, transparent and accountable use of the petroleum resources discovered in Uganda.

This was the first time journalists tried to use the Access to information law passed in 2005 to get information.  This is a setback for most of us who thought passing the law had been a great step. What’s in a law if it can’t serve the purpose for which it enacted?

Already a few parts of the agreements that have been published show that the country signed a bad deal and may be reason government is trying by all means to block any avenues from which the public could access to full agreements.

More details on the ruling can be found here

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Published by Rosebell's Blog

Bushenyi roots. editor, public speaker, feminist writer, award-winning blogger and socio-political analyst. Words seen in international media like The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Quartz and Mundo Negro. Expertise in new media, social justice, migration, gender, peace and security issues. Was honored with the 2018 Anna Guèye Award for her work on digital democracy, justice and equality by Africtivistes. She is the co-editor of a book: Challenging Patriarchy: The Role of Patriarchy in the Roll-Back of Democracy. Rosebell has expertise in human rights, gender, peace and conflict issues. Rosebell was recently recognized by Avance Media as one of the 100 Most Influential Women in Africa for 2021 edition. I studied Mass Communication at Makerere University, short courses on Non-violent conflict at Tufts University, Global Leadership and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and MA in Media, Peace and Conflict Studies from the University for Peace. Outside Uganda, I have lived in Costa Rica, Switzerland and a bit in Ethiopia.

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