S. Sudan to collaborate with East African journalists to boost press freedom

November 25, 2013 (KAMPALA) – Journalist unions in Uganda and Kenya are to conduct joint programmes with their colleagues in South Sudan in order to strengthen the capacity of journalists in the two-year-old nation to defend press freedom, organise their union and conduct advocacy campaigns.

On 4 November, the Uganda Journalists Union (UJU), and the Kenya Journalists Union (KJU) met at the White Nile Hotel in Juba during the general assembly of the Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UOJSS).

“We want to help our brothers in South Sudan to develop capacity to handle press freedom advocacy campaigns and have a strong union of journalists”, said UJU secretary-general Stephen Ouma in an interview with Sudan Tribune on Monday.

“We will have a follow up meeting with South Sudan journalists sometime next year”, said Ouma who represented Uganda at the meeting in Juba, attended by some 60 journalists and media owners from across South Sudan.

Ouma said journalist from South Sudan will be invited to Uganda in December, where they will attend the UJU’s general assembly, as well as learn about the operational structures of a union.

At the Juba meeting, the three unions signed an agreement that will see increased cooperation among journalists from South Sudan, Uganda and Kenya.

“Kenya and Uganda have media laws enacted by parliament, while South Sudan is yet to enact any media law. The disparity in press freedom development levels in Kenya and Uganda as compared to South Sudan is too wide, which calls for urgent measures to help journalists in the newest state in the world get protection and enjoy press freedom”, UJU said in a statement released following the Juba meeting.

In October, the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) admitted the UOJSS as its newest affiliate.

(ST)