By Aggrey Baba
Veteran journalist, opposition politician and Daily Monitor newspaper co-founder Philip Wafula Ogutu has revealed that despite meeting President Yoweri Museveni 11 times as a journalist, he never asked the president for money, nor did the Museveni ever offer him any.
Ogutu made the remarks on Tuesday during an exclusive interview with journalist Aggrey Baba at his home in Ntinda, Kampala, where he reflected on the changing state of journalism in the country and the growing challenges facing media independence.
Asked whether journalism in Uganda is still independent given the current political climate, in which many media houses appear to be operating under government pressure, Oguttu lamented the erosion of professional ethics within the industry.
The former Bukooli Central MP, also one of the top leaders in the People Front for Freedom (PFF) said journalism today is no longer driven by the desire to inform the public but has become a struggle for survival, with many actors in the field focusing more on earning “kitu kidogo” than upholding the principles of the profession.
“I don’t think there is still any journalist who can reject a bribe from a minister if the opportunity arose,” Ogutu said.
It was while making that point that he contrasted today’s journalism with his own experience as Daily Monitor editor.
“I met the President 11 times, but I never asked him for money,” he said, explaining that throughout all those meetings with the head of state, the only thing he ever received was a glass of milk personally served to him by Museveni during one visit to his country home in Rwakitura.
“He only served me a glass of milk one day. He rang the bell and no one came, so he went to the kitchen himself and came back with a glass of milk. That’s all,” Oguttu recalled.
When asked whether Museveni had ever voluntarily given him money despite never asking for it, Ogutu answered in the negative.
“No,” he said.
He explained that journalists of his generation were guided by strong ethical standards that made it difficult for politicians or government officials to compromize them through financial inducements.
Oguttu noted that although he was at the time a committed supporter of the NRM, he never shied away from criticizing the government whenever it fell short of public expectations.
He said his criticism was never motivated by hatred for Museveni or the Movement but by the responsibility of journalism to hold those in power accountable.
“He [Museveni] would call me whenever we published stories he didn’t like and complain. But I always told him, ‘I am NRM during party activities, but outside that, I am a journalist,'” Oguttu told Mulengera News, adding that “You could support the government and still criticize it where it had gone wrong because that was your duty as a journalist.
Oguttu, a veteran journalist, who also served as the Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LoP) from 2014 to 2016, when the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) was the leading opposition party, argued that restoring public confidence in Uganda’s media will require a new generation of journalists willing to place professional ethics above money.
He urged journalists to return to reporting that serves the public interest, saying journalism can only regain its credibility if practitioners become fearless in informing the nation and holding leaders accountable regardless of the prevailing political environment.
Commenting on the recent closure of Nation Media Group (NMG) outlets, including NTV, KFM, Dembe FM, Spark TV and the Daily Monitor, Oguttu said the development, though unfortunate, was not unprecedented.
He recalled that the Daily Monitor was also shut down on October 11, 2002, with the closure lasting ten days before the newspaper resumed operations.
Drawing from that experience, Oguttu expressed optimism that the current closure would eventually be lifted.
However, he cautioned that when the NMG eventually reopens, it is likely to operate under stricter conditions and restrictions that could affect its editorial independence.
According to Oguttu, such conditions could compromize both the quality of journalism and the reputation that the NMG has built over time. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
