University of Amsterdam Graduation

On Tuesday 22 September 2009, I joined 15 other men and women receiving their masters degree certificates from the University of Amsterdam. We were 28 students in our class, but only 12 were able to finish in time and get their diplomas. 4 other graduands were of previous years.

The ceremony was held at the University theatre in central Amsterdam. It started on time with a few speeches from the University administrators and head of the New Media. The procedure was for a graduand to go to the table, his professor reads out a statement, he/she signs the certificate which is later offered to him and a gift from the university. The gift was an executive laptop bag.

My thesis supervisor Dr Geert Lovink was away, but the second reader Dr Jan Simons read out his remarks, which are as follows:

Dear Ali,

Congratulations on your graduation. We all know it has been a difficult challenge for you, this year, but you did remarkably well, in time. You came from a long career in journalism in Uganda, then moved to Holland, and then at some point decided to go for a new media masters degree to seriously upgrade your knowledge about ICT from a broad cultural perspective. I remember well you weren't that familiar with computers to start with, a year ago. However, you worked hard and saw possibilities to further build on your experience. When I mentioned in class the previous work done within our program on ICT for Development, for instance by Rikus Wegman and the Incommunicado project, back in 2005, you played a crucial role, with Ben White, in the formation of the ICT 4 Uganda research group. The first students research initiative within our MA, if I am right. You were four, and then soon after, five students who started working together on a plan to travel and work together for 2-3 months in Uganda to study diverse issues within the quickly emerging new media sector in your home country Uganda. You assisted the group in finding the link with Makerere University in Kampala and housing. Your own research focused on the new media uptake within the Ugandan print media, a sector that itself is only 20 or so years thriving and now in such an amazing transformation due to the digitalization, networks and globalization of the news industry. We agreed that you're probably the first to map out this terrain. Ali, you may not yet be a Continental philosopher; theory is something for later, a next life! So, good luck in your career 2.0 and the staff is proud to see you becoming an important player in the amazing growth that new media in Africa is currently going through--with so much more to come.

 

 

The Impact of ICT on the Print Media Journalist in Uganda

On 22 September 2009, I shall graduate from the University of Amsterdam, having fulfilled all the requirements necessary to attain a Masters of Art in New Media and Digital culture which I have been pursuing in last one year.  Here below is the abstract of my research. If you wish to look at the whole research, please visit: Download AliBalunywaMA-Thesis-09.pdf

Abstract

I chose my topic of research because not much research has been done on how ICT has impacted on the print media journalist in Africa. My research will therefore enrich media theorists who lacked information on how the new media has heavily influenced African journalism. I established that Africa’s media density and Internet connectivity are quite low. These limitations however emphasize the strategic importance of African journalists have placed on ICT to enrich their information and reach.

During my research, I established that all journalists are aware of the relevance of ICT and its impact on the day-to-day activities of journalists. I also observed how the new media has reduced the technological gap between the West and South and how ICT has simplified the work of the journalist. Production time has been tremendously cut down by ICT use

To get my results, I used different research methods, which included observation; I worked at the New Vision newspaper in Uganda for one month. I observed how journalists use new media in their day-to-day work. I also participated in the day-to-day work of a journalist. I was deployed by the editor to gather news, write stories and generally attended the daily journalists’ meetings.  I also interviewed 35 journalists, writers, editors, subeditors and managers. Finally, I distributed 200 questionnaires of which 101 were returned filled in. I tried to establish how far ICT/New Media has advanced print media journalism in Uganda.

Journalism in Uganda matured only in the last 20 years. Before this it was basically one of those professions for school dropouts.  Government mostly owned the media industry and its main objective was propaganda. Today all this has radically changed. The private sector has embraced the media and the industry is blossoming.  The journalists have not missed out new advances in technology. African Media professionals to enhance their writing skills, design, layout, photography, presentation, sales and marketing have applied ICT.

From my findings, I established that the new media has been instrumental in narrowing the digital divide between the west and south. Journalists in both situations are using the same new media to facilitate their work. There might be an absence of broadband Internet in Africa, but that doesn’t hinder journalists from using the latest new media tools even as the speeds might be low.

Larger implications of my findings indicate that well as the less developed countries have struggled to economically grow without much success, new technologies seem to have succeeded where other resources have failed. The new media is part of these technologies. What is happening anywhere in the world is now syndicated the world over and can be reported at the same time in Washington, London, Amsterdam, Tokyo and Kampala.

Book Review: Sub-Saharan Africa’s Development Challenges

The Book                                                                   

Author: Oscar Kimanuka

Title: Sub-Saharan Africa’s Development Challenges

          A case study of Rwanda’s post genocide experience

Publishers: Palgrave Macmillan, New York 

Year:  2009

Reviewed by: Ali Balunywa, a Media Consultant; Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Oscar Kimanuka has been until recently, the head of ORINFOR, Rwanda’s National Bureau of Information and Broadcasting and before that the speechwriter for Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame. He has also written extensively on development issues on Rwanda and Africa in different news articles 

His 176 page hardcover book is written in a formal academic style. The approach can be easily mistaken for a thesis or dissertation. There is a list of abbreviations and acronyms at the very beginning of the book and at the end an appendix, explanation of notes within the text, references and an index.

The aim of the author in writing this book is to share a perspective on Africa’s development challenges in general and Rwanda’s unique post genocide experiences in particular. It offers lessons in post conflict management and it is written mainly for policy makers 

The literature reviewed for his book focuses on secondary sources since it publishes material publically available like newspaper articles and policy statements.

The book examines the challenges facing development in sub-Saharan Africa today and an insight of Rwanda’s post genocide experience. It mainly concentrates on the reforms carried out by Sub-Saharan countries in their bid to develop their economies. He mentions the common reform initiatives as being decentralization, privatization, public sector reforms, performance based contracts and rapid results initiatives.

The book is divided into 6 chapters. The first chapter is the introduction where Oscar examines the background and origins to the Sub-Saharan development challenges, the Rwandan experience objectives and the conceptual and theoretical framework of the study.

The next chapter covers public sector reform programs in Sub-Saharan Africa. Reforms of the 80s and 90s are brought in the limelight because they did not achieve a lot in most countries. The policies were imposed by the donors and provided no scope for ownership by domestic leaders and people.

However, he mentions Tanzania, Ghana and Uganda as countries, which undertook reforms successfully. And as for Kenya, the post election violence reversed all its earlier achievements. A special            

mention of Malawi was made because it was stable 

from independence at the cost of individual freedoms. With a more democratic leadership, reforms are now being carried out.

To explain failures in the French speaking West African countries, he quotes Davidson (2001) who analyzed the economic and institutional reforms in West Africa and established that economic performance measured by per capita income was not encouraging despite the far reaching reforms like privatization, liberalization and regional integration.

The 3rd chapter dwells on reforms in Rwanda after the 1994 genocide. The chapter’s preamble is a quotation from Gen Romeo Dallaire’s 2003 book;

“...betrayal, failure, naiveté, indifference, genocide, war, inflammatory evil…” 

capturing what happened during the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. 

Oscar introduces ‘Vision 2020’ as the framework the government of Rwanda put forward to transform the country from an agricultural based economy to an information rich, knowledge based society and economy within the next 20 years. One key objective is to turn the country into an ICT centre of excellence in the region. 

The book looks at the historical perspective of Rwanda from the creation of artificial divisions by the colonialists – Belgium – by rewarding injustices against the Batutsi. Thereafter, wars, floods, landlessness and famine became constant features in post independence Rwanda. 

The chapter elaborates on how the economy of Rwanda has evolved since the colonial times up to now. Emphasis is given to the present day reforms and the results that are all too clear to be seen. The reforms have focused on supporting facilitation of creation of wealth and they are result oriented. They also envisage a stable, efficient, effective, impartial and transparent public service responsive to the views of the people.

Oscar keeps on hinting at how the Rwanda experience should be duplicated elsewhere in post conflict situations. He is confident that Rwanda is on the right path and that hers is an example that can be replicated elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

The next two chapters of the book give us an insight on the role of ICT in the process of reforming the public sector and in Rwanda’s development. It is envisioned that in 8 years, Rwanda will become the focal point of ICT in Africa to be the silicon valley of Africa. Already all cabinet meetings are paperless. All the Ministers work from their laptops during the meetings.

The book is easy to read and to follow. The beginning is somehow difficult because a reader tries to fall into the rhythm of the author. After a few pages it becomes quite interesting. However, for a non-Rwandan, the use of abbreviations is irritating, as you have to continuously refer to the abbreviations page. In Rwanda, abbreviations are widely.

The last chapter tries to find out what can be done to end the endemic corruption that is rife in Africa. African countries are enacting anti corruption laws, establishing Ombudsman offices and there is also the African Peer Review Mechanism, which presents a unique opportunity for self-monitoring by African countries.

The author falls in the usual trap of blaming the origins of the economic crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa on slave trade and colonialism without mentioning corruption and bad governance that has been rampant on the continent.

The book is highly recommended for any one interested in economic development and it will be a good textbook for students of advanced contemporary economics of Sub-Saharan Africa. It is a challenge to African academics and institutions of higher learning whose role Oscar has assumed.

Photo above: The author, Oscar Kimanuka

alibalunywa2@yahoo.co.uk

www.balunywa.blogspot.com

 

 

 

   

Buses ferry ICT to rural areas

Inside one of the new mobile ICT buses on its way to Kigali 

             (Photo J Mbanda)

BY GILBERT NDIKUBWAYEZU & AMBROSE GAHENE

GICUMBI, Rwanda - In a much-publicized move to take information technology to ordinary citizens, RDB/IT has finally introduced two models of ICT buses with Telecentres. Two of these buses arrived in the country via the Gatuna border post.

The move that is aimed at bridging the digital divide in the country comes into force as one of the backbones of the ongoing e-Rwanda Project and will see internet taken closer to citizens especially in the rural areas.

The buses, which are electronically equipped with 22 HP laptops, will be travelling to rural areas to allow ordinary citizens access IT services.

“These buses will be moving to places where the multipurpose community Telecenters and business development service centres are not available,” said Wilson Muyenzi, e-Rwanda Project coordinator.

Described by officials in Rwanda Development Board (RDB/IT) as mobile Telecentres, the buses are meant to provide additional ICT services ranging from printing, scanning and photocopying documents to offering basic ICT training to those who need it.

The pilot phase that is being launched is expected to last a year during which the services will be freely offered to citizens and after which more buses will be imported and a reasonable fee charged to beneficiaries, according to RDB/IT officials.

Acting Director General in charge of IT planning and coordination in RDB/IT, Grace Mutsinzi, revealed that the buses which were assembled in Nairobi are now valued at around Rwf 154m each, the price that include the two generators to power them while serving remote areas.

Mutsinzi also said they have embarked on negotiations with various stakeholders and development partners to ensure that the use of these ICT buses contributes to the country’s vision of becoming a world class ICT hub.

“We shall also partner with schools to provide access to ICT through these buses to primary and secondary students in rural areas with no access to ICT,” he said.

The ICT bus innovation comes as an addition to the introduction of 30 Telecentres all over the country in an initiative that is aimed at boosting both public and private development through information technology.

Largely funded by the World Bank, the e-Rwanda project has also seen the country introduce the telemedicine initiative and e-treatment

                     From The New Times, Rwanda’s leading daily newspaper      Thursday, 30th July 2009                                                                                                                                            www.newtimes.co.rw

The Silicon Valley of Africa

                                                             Mr Emma Nsekanabo, PR, RDB - IT Kigali

Ali Balunywa in Kigali, Rwanda

Rwanda has been touted as a country whose government has deliberately invested resources in ICT. The government IT department is one of the directorates under the Rwanda Development Board (RDB).  Formerly it was called the Rwanda Information and Technology authority (RITA). Today it is called RDB – IT.

RDB is a government parastatal made up of 4 directorates; IT, Business operations, Tourism and conservation and Business operation services under whose portfolio lie investments, enterprises, company registrar, environmental impact assessment, entrepreneurship development, one stop centre, human capital and institution capacity development and privatization.

I got an opportunity to speak to Mr. Emma Nsekanabo, the RDB – IT Public Relations and Communication specialist. They are housed in a new building called RDB building in Nyarutarama, an up market suburb of Kigali just after the parliamentary buildings. 

Emma explained to me that RDB – IT is mandated to lead the government vision to transform the economy into a knowledge based and information rich society. The name changed from RITA to IDB – IT in late 2008 when about 8 government institutions were merged. 

Its agenda is to fulfill the National Information and Communication Infrastructure (NICI) plan, which is aligned with vision 2020, which is now in its second phase, that is 2010 – 2015. The first phase 2005 – 2010 had many challenges and it involved creating public awareness. 

The second phase 2010 – 2015 is focused on laying infrastructure and laying out the various applications. It is fully funded by government. The government spent US $ 8 million to complete the Kigali Metropolitan Project. It involved laying optic fibre wires using the latest technology from Southern Korea in the whole of Kigali city and its surroundings. The government has now secured US $ 40 million to extend the fibre optic cables to the borders of the country to form the national backbone.

All civil works like digging the trenches, laying the cables is being done entirely by the government of Rwanda. The government hopes to use the private public model to manage the project for sustainability and usage. Operators will just lease the cables to ensure a low price for users. 

The Regional Communication Programme (RCP), which is funded by the World Bank to the tune on US $ 24 million, will oversee the laying of the cables from the sea to Kigali. Once ready, Rwanda will break off from the satellite service, which is very expensive.

Rwanda has an edge over the rest of the countries in the region. It is small and can easily achieve 100% coverage of cable. It can therefore realize its dream of being the regional hub.  All schools, government institutions, district headquarters and all the borders will be covered. The government will provide a telecentre for every district with an objective of popularizing ICT in the communities. It will also facilitate training in IT basics for the people. It will no longer be necessary to travel to Kigali for computer training. 

Rwanda has also embraced Negroponte’s One laptop Per Child (OLPC) project and has so far bought 100,000 laptops which have been distributed. It hopes to be able to buy many more until all pupils have one.

 

 

New Vision’s Digital Revolution

Ali Balunywa in Kampala, Uganda

Robert Kabushenga is the Chief Executive Officer of the New Vision Group of Companies. The New Vision Group is the biggest multimedia house in Uganda. It publishes 8 newspapers and 5 magazines. It owns 3 FM radio stations and a television network. (www.newvision.co.ug). 

I spoke to Robert in his offices at the New Vision headquarters in industrial area in Kampala at the end of May 2009. The appointment was made towards the end of my research on the impact of the digital culture on the print media in Uganda 

Robert was very passionate while speaking about the new media. He actually congratulated me on my choice of research. According to him, the media’s operational aspect of content generation is to share information, acquire physical networks and have the ability to store data. With this, the possibility of real time access to what is happening elsewhere is possible 

To Robert, the New Media has helped the New Vision to leap frog literally from manual to digital technologies in a short time. The technology revolution has closed the digital gap in the last 10 years. The new vision’s digital use is now at the same level as Europe or America. The speed might not be the same in terms of infrastructure, but the tools are similar. He gave an example of owning cars everywhere, but the West has good roads, yet the south has poor ones 

In terms of efficiency and convenience of operations, the new media has gone a long way in ameliorating working conditions at the New Vision, according to Robert. Regarding hardware, he talked of how the computers and mobile phones had eased communications especially in this part of the world.

He added that the development of the digital camera had made sharing, transmitting and taking photographs easy. Before, the photo developing and printing process was constrained by use of films and long time taken to get the end product, which had to be scanned and fed into the newspaper layout process. 

The new Media has also made it possible for the media houses to be truly multimedia. There is so much content generated, but most of it goes unused because there is not enough space to use it all. With new media, the capacity to absorb all content is increased many times over. 

Robert added that the new media has had a liberating impact on the media in Uganda and has also freed innovation. Business has for example shifted from being only a newspaper to a multimedia house, which includes online and hand held devices for delivering content. 

To facilitate this shift, the price of the computer has come down nearly one-third the cost of a typewriter. This has had a big impact on gathering, processing and producing news content. For journalism it has also had a positive impact on the financial side of investing in the media.  This is manifested in the way, the New Vision shares were oversubscribed when they floated them on the local bourse.

Meetings dominate Robert’s typical day. This is the culture of the New Vision and in this part of the world. Decision-making is consensual. All management must own a decision in order to effectively execute their duties. To Robert, the best way to coordinate different facets of group professionals to get the best content outcome is through meetings. 

Competition is rife among the different sections of the group. The finance, editorial, marketing and broadcasting sections have all to be well coordinated to produce their products without clashing. 

Robert like all other senior staff is on call 24/7. He starts his day quite early and finishes late. By 8.00am he is in office, at 12.30 goes home to have lunch with the family and returns by 2.00pm. He leaves office art around 8.00pm. 

The administrative work of the New Vision is accomplished using new media. Foe example, all company records are now in soft form. Minutes in meetings are typed on a laptop as the meeting is proceeding and are circulated immediately after the meeting. Even those who fail to attend the meeting are instantly updated on what transpired. 

More information is shared in advance to ease decision-making and to make contributions to meetings more informative. New Media has made the processing and distribution of information in advance much easier. Even if people are unavailable physically, they continue being involved in decision-making. 

All the group’s financial transactions are now made online. With or without bank signatories’ physical presence payments can be made despite the inaptness of the bandwidth. Still however, the New Vision has the largest bandwidth in Uganda. And hopefully, this national problem will be sorted out before the end of the year with the completion of the undersea cables. 

Mobile money technology has also made payments much easier. People in the rural areas who wish to advertise or distributors remitting money to the New Vision can use mobile money to pay the New Vision. Advertisers too can send their adverts by mobile telephone texts or SMS. 

New Vision can also make payment to its contributors, writers and correspondents in the rural areas using the same system. Mobile money is a money transfer service being operated by the two biggest mobile telephone companies, MTN and Zain. 

In spite of New Vision being the leader in ICT use in the media industry, it was with great regret that face book; twitter and you tube were disconnected. They used to slow up the whole system and make the journalists lazy to do their work and instead waste time on those social networking sites. 

In the spirit of embracing the new media, all senior staff at the New Vision was provided with a company Blackberry telephone handset. Middle level management staff is also furnished with a company telephone and credit. All these people are supposed to be in touch 24 /7. Breaking news can be coordinated as it is happening by telephone or email.

The New Vision is investing in new technologies to remain the leading innovative media in Uganda. The online newspaper edition is currently being revamped. All editorial staff will be encouraged to blog once the website is refurbished. All the regional papers will have a presence online in the local dialects.

In conclusion, the New Vision wishes to do it the Rupert Murdoch way of having a strong presence on every media platform in Uganda. No wonder Robert and Rupert rhyme!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

East Africa, Connected

                                                                    Contractors lay the TEAMS fiber optic cable from 

                                                                                      the ship Niwa at Mombasa

http://www.newvision.co.ug/PA/8/220/684734 

 

Publication date: Sunday, 14th June, 2009

 

 

By Reuben Olita in Mombasa

 

THE East African Marine Systems (TEAMS) cable has been launched at Mombasa by Kenyan president Mwai Kibaki. Speaking at the function also attended by Uganda’s information and communication technology (ICT) minister, Aggrey Awori, Kibaki said, the landing of the fibre-optic undersea cable at Mombasa was one of the landmark projects in Kenya’s and regional development efforts. 

“Some have compared it to the completion of the Kenya-Uganda railway more than a century ago,” he said noting that today’s economies were largely driven by the Internet and other ICT connections. He pointed out that the project was a public-private partnership between his government and the private sector, geared towards connecting Kenya and the region with the rest of the world and harnessing the power of ICTs. 

Kibaki expressed confidence that solutions to the economic crisis would be found using ICT, adding that the future downturns would be easier to foresee, contain and overcome. 

He directed the information and communication ministry to come up with programmes for training of the youth in ICTs to catch up with the first world in digital telecommunication technologies. 

Kibaki also directed all ministries to adopt ICTs in their plans in order to realise the benefits of technology. 

After the installation of the marine fibre optic cable, Kibaki disclosed the next step would be the construction of land- based infrastructure, to make ICT the main pillar of the Kenya Vision 2030, the country’s national economic blueprint. He emphasised that the East African Marine Systems project also marked a crucial turning point in national and regional efforts to bridge the digital divide with the developed world. He said the project would empower East Africans to become digital citizens, adding that it re-defines modernity and efficiency and was a big step in the delivery of quality service in the ICT sector. 

“I am confident the people in our region, especially the youth, will be the first to rush to take advantage of the high connectivity Internet that will be offered by the project,” Kibaki said. 

He said the TEAMS project would boost learning, work and other fields. “Readily accessible bandwidth will not only lower telecommunications costs, but also provide new opportunities in all sectors and translate the country’s concept of a ‘working nation’ into a much stronger economy.” 

The cable that has taken 18 months to reach the Kenyan coast by sea from the Middle East is expected to improve ICTs and inter-connectivity in Africa. 

“Until now, the eastern Africa coast was the longest coastline in the world without a fibre-optic cable connection to the rest of the world,” the president explained.

This article can be found on-line at: http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/220/684734 

 

© Copyright 2000-2009 The New Vision. All rights reserved.

Knowledge Sharing at I-Network

Ali Balunywa in Kampala, Uganda 

I-Network Uganda www.i-network.or.ug is a national network of individuals and organizations that acts as a platform for sharing knowledge and information on applying ICTs for equitable national development as well as influencing and supporting ICT policy development and implementation in Uganda. The Netherlands-based International Institute for Communication and development (IICD) supports the organization.

I talked with Rachel Kadama who holds a Masters in Business Management degree is the knowledge sharing activities manager. She joined the organization in 2006. 

The knowledge-sharing plan has 6 core activities viz:

•     Publishing a newsletter
  
•     Maintaining a website
  
•     Holding seminars
  
•     Maintaining a mailing list
  
•     Preparing and distributing short publications
  
•     Video making and uploading 
  

The above mentioned core activities were relevant to my research.

The Newsletter 

The secretariat generates story ideas that are given to the editor to pursue. The editor of the newsletter is outsourced and is not part of the staff of I-Network. Freelance journalists can also be commissioned to write stories. The organization also encourages projects that are supported by I-Network to send in stories about their projects.

Project stories examples include; 

•        How mothers use internet cafes
  
•        Or how the health change project’s resource centre is used in combination with the internet     facility 
  

A team of journalists and I-Network workers write the stories in the newsletter. Before a newsletter is published, the staff at I-Network decides on the theme of the particular issue. Readers interact with writers through email. The feedback is always published in the following issue. 

Readers of the newsletter include; the ICT sector, development workers and most projects incorporating ICT. The newsletter stories are shared mainly the development areas. A modest 4,000 copies are published and distributed free of charge. It is funded through IICD.

Stories come in via email and follow the editorial process. The I-Network staff edits the stories to maintain the integrity of the organization. The layout of the magazine is outsourced and indesign software is used. 

The ready pages are PDF-ed and sent to the printers by email or on a flash disk. The printers are also outsourced.

New Media was welcomed with a sigh of relief. From typing, emailing, flash disks and PDFs to Googling for background and facts and sourcing stories. An online subscriber base is also a new media tool used for communication circulation 

A blog will be established on their website to enable people to comment and discuss issues. The Wikipedia is also frequently used for reference. The mobile phone and digital camera are very useful tools during the gathering, sorting, publishing and distributing of the newsletter.

The newsletter website is a Joomla - open source content management system.  The organization updates the website themselves every week especially with ICT news in Uganda. It is also used as a platform for other ICT based organizations to advertise themselves and upcoming events. The website carries a resource centre for documents, activities, presentations, discussions and National Information Technology Authority (NITA). All these are made available foe people and can be downloaded or commented upon. So the main purpose of the website is to be a resource.

I-Network also publishes short publications. These are focused on promoting certain projects for example; Internet connectivity, guide for rural ICT in Uganda and Cordaid/IICD health project. The come by way of hard copy and also via email to subscribers. Short publications guide the people to understand things like the Internet. 

Lastly, I-Network has started shooting videos to complement the short publications. They intend to shoot a video every quarter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Regional Chief of 24 Districts

                                              David Mafabi

Ali Balunywa in Mbale, Uganda 

Having studied and attained a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communication, David Mafabi was recruited to the Monitor in 2002 as a correspondent. The Monitor is one of Uganda’s leading daily newspapers. It was in founded by a group of journalists 1992. Currently, it is owned by East Africa’s biggest media house, The Nation Group of Companies that publishes the biggest circulating newspaper in East Africa. It also owns radios and televisions in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.

David is now the Bureau Chief of Mbale, which oversees 24 districts zoned into Bugishu, Sebei, Tororo, Teso, Karamoja and Bugwere. All these areas are in Eastern Uganda.

David is at the office by 7.30 am. The first thing he does is to chair the daily meeting with reporters and correspondents. The objective of the meeting is to share tips, exchange ideas and assign duties. During the meetings, a docket comprising of issues to be written about is developed. At 9.00 am it is sent to the news editor in Kampala.

The correspondents are then sent out to chase after what is in the docket. All stories are expected to be in by 12.00 noon, which is the deadline for regional pages unless there is an issue of national importance or breaking news that can be sent later.

David writes at least 2 stories daily, 2 features and one opinion per week. Sometimes he also attends conferences, workshops and other PR related events, which provide tips for stories. Human-interest stories like undressing and whipping a woman who is found committing adultery in Karamoja region yet a man is allowed to have as many wives as he wishes always attract national prominence. 

David, an award winner in investigative journalism does not blog nor have any interest in social networking sites. However, he uses the computer to type in stories, edit them and email them to the editors in Kampala. He also uses his Gmail for chatting and interviewing news sources. Almost all the time, he uses search engines to beef up his stories.

There is a digital camera at the office, which makes taking and uploading photos easy. David’s mobile phone is another ICT that he uses all the time for communication, briefing and debriefing, interviewing sources, clarification and getting tips. Sometimes sources beep him and he calls back to receive tips and stories.

Freelancing for Monitor Upcountry

Ali Balunywa in Mbale, Uganda

Mbale city is in the Eastern part of Uganda bordering Kenya. It is the administrative headquarters of the Eastern region. In its glory days, it used to be the cleanest city in East Africa.

It is here that I found Mudangha Kolyangha freelancing for the Monitor newspaper. The Monitor is Uganda’s other second daily newspaper. It is an independent daily founded by a group of journalists. Currently, it is owned by East Africa’s biggest media house, The Nation Group of Companies that publishes the biggest circulating newspaper in East Africa. It also owns radios and televisions in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.

Mudangha has a diploma in journalism and he joined the monitor in 2001. He freelances in the districts of Pallisa, Budaka and Butaleja. These districts neighbor Mbale district. They are under the jurisdiction of the Mbale bureau chief.

Freelancers have their areas gazetted to avoid clashing in their search for stories. Whenever there is an event in his area, the bureau chief calls him to assign him the duty to cover such an event.

However, he also follows up stories on his own initiative everyday. After getting his story/stories, he proceeds to the office to type them out after which he hands them to the bureau chief for editing. Sometimes he sends the stories direct to the Monitor in Kampala. Should the bureau chief or news editor in Kampala need some clarification, they call or send an email. 

Mudangha’s use of new ICT is limited to the computer, digital camera and mobile phone.  The computer is used for typing stories, emailing and cross checking facts using Google. The digital camera is used for taking photos which can be instantly sent to the newsroom. Lastly he uses the mobile phone for communicating, making appointments, interviews, receiving assignments and reporting.

Other new media were still new to him. He had no idea what social networking sites, blogs, Skype etc were. This was not strange as it is quite common with most upcountry reporters, correspondents and freelancers.