NTV Uganda journalist Steven Mbidde was assaulted by uniformed police officers earlier this morning at Wandegeya Police Station.
The journalist was attempting to interview David Lewis Rubongoya, the Secretary-General of the National Unity Platform (NUP) about the arrest of opposition supporters when he was violently confronted.
The incident which unfolded before shocked onlookers, highlights the escalating crackdown on media and political opposition in Uganda.
Eyewitnesses and video footage captured Mbidde being pushed, shoved and physically restrained by security forces as he sought to cover the detention of NUP supporters arrested during police raid the previous day’s Kawempe campaign.
The chaos erupted as he positioned himself near the police station’s entrance where Rubongoya was expected to speak about the growing number of political arrests targeting opposition members.
“I was just doing my job asking questions that need answers and suddenly, I was being manhandled by people in uniform,” Mbidde later recounted.
His attempt to report on the manhandle was met with violence instead of answers reinforcing fears that Uganda’s shrinking democratic space is becoming more repressive.
Mbidde’s assault is not an isolated case but part of a wider pattern of intimidation against journalists and opposition voices.
In recent months, Ugandan authorities have been accused of silencing critical reporting through harassment, arrests and even violence.
The incident occurred against the backdrop of a broader government suppression on NUP supporters many of whom have been detained without clear charges.
Uganda’s media landscape has been growing increasingly hostile with journalists facing arrests, beatings and restrictions on movement whenever they attempt to cover politically sensitive stories.
Press freedom organizations and human rights activists have condemned these tactics calling them a direct attack on democracy.
The Uganda Journalists Association (UJA) has demanded immediate accountability for the attack on Mbidde warning that a free press is the cornerstone of any functioning democracy.
“We cannot stand by as journalists are assaulted for simply doing their job,” said UJA representative. “This is unacceptable, and those responsible must be held accountable.”
In response to the attack, NUP leadership has accused the government of escalating its repression against both opposition figures and the press.
Rubongoya, who was at the police station during the incident described it as “a blatant abuse of power and a clear message that the regime fears the truth.”
“The government is treating journalism as a crime,” Rubongoya said. “They don’t want the world to see the reality of what is happening in Uganda: political persecution, arbitrary arrests, and now even journalists being attacked in broad daylight.”
Uganda’s press freedom ranking continues to decline with journalists operating under constant surveillance and intimidation. If no action is taken, this attack on Mbidde will not be the last.
The assault on Steven Mbidde is more than just an attack on one journalist, it is an attack on the right to truth, the right to report and the right of Ugandans to know what is happening in their country.
