The Uganda Journalists Association (UJA) has condemned the detention of two journalists by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), describing the incident as an attack on press freedom and demanding their immediate and unconditional release.
In a statement issued on Monday, July 6, 2026, the association identified the detained journalists as Judith Kukunda of Uganda Radio Network (URN) and Margaret Zalwango of Vision Group.
According to UJA, the two reporters were arrested while covering proceedings related to the scheduled trial of Gen. Birungi at the General Court Martial in Makindye. The association said the journalists were accused of accessing the Court Martial premises without the required clearance.
UJA alleged that the arrest was carried out on the orders of Major Echeru, the Officer Commanding (OC) Prisons at Makindye Military Barracks, who was reportedly escorting Gen. Birungi at the time of the incident.
The association further claimed that security personnel confiscated the journalists’ work equipment, including mobile phones and cameras, before detaining them.
According to information obtained by UJA from its teams on the ground, the two journalists were expected to be transferred to the UPDF’s Special Investigations Bureau for further handling following their arrest.
The journalists’ umbrella body argued that the detention violates constitutional protections guaranteeing media freedom and access to information.
“Journalism as a profession is lawful under Articles 29, 41 and 42(2) of the 1995 Constitution, and therefore journalists should not be harassed and treated as criminals,” the association said in its statement.
UJA called for the immediate and unconditional release of Kukunda and Zalwango, as well as the return of all their confiscated work tools.
The UPDF had not issued an official statement on the matter by the time of publication, and the circumstances surrounding the alleged lack of clearance could not be independently verified.
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