By Ambrose Musasizi
RAKAI: The Resident District Commissioner Charles Mubiru has issued a sound warning to the Sango Bay Resettlement camp Leaders to desist from blocking Journalists from accessing relevant information concerning the camp.
This has come after the refugee Chairperson; Elias Byaruhanga alongside the security Officers recently, suspiciously blocked Journalists from access to covering the Immunization exercise that was being carried out in the camp.
Rakai district recently carried out a five day immunization exercise of 0-5 year olds which ended on 3rd April of 2016. The Journalists were so inquisitive to know specifically which diseases were to be immunized and how the exercise was to be conducted among the refugees’ children.
Reliable sources had informed The Investigator about the exercise but when contacted by phone before setting off to the camp, Byaruhanga was doubtful on whether we would be allowed into the Camp’s premises. “Yes, it’s true an immunization exercise is going to take place in our camp but you should not take things for granted like it was way back. This time round you may not be allowed into our area code”, said the Chairperson.
Despite being tasked to explain his objection, Byaruhanga failed to give a genuine reason as to why the media people had been blocked. However, when we contacted the RDC over the same issue, he warned Byaruhanga and all the concerned security officers against this act.
“The media is so relevant in publicizing Government projects of which the resettlement camps are one of them, they should not therefore be retarded from doing their work especially when it comes to such important issues,” warned Mubiru.
He added that sometime back, the Government came to a resolution that the returnees and refugees in this camp had to elect leaders of their own to avoid any resistance that could arise from them in case there was any project to be implemented within the camp.
“If we had used our own people to lead them, we could encounter several difficulties in the implementation of government projects like education and medication even though it’s them to benefit”, said the RDC.
He added that the camp leaders and the concerned security officials should have blocked the Journalists basing on their own reasons without any Government official’s orders since even their leaders are not appointed by the Government.