Katikkiro Mayiga advises media on “fake news”

Mr. Mayiga was speaking at an end of year party held at the administrative headquarters of Buganda Kingdom, Bulange.

The party was thrown in honour of journalists.

Mayiga pointed out that some journalists concoct news stories in order to sell stories and continuously refuse to do the background checks which may authenticate those stories. As we go into the year 2022, this “unfortunate” trend must be left behind; he added.

“You find someone fabricating news about the kingdom. Be factual! How can we bring back Buganda on top [if you publish fake news]? Learn to carry this noble duty with professionalism. The country will trust you. Ugandans will love news,” he said.

He asked the government to prioritise the media by creating the right conditions in which it may thrive and, by extension, ensure Uganda prospers from having a powerful informational base which will take the country in the right direction.

“Be it the Parliament of Uganda, courts of law, none of them can fully fulfil their responsibilities without the media. Ugandans cannot know the responsibilities and the performance of these agencies unless the media is involved. So the media is very important in the growth of the nation,” he said.

Prince David Wasajja, speaking at the same event, advised the media to cleave to the principles and tenets of the kingdom which are based on the five tenets that the kingdom has been advancing towards the development and prosperity of its peoples.

“Before Katikkiro took office, the issues regarding dissemination of news from the kingdom to the people were a very big challenge. It was sporadic. It depended on the collaboration between the officials and the media,” he said.