Reporters Without Borders (RSF) firmly condemns the series of expulsions targeting French journalists around Uganda’s presidential election, which saw the incumbent re-elected for a seventh consecutive term. All three journalists had entered the country in full compliance with the administrative procedures necessary for them to carry out their work. RSF condemns this administrative censorship.
Bastien Renouil, East Africa correspondent for France 24, was denied any chance to report in Uganda. Having arrived in the country on Saturday, 17 January — as Yoweri Museveni was declared winner of the presidential election and re-elected for a seventh consecutive term — he went to the immigration services on Monday to get a stamp on the work permit he had applied for and obtained. “After several hours,” he was ordered to book an immediate return flight or risk being placed “in a cell,” he told RSF.
Despite holding valid accreditation, he was forced to complete a form intended for “suspects” in which he was made to apologise for not having requested the correct permit — one that would have required an authorisation from the Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs. The Media Council of Uganda had never informed him of such a requirement and the authorities did not allow him to rectify the situation. After being allowed to return to his hotel to buy a plane ticket, he retrieved his passport from the immigration services and was then escorted to the airport. He flew out of the country on 20 January.
Earlier in the month, two other French journalists for Radio France Internationale (RFI) were faced with a similar situation. One was turned back at the border; the other, after passing through immigration, was escorted to a return flight. According to a journalist familiar with the country, who remains anonymous for security reasons, these are classic tactics of “administrative censorship” often used against the media.
When contacted by RSF, the chairman of the Media Council of Uganda stated that these journalists held an accreditation for “general reporting” that did not apply “specifically to cover the 2026 presidential election.” A claim that is unfounded, as the three reporters also held the special authorisation for the presidential vote.
“These journalists were turned back or expelled as if they were criminals. We strongly condemn these successive expulsions based on dubious administrative grounds. They are part of a strategy of intimidation and censorship that is common in Uganda and which was widely used in the run-up to the presidential election.
The 15 January presidential election took place in a climate of intimidation and censorship that did not spare journalists and media outlets. Internet access was cut for four days, coverage of so‑called “illegal demonstrations” was banned, several reporters were assaulted by security forces or political activists, and the foreign press was kept away from the ruling party’s rallies. What’s more, the activities of several independent organisations based in Kampala, including the Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ‑Uganda) and the African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME), were suspended. Reporters Without Borders