Uganda’s media have increased their coverage of general elections, but the actual impact of their reporting on electoral outcomes remains unclear.

A report on Uganda’s media coverage of the 2016 general elections attributes the increase in coverage to the growth of the media. For example, at least 190 new radio stations have opened since the 2011 elections when there were less than 100 stations.

The report by the African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME), notes that the media’s failure to boldly interrogate candidates’ statements and claims on the campaign trail contributes to their failure to influence voters.

Also, the media in general is dwarfed by other factors, which have a higher and more direct bearing on elections.

For instance, multiple studies have cited security agencies, the electoral body, and uneven campaign financing as key influencers of whoever is declared winner of a political contest in Uganda, particularly the presidency. 

The centre says reluctance by newsrooms to be more investigative, enterprising and interpretive in their reporting is due to the high stakes nature of elections.

The government has appeared to set a high price for any reporting deemed injurious to its fortunes. This must change so that media do not simply inform but also sway people’s political attitudes.

“The media’s influence on election outcomes is best felt in political environments that are open. In ours, where you have other, stronger factors playing vital roles, the media might not have as much influence. But also contempt for public opinion means those in charge of public affairs will not care much what gets reported or how it is covered,” said Dr Peter Mwesige, who heads ACME.

Of the nine newspapers monitored, a total of 3,005,615cm² was allocated to election related stories. This translates into about 3,400 pages or 4,116 articles. Daily Monitor provided most space of all.

The five televisions channels under study allocated a total of 10,873 minutes – or 181 hours, which accommodated 2,742 stories. While the 33 radio stations allocated 10,257 minutes – 171 hours, which took in 2,587 stories.

Out of all the eight candidates, President Yoweri Museveni was the most covered. A total of 2,061,347cm² newspaper space (2,204 pages), 3,380 minutes on television (56 hours), and 3,130 minutes on radio (52 hours) were dedicated to him.  

He enjoyed the privileges of incumbency where nearly everything the president does gets covered. Then, there is the legacy of state-owned media which has been monopolised by government officials.

“When you have the biggest television network and the most widespread newspaper covering news about the incumbent, regardless of the legal and regulatory framework, the outcome is undiversified news and slanted opinion,” noted Mohles Kalule Segululigamba, who managed the monitoring project.

A large section of private media, especially radio stations, are owned by leading party politicians or party-leaning business people, highlighted a 2011 study about radio ownership and its impact on political speech in Uganda.