Humanities & Social Sciences
Ugandan Journalists Trained on Peace and Gender-Sensitive Reporting Ahead of 2026 Elections
Kampala, Uganda – January 9, 2026
Ahead of the January 15 general elections, Ugandan journalists have undergone specialized training on peace and gender-sensitive reporting to ensure responsible media coverage during the election period. The two-day training, held from 8th to 9th January 2026 at Makerere University’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences Smart Room, was organized by the Women’s Situation Room (WSR) in partnership with various stakeholders and brought together journalists from across print, broadcast, and online platforms.
The main objective of the training was to strengthen the capacities of media in reporting and documenting electoral processes in a responsible and gender-sensitive manner. The specific objectives included: strengthening journalists’ skills to cover the 2026 elections in a fair, balanced, gender-sensitive, and non-violent partisan way; enhancing the role of media to enable citizens to be well-informed and actively participate in the election process; ensuring focused and balanced reporting on peace during and after elections; and strengthening partnerships between the WSR and media houses during the election period.
The training covered multiple critical modules. Day one focused on responsible conflict-sensitive reporting, emphasizing principles such as balance, impartiality, and accuracy. Participants explored the role of media as a relayer of the population’s voice, election monitor, catalyst for social cohesion and reconciliation, contributor to the accountability of political actors, and a platform for detecting and debunking digital media misinformation and hate speech.
Day two addressed responsible and gender-sensitive reporting. Key aspects included the definition of gender-sensitive reporting, how to become a gender-sensitive reporter, critical elements in reporting with gender awareness, packaging gender-sensitive stories, and a checklist for detecting and avoiding gender-insensitive reporting.
Her Lordship, retired Judge Justice Mary Mayitum, emphasized the importance of peace as the foundation of development and democratic engagement. “Because we value peace more than anything. Without peace, really, you can do nothing. But where there is peace, you can have time to reflect, discuss with others, and join in meaningful dialogue,” she said. She warned that the country’s past conflicts, such as those in Gulu, underscored the necessity of maintaining national harmony.
Justice Mayitum also urged other key election stakeholders to uphold peaceful conduct. “Being peaceful is the very heart of life. We have spoken to police, security personnel, political parties, and the Electoral Commission. We want politicians to have a code of conduct and to understand that it’s okay to think differently without fighting or hating one another,” she added.
Dr. William Tayebwa, lead facilitator and senior lecturer in the Department of Journalism and Communication at Makerere University, said, “This training is about conflict-sensitive reporting, peace journalism, and gender-sensitive reporting in the context of the elections. The emphasis was on giving female political candidates a voice while ensuring journalists report responsibly on election-related matters.”
Participants described the training as timely and impactful. Tony Banizengabo of CBS Wakiso District said, “We’ve benefited a lot. We’ve been trained to write stories which bring peace, not conflict. Ahead of the elections, we are very ready to be part of peacemakers.”
Dorcas Kimono of UBC TV Kampala added, “It was so timely and rich. We learned how to report without promoting or fueling violence, giving voice to victims without angering them or encouraging violators. This is very vital, especially as we approach the 2026 elections.”
The training aims to equip media personnel with the knowledge and skills to uphold professional ethics while contributing to a peaceful, inclusive, and gender-sensitive electoral process.
On the morning of Friday, February 27, when the academic procession winds its way across Makerere University’s Freedom Square for the last day of the 76th Graduation Ceremony, Whitney Najjuka will walk into history with a number beside her name: 4.46.
At Makerere, that number means First Class Honours. It means the Vice Chancellor’s List. It means she graduates as the only First-Class student in Journalism and Communication this year. But numbers, as Whitney has learned, rarely tell the full story.
Born on March 27, 2002, in Nabbingo, Kyengera Town Council, to Margaret Kusemererwa and Fred Kasirye, dreamt she would do Law, one of the disciplines, prestigious, almost inevitable next steps for a student who had excelled in secondary school. She had done everything correctly. Studied hard. Scored well. Followed the script.
But Makerere University had other plans. She missed the pre-entry mark, but found her name under Journalism and Communication, another prestigious course offered by the Journalism and Communication Department at Makerere University.
Najjuka began her academic journey at Muto Primary School in Buwama, earning 8 aggregates in the Primary Leaving Examination, a performance that positioned her strongly for secondary school.
She would later join St. Lucia Hill School, Namagoma, where she earned 20 aggregates at O-Level and 17 points in History, Luganda, and Divinity at A-Level.
Missing her dream course, Law, felt at first, like a detour. But Whitney was encouraged by Sanyu Christopher, her uncle, and she settled for a government-sponsored slot in the Bachelor of Journalism and Communication at Makerere, which she had applied for before.
She entered uncertain. But she graduates transformed.
The Pivot That Became a Purpose
Whitney speaks of her early university days with candor. She did not arrive at the Department of Journalism and Communication with a burning childhood ambition to be a journalist, but because another door had closed.
Then, Social and Behavior Change Communication happened. Applied Strategic Communication happened. She began to see media not as headlines and microphones, but as architecture, shaping how societies think, argue, and act.
The turning point came in her third year. The Female Journalist Foundation published her story on Sexual Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and its emotional toll on survivors. What startled her was not its publication but the reaction. Comments flooded in. Debates ignited, especially about the role of men in combating GBV.
“I realized media doesn’t just report,” she says. “It frames how society views a crisis.”
Her voice, once tentative, had entered a national conversation.
The Discipline Behind 4.46
At Makerere University, a First Class CGPA is not built on brilliance alone but on ritual.
Whitney’s ritual began with showing up, on time, every time. She treated lectures as appointments with her future self. She refused to confine her learning to the syllabus. While attending workshops at the Aga Khan Graduate School of Media and Communication and obtaining external certifications, she sought and was open to mentorship through the Public Relations Association of Uganda (PRAU).
She wanted theory anchored in practice. And then there was the commute.
From Nabbingo, a hill in Wakiso District, some 18.6 km to Kampala, where the Makerere Main campus is situated, and back, nearly 20 hours a week dissolved into Kampala traffic. Two-hour journeys before 8:00 a.m. lectures. Dust. Noise. Headaches. She learned to manage energy the way others manage time. Fatigue became a tutor in resilience.
“I had to be intentional with every remaining hour,” she says. “Excuses were not an option.”
Learning to Practice Communication
If classrooms taught her analysis, presentations taught her courage. Pitching projects, defending research, and standing before peers quick to critique forced her to think on her feet. She was no longer simply studying communication; she was practicing it.
In 2024, the AGMES Fellowship at the Aga Khan Graduate School of Media and Communication pushed her further. She received funding to produce a capstone project on the mental impact of gender-based violence on survivors. She identified sources, conducted interviews, handled trauma with care, and worked with professional editors.
The Communication, she learned, is logistics and ethics as much as eloquence.
The Future She Sees
Whitney is optimistic about Uganda’s media landscape. The digital shift, she believes, has democratized influence. Young communicators are no longer confined to legacy newsrooms or offices.
Yet she sees a gap in the absence of structured research on sustainable, ethical, profitable independent media ventures in Uganda. Her ambition is not only to practice communication, but to study it. To produce data-backed frameworks that help young Ugandans transition from graduates to media entrepreneurs.
She wants to make the impact scalable.
What Remains
As the only First-Class graduate in her cohort, she is careful not to mythologize herself. “Success isn’t brilliance alone,” she says. “It’s a daily commitment when nobody is watching.”
Even before graduation, Whitney had stepped into the industry through a mentorship internship at Capital One Group (COG EA Ltd), a strategic marketing communications agency operating across East Africa.
At Capital One Group, we spoke to Paul Mwirigi Muriungi, the Managing Director and Head of Strategy, who spoke of Najjuka as a progressive and intentional young professional who approaches her work with curiosity, maturity, and responsibility.
“Her attitude is exemplary. She is teachable, receptive to feedback, and eager to grow. While technical skills can be taught, character, work ethic, and mindset determine long-term success, qualities that Whitney consistently demonstrates. Given her academic excellence and professional application, we believe she has a bright future both at Capital One Group and within the wider communications industry. She represents the kind of talent the profession needs: thoughtful, adaptable, and committed to excellence.
“We look forward to seeing her next chapter unfold,” says Mwirigi.
Najjuka’s gaze extends beyond her own trajectory. She speaks of what the Department could become. Furnished and equipped with industry-standard equipment, newsroom simulations, and deeper investment in data journalism as prayers. Her excellence is not self-congratulatory, but it is forward-looking.
“The University should support the Department to procure industry-standard equipment. Access to high-quality cameras, sound booths, and updated editing software like Adobe Creative Suite is critical to our learning environment,” she says.
Adding that, “We need a newsroom simulation, a physical or digital space where students work under real-time deadlines to produce content for the public. That would prepare us for industry and even strengthen the University’s own media platforms.”
In an era defined by metrics, algorithms, and digital traceability, data journalism is no longer a niche skill but a sine qua non of credible reporting. “There should also be more focus on data journalism and search engine optimization. These are no longer optional skills. Students would benefit immensely from stronger training in these areas.”
Dr. Aisha Nakiwala, the Head, Department of Journalism and Communication, says the faculty are very proud that she is graduating with a First Class—the only one in this year’s cohort.
“This achievement reflects not only exceptional intellectual ability but also discipline, resilience, and sustained dedication to the highest standards over four years. Graduating with first-class honors is no small feat; it requires consistent outstanding performance.
“Her accomplishment sets a powerful example for continuing students and reaffirms our department’s commitment to nurturing excellence. We are confident she will make meaningful contributions to the communication profession and society at large,” says Dr. Nakiwala.
On graduation day, applause will crest and recede. The gowns will fold back into wardrobes. The transcripts will be filed away in cabinets. But something quieter will endure; a young woman from Nabbingo who once missed her Law mark, who spent 20 hours a week on the road, who discovered that storytelling is power, and who now walks into Freedom Square not by accident, but by intention.
Life, as she has come to understand it, lives on.
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