Uganda’s media practitioners are being enlisted as frontline defenders of personal privacy under a new initiative that seeks to bridge the gap between the country’s data protection law and day‑to‑day reporting.
At the inaugural Media League webinar on data protection and privacy, the Personal Data Protection Office (PDPO) and the Global Consumer Centre (CONSENT) unveiled a targeted awareness campaign aimed at transforming journalists from mere storytellers into certified Data Protection Ambassadors.
“Media professionals are not just collectors of information and they are gatekeepers of public trust,” said Davis Othieno, Manager Compliance & Investigation at the PDPO, during his presentation to journalists.
Adding that: “With that power comes responsibility. Many reporters handle sensitive personal data daily without realising the legal obligations attached to it.”
Uganda’s Data Protection and Privacy Act, Cap. 97, provides a robust legal framework for safeguarding personal information.
According to him, a yawning gap persists between understanding the law and applying it in newsrooms and worse still, many citizens remain completely unaware of their privacy rights, while organisations that process personal data often fail to comply with their statutory duties.
“The media serves as a vital bridge to grassroots communities,” Othieno added.
He further noted that if they can empower journalists to understand and respect data privacy, journalists, in turn, educate millions of Ugandans who look to them for guidance.
The partnership between PDPO and CONSENT aims to raise awareness, foster public dialogue, and build the capacity of media personnel around key data protection concepts.
Journalists attending the webinar were introduced to the core provisions of Cap. 97, the mandate of the PDPO, and practical steps for responsible handling of personal information in their reporting.
Topics covered included what constitutes personal data, consent requirements, data subject rights, breach notification, and the legal consequences of unlawful processing.
The webinar also addressed common pitfalls in newsgathering such as publishing identifying details of vulnerable sources without explicit consent.
Joanita Adong, a freelance journalist, says the initiative comes at a critical time and with digital news consumption growing rapidly across Uganda, and citizen journalism blurring traditional ethical lines, the risk of privacy violations has never been higher.
“This is a game‑changer, and most of us have never been trained on data protection. We know defamation and copyright, but privacy law? That’s new territory. Now we have a direct line to the regulator,” she said.
The PDPO has indicated that the media league will be an ongoing platform, with future webinars, toolkits, and certification programmes planned.
Journalists who complete the training will be formally recognised as Data Protection Ambassadors, expected to champion privacy‑conscious reporting within their newsrooms and communities.
“We are not trying to muzzle the press, and we are trying to professionalise it. When you handle someone’s personal data with care, you protect their dignity and that makes your reporting not just legal, but ethical and trusted,” Othieno emphasised.
With Uganda’s digital economy expanding and high‑profile data breaches making headlines globally, the timing of the campaign appears deliberate.
Therefore, the PDPO and CONSENT hope that by starting with the media and the nation’s most influential information pipeline respect for data privacy will ripple through every sector of society.
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