TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION ............................................................................................................................ i
APPROVAL .................................................................................................................................. ii
DEDICATION .............................................................................................................................. iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ........................................................................................................... iv
ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... v
LIST OF ACRONYMS ............................................................................................................... vi
CASES HEARD UNDER THE CONSTITUTION AND ACCESS TO INFORMATION
LAWS ............................................................................................................................................. x
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... !
1.1 Background .......................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Problem statement ............................................................................................................... 2
1.3 Main objective I Purpose of the study ................................................................................ 2
1.4 Specific objectives (Research Questions) .......................................................................... 2
1.5 Significance of the study ..................................................................................................... 2
1.6 The general objective of the study ..................................................................................... 3
1. 7 Research methodology ................................................................................................... 3
1. 7.1 Data type: .......................................................................................................................... 3
1. 7.2 Data source: ...................................................................................................................... 3
1. 7.3 Data analysis: .................................................................................................................... 3
1.7.4 Data representation: ......................................................................................................... 4
1.8 Scope and Limitation of the study: .................................................................................... 4
1.9 Literature Review: .............................................................................................................. 4
CHAPTER TWO: THE CURRENT LEGAL STATUS OF THE RIGHT OF ACCESS TO
INFORMATION ........................................................................................................................... 8
2.0 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 8
2.0.1 Constitutional Guarantees ............................................................................................... 8
2.1 Laws promoting right to Information ................................................................................... 9
2.1.1 Access to Information Act 2005 .......................................................................................... 9
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2.1.2 Petroleum (Exploration, Development, Production) Act 2013 ........................................... 13
2.1.3 Public Finance Act (2015) .............................................................................................. 14
2.1.4 National Environmental Act Cap 153 •.•.•..................••......•.•............•............•............•..... 15
2.1.5 National forest and Tree planting Act 2009 ........................................................................ 16
2.2 Exceptions to the right to information ..•...........•.•..................•..•.•.•.....•.......•....••..•..•.....•..... 17
2.2.1 Parliament (Powers and Privileges) Act Cap 258 ............................................................... 17
2.2.2 Evidence Act Cap 6 ............................................................................................................. 18
2.2.3 Press and Journalist Act Cap 105 ....................................................................................... 19
2.2.4 Trade Secrets Protection Act 2009 ...................................................................................... 20
2.2.5 Official Secrets Act 302 1964 ........................................................................................ 21
2.2.6 Penal Code 120 ................................................................................................................ 23
2.3 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 23
CHAPTER THREE: ENFORCEMENT OF RIGHT OF ACCESS TO INFORMATION IN
UGANDA ..................................................................................................................................... 24
3.0 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 24
3.1 Role of Court of law .......................................................................................................... 24
3.1.1 Tinyefunza Vs Attorney General Constitutional Petition No.1 of 1997 Supreme
Conrt (unreported) .................................................................................................................. 24
3.1.2 Paul Semogerere V Attorney General Constitutional Appeal Vol.9 (2002)
unreported ................................................................................................................................ 25
3.1.3 Onyango Obbo V Attorney General... .......................................................................... 27
3.2 Roles of Journalists ........................................................................................................... 28
3.3 Role of Human Rights Network Organisation ................................................................ 28
3.5 Human Rights Network- Uganda (HURINET) .................................................................... 30
3.6 Human Rights Net work for Journalist (HRNJ)- Uganda ................................................... 31
3.7 Coalition of Freedom of Information (COFI) ................................................................. 31
CHAPTER FOUR: LESSONS FROM INTERNATIONAL PLANE .....•............................. 33
4.1 Where Uganda's Access to Information law is Jacking .................................................. 33
4.1.1 South Africa .................................................................................................................. 33
4.1.2 Trinidad & Tobago ....................................................................................................... 33
4.1.3 S.12 of the Mabarashtra ............................................................................................... 35
4.1.4 S.54 of the UK Freedom of Information ....................................................................... 36
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CHAPTER FIVE: RECOMMENDATIONS, CONCLUSION OF THE FINDINGS .......... 43
5.0 Summary ............................................................................................................................ 43
5.1 Summary of the findings .................................................................................... : .............. 43
5.2 Recommendation ............................................................................................................... 44
5.3 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 4 7
REFERENCES .....................•...................................................................................................... 4 9
ABSTRACT The right to information which is constitutional, the current legal regime of laws and the institutions established by the government of Uganda including access to information Act 2005 are not sufficient to facilitate the right to information. The law neither obliges the government t to pro-actively disclose information nor does it provide the citizen activism in accessing such information. Therefore there is need for comparative review of the access to information legal frame work in Uganda with the aim of understanding the gaps and the lacuna that creates this inertial and the promulgation of a new legal regime that will go beyond merely giving citizen the right to access public information but obliging both the government and private sector players to provide pro-actively a certain type of information which is necessary for the public to participate not only in government but also allow them to enhance accountability and transparency. It should ensure while in the process of leadership there shall be selflessness objectivity, integrity, honesty, accountability and openness in leadership. Following Uganda's history which is marked by authoritarian government with just traces of democmcy that they were not answemble to any one and officials had to observe the confidentiality principals. The promulgation of the 1995 constitution of the republic of Uganda brought hope by recognizing the right of access to information guaranteed under article 41. There is government effort to control information that enters public domain. This has continued amidst the recognition that during the earlier government before 1995 there was total strict adherence to the right to information. One of the reasons of attacking the legal regime has been null and void as it did not guarantee right to access information and limitation as to the kind of information to be accessed. It creates limitation beyond those prescribed under the constitution. Under article 20 the fundamental human rights are inherent not guaranteed by the state. Those fundamental human rights are in the law of rights. Therefore the right of access to information is not guamnteed by the constitution, by access to information Act 2005 but inherent. From the above information, the author opines there is a gap in implementation and the legal regime.
