'They Told Me to Choose Between My Bag and My Life' - Journalist Recounts Horrific Butambala Attack

What the report says

A BBS TV journalist, Ireen Mirembe, says she was attacked and robbed by suspected assailants while traveling on a boda boda in Butambala after finishing an assignment there and heading back toward Mpigi. According to her account, the rider diverted from the main road into a bushy area, where another man joined the encounter before the group forced her to surrender her bag and beat her when she resisted.

Mirembe said the bag contained work equipment including a camera, lenses, a laptop, press identification, and other reporting gear, with the total loss estimated at about Shs7.3 million. She also said her phone was placed in the bag shortly before the attack, leaving her unable to call for help. After the robbery, she reported the matter to police in Mpigi and Butambala.

The report says local leaders and fellow journalists in Mpigi have condemned the incident and described it as part of a wider pattern of attacks on media workers in the area. They cited earlier cases involving other journalists whose equipment was damaged or stolen and called on police and regional security authorities to investigate and improve protection for reporters.

Nile Post reported that police had not yet publicly responded to the concerns. If confirmed, the episode would add to broader worries about journalist safety in parts of central Uganda, where reporters often travel with expensive equipment and may face risks from crime or retaliation linked to their work.