Charles Onyango-Obbo
Encyclopedia
Charles "Mase" Onyango-Obbo (born 1958) is a Uganda
n author
, journalist
, former Managing Editor of The Monitor
. He is currently Executive Editor for the Africa and Digital Media Division with Nation Media Group, Nairobi, Kenya. He is a political commentator of issues in East Africa
and the African Great Lakes
region. He writes a column, "Ear To The Ground", in The Monitor, and a second column in the regional weekly The EastAfrican
, and a third in the Daily Nation.
Born in the town of Mbale
in eastern Uganda. Onyango-Obbo studied at Makerere University
in Kampala
, and the American University in Cairo
where he obtained a Master's degree in journalism. In 1991, he was a Nieman Fellow
at Harvard University
.
In late 1997 he and Andrew Mwenda (now managing director and also Editor-in-Chief of The Independent news magazine), then a reporter with The Monitor, were arrested and charged with publishing with "publication of false" following a story in which the paper quoted reports in The Indian Ocean newsletter, that Uganda had become compensated with gold by the Kinshasa government of Laurent Kabila, for its support in, along with Rwanda, helping oust the regime of long-term Zaire (now Democratic Republic Congo) dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. They fought the case through the High Court, where they lost the appeal; went to the Constitutional Court, where again they lost the appeal; and eventually in 2003 won the most significant court victory for the Uganda when the Supreme Court found against the state, and rule the offence of publication of false to be unconstitutional.
In May 1999, during the Second Congo War
, Onyango-Obbo and other editors of The Monitor – Wafula Ogutu and David Ouma Balikowa – were arrested and charged with "sedition
" and "publication of false news", following the publication of a photograph
of a naked
woman being sexually abused
by men in military uniform
. Ugandan officials insisted that the assailants might be soldiers from Congo
or Zimbabwe
(who were also involved in the Congo war
), and could not possibly be Ugandan soldiers
as the photo caption claimed. Onyango-Obbo and the other editors were acquitted on 6 March 2001.
In October 2002, again Onyango-Obbo and three other colleagues were arrested and charged with publication of a story that "aided the enemies of Uganda", after a report that alleged that a military helicopter might have been shot down in northern Uganda by the obnoxious rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army. The government also closed down the Monitor for 10 days. They were acquitted of the charges a year later. In all, Onyango-Obbo appeared in court over 120 times between 1997 and mid-2003; more than the combined number of times Ugandan journalists had been in court since the country's independence in October 1962.
With that, Onyango-Obbo decided to take up an earlier offer that Nation Media Group, which had taken a majority stake in The Monitor in March 2000, to move to Nairobi and initiate the group's media convergence operations. In his view, his continued presence had become counter-productive, because the hostility of the government toward him and the extent to which he had become a controversial figure, was overshadowing the newspaper's long-term prospects and undermining the ability of other journalists at the paper to emerge.
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
n author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, former Managing Editor of The Monitor
The Monitor (Uganda)
The Daily Monitor is Uganda’s leading independent daily newspaper. The "Monitor" name is shared by the Saturday Monitor and Sunday Monitor, which are also published by Monitor Publications Limited. It has an online readership of over 1,000,000.The newspaper was established in 1992 as The Monitor...
. He is currently Executive Editor for the Africa and Digital Media Division with Nation Media Group, Nairobi, Kenya. He is a political commentator of issues in East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
and the African Great Lakes
African Great Lakes
The African Great Lakes are a series of lakes and the Rift Valley lakes in and around the geographic Great Rift Valley formed by the action of the tectonic East African Rift on the continent of Africa...
region. He writes a column, "Ear To The Ground", in The Monitor, and a second column in the regional weekly The EastAfrican
The EastAfrican
The EastAfrican is a weekly newspaper published in Kenya by the Nation Media Group, which also publishes Kenya's national Daily Nation. The EastAfrican is circulated in Kenya and the other countries of East Africa including Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda...
, and a third in the Daily Nation.
Born in the town of Mbale
Mbale
Mbale is a city in Eastern Uganda. It is the main municiplal, administrative and commercial center of Mbale District and the surrounding sub-region. The district is named after the town.-Location:...
in eastern Uganda. Onyango-Obbo studied at Makerere University
Makerere University
Makerere University , Uganda's largest and second-oldest higher institution of learning, , was first established as a technical school in 1922. In 1963 it became the University of East Africa, offering courses leading to general degrees from the University of London...
in Kampala
Kampala
Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.-History: of Buganda, had chosen...
, and the American University in Cairo
American University in Cairo
The American University in Cairo is an independent, non-profit, apolitical, secular institution of higher learning located in Cairo, Egypt...
where he obtained a Master's degree in journalism. In 1991, he was a Nieman Fellow
Nieman Foundation for Journalism
The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University is the primary journalism institution at Harvard. It was founded in 1938 as the result of a $1 million bequest by Agnes Wahl Nieman, the widow of Lucius W. Nieman, founder of The Milwaukee Journal...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
In late 1997 he and Andrew Mwenda (now managing director and also Editor-in-Chief of The Independent news magazine), then a reporter with The Monitor, were arrested and charged with publishing with "publication of false" following a story in which the paper quoted reports in The Indian Ocean newsletter, that Uganda had become compensated with gold by the Kinshasa government of Laurent Kabila, for its support in, along with Rwanda, helping oust the regime of long-term Zaire (now Democratic Republic Congo) dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. They fought the case through the High Court, where they lost the appeal; went to the Constitutional Court, where again they lost the appeal; and eventually in 2003 won the most significant court victory for the Uganda when the Supreme Court found against the state, and rule the offence of publication of false to be unconstitutional.
In May 1999, during the Second Congo War
Second Congo War
The Second Congo War, also known as Coltan War and the Great War of Africa, began in August 1998 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo , and officially ended in July 2003 when the Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo took power; however, hostilities continue to this...
, Onyango-Obbo and other editors of The Monitor – Wafula Ogutu and David Ouma Balikowa – were arrested and charged with "sedition
Sedition
In law, sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent to lawful authority. Sedition may include any...
" and "publication of false news", following the publication of a photograph
Photograph
A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
of a naked
Nudity
Nudity is the state of wearing no clothing. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic. The amount of clothing worn depends on functional considerations and social considerations...
woman being sexually abused
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
by men in military uniform
Military uniform
Military uniforms comprises standardised dress worn by members of the armed forces and paramilitaries of various nations. Military dress and military styles have gone through great changes over the centuries from colourful and elaborate to extremely utilitarian...
. Ugandan officials insisted that the assailants might be soldiers from Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
or Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
(who were also involved in the Congo war
Second Congo War
The Second Congo War, also known as Coltan War and the Great War of Africa, began in August 1998 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo , and officially ended in July 2003 when the Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo took power; however, hostilities continue to this...
), and could not possibly be Ugandan soldiers
Uganda People's Defence Force
The Uganda Peoples Defence Force , previously the National Resistance Army, is the armed forces of Uganda. The International Institute for Strategic Studies estimates the UPDF has a total strength of 40–45,000, and consists of land forces and an Air Wing.The IISS Military Balance 2007 says there...
as the photo caption claimed. Onyango-Obbo and the other editors were acquitted on 6 March 2001.
In October 2002, again Onyango-Obbo and three other colleagues were arrested and charged with publication of a story that "aided the enemies of Uganda", after a report that alleged that a military helicopter might have been shot down in northern Uganda by the obnoxious rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army. The government also closed down the Monitor for 10 days. They were acquitted of the charges a year later. In all, Onyango-Obbo appeared in court over 120 times between 1997 and mid-2003; more than the combined number of times Ugandan journalists had been in court since the country's independence in October 1962.
With that, Onyango-Obbo decided to take up an earlier offer that Nation Media Group, which had taken a majority stake in The Monitor in March 2000, to move to Nairobi and initiate the group's media convergence operations. In his view, his continued presence had become counter-productive, because the hostility of the government toward him and the extent to which he had become a controversial figure, was overshadowing the newspaper's long-term prospects and undermining the ability of other journalists at the paper to emerge.
Publications
- Ear To The Ground (1996)
- Uganda's Poorly Kept Secrets (1998) - a Collection of short stories
- Mixed and Brewed in Uganda: A Short tour of the soul of a nation and its people (2008)
- It Never Happened:, (2009) - a story on the day before Uganda military dictator Idi Amin was ousted in 1979, the day he fell, and the day after.