City pastor and long-serving journalist Emmanuel Kirunda has been elected the new president of the Uganda Journalists Association (UJA), replacing Mathias Rukundo who had led the body since 2020. The leadership change followed the decision by Bukedde FM personality Rizik Karungi (also known as Karungi Jay Rizik) to step down from the race for the presidency; she has instead taken up the position of vice president.
The development was announced on Saturday afternoon during an outdoor gathering associated with the association, where both Kirunda and Karungi delivered maiden speeches. Videos of the addresses, shared publicly by lawyer and rule-of-law advocate Male Mabirizi, show Karungi addressing the gathering before formally stepping aside, after which Kirunda spoke as the incoming president. UJA’s official account has engaged with related posts confirming Karungi’s vice-presidential role.
Kirunda previously served as UJA secretary general under Rukundo’s leadership, a position he held since the 2020 elections in which the entire executive was largely elected unopposed. In that role he regularly issued statements on press freedom, journalist safety, and media regulation, including challenges to directives from the Uganda Communications Commission and advocacy around access to Parliament and protection from harassment. He has also contributed opinion pieces on issues such as the limits of the Media Council’s authority under the Press and Journalist Act.
The Uganda Journalists Association, founded in 1963, remains the main umbrella body for journalists in the country. It has in recent years focused on welfare concerns, including contracts and pay for media workers, as well as safety amid reports of assaults on journalists covering political and public-interest stories. The association has previously engaged the Electoral Commission and other institutions on assurances for media coverage of national processes.
Karungi, a presenter on Bukedde FM, had been publicly positioned by her media house as a candidate in the days leading up to the vote. Her decision to step down and accept the vice-presidential slot marks a notable shift in the association’s leadership composition.
Observers of the media sector will be watching how the new leadership under Kirunda addresses longstanding challenges of professional standards, journalist welfare, and protection of press freedom as Uganda moves further into the post-2026 election period. UJA has not yet issued a formal statement on its website or primary channels beyond the social-media engagements noted above.
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