Gerald Bareebe (2012 - 2013)

Uganda

Gerald Bareebe is an investigative journalist working with The Daily Monitor, Uganda’s only independent daily newspaper. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Communication with a major in Political Science from Makerere University, a Master’s degree in International Relations and Diplomatic Studies (Makerere University), and an Advanced Master’s Degree in Governance and Development from the University of Antwerp, Belgium. Before joining The Daily Monitor, Gerald worked as a Research Assistant at Makerere University.

Born in a rural area of western Uganda, Gerald’s early exposure to human rights violations and social injustice motivated him to pursue a career devoted to promoting the rights and freedoms of those who cannot speak for themselves.

He has received numerous recognitions, including a World Journalism Institute (2008) fellowship in New York, and he was one of the key speakers at the 2008 Convention of the U.S. National Association of Black Journalists. In 2009, Gerald was recogonized as one of the best journalists in Uganda for leading an investigation that resulted in a 14-year jail sentence for a senior military officer who had killed two opposition activists and maimed two others.

Because of his work advocating for respect for human rights and good governance, the World Bank Institute named Gerald one of the top ten young anti-corruption activists in the world for the year 2010. Consequently, he was selected to engage youth in the formulation of the Global Youth Anti-Corruption Campaign. Through that campaign, he was able to inspire youth to lobby for access to information and legislation, taught them how to formulate youth anti-corruption awareness-raising campaigns and trained them with new methods to conduct diagnostic governance assessments.

In his native country, Gerald has covered presidential, parliamentary and Local Council elections. His work has been featured on the Voice of America, Aljazeera, The Daily Monitor, The East African, the Institute for Media and Global Governance (IMGG), (Geneva), the African Centre for Media Excellency (ACMA), the World Bank Institute (WBI) and the Basel Institute on Governance (Switzerland). His reporting on human rights and governance was recognized at the 2009 Ugandan Investigative Journalism Awards, hosted by Makerere University’s Department of Mass Communication.

As a Sauvé Scholar, Gerald intends to investigate the mechanisms that strengthen government institutions, such as the parliament and the judiciary. In particular, he will be looking at institutions that can hold others accountable for their actions, as well as those that promote a government moulded on the ideals of democracy, inclusive prosperity and transparency. Gerald believes that the criteria needed to achieve successful governance revolves around strong institutions that maintain efficient service delivery. This entails a focus on open communication and participation amongst the public, private and civil sectors of society, creating a secure, open and safe environment.

Coming from a country where civil liberties are largely constrained, Gerald has developed a strong ambition to promote social justice in his country, and is not afraid to take risks or put his life on the line to expand freedom and rights for the voiceless. His long-term goal is to create a platform through which Ugandans can demand accountability and concrete actions from their government with respect to corruption and human rights abuses.

Gerald’s earliest interest in democracy and governance came from reading about Mohamed Amin, the Kenyan photographer who helped expose some of Africa’s worst crises in Drum, a cultural magazine that his father often carried home.

The third of six children, Gerald is a mentor to his younger siblings and hopes to instil in them the values that he practices: responsibility, creativity, humility and courage.

Gerald enjoys reading books - especially books on politics - travelling, singing, dancing, cooking, going to the cinema and making new friends.

Gerald's Op-Ed on anti-gay legislation in Uganda, co-written with Sauvé Senior Fellow Brett House was published in The National Post, 30 November 2012.

Country of origin

Uganda

Country of Residence

Uganda