Spire wins EU Human Rights Award 2024

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  Ugandan academic, cartoonist, and human rights defender, Jimmy Spire Ssentongo is the recipient of the 2024 EU Human Rights Defenders Award. Dr. Spire Ssentongo was recognized for having used social media to highlight issues of accountability.

The Award, which is now in its 13th year, is given to a human rights defender who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of human rights in their community over the past twelve months.

Ssentongo is one of the brains behind the Agora discourse which has used social media to expose corruption and maladministration in government. He together with fellow activists like Agather Atuhaire in March had an” exhibition” on parliament.

Their expose of corruption in Uganda’s Parliament raised eyebrows following documents revealing how the Speaker of Parliament, Annet Anita Among had been dishing out huge sums of public money to cronies. They have run “exhibitions” of potholes in Kampala and the state of health services in Uganda.

Dr. Ssentongo has also used satire through his cartoons to push for change and better service delivery. He has drawn critical cartoons of some public figures including President Yoweri Museveni, his son Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, and others.

“He uses satire to make the reader laugh as they ponder the message behind the drawings. His cartoons tend to annoy his victims, yet to him, that is a triumph. He uses humor as a powerful tool for balance of power,” a commentator said.

Ssentongo is an Associate Professor of Ethics and Identity Studies at Uganda Martyrs University. He also teaches Ethics and Research methods at Makerere University.

Signe Winding Albjerg, Danish Ambassador to Uganda announced Dr. Ssentongo the winner of the 2024 EU award.

Speaking at the award event, the Danish Ambassador also saluted the two runners-up in this year’s EU Human Rights Defenders Award, Jesca Ruth Ataa for her advancement of the rights of Karamajong Women and Doreen Namyalo-Kyazze for defending the rights of vulnerable people in prisons.

The 12th winner of the award was former URN journalist- turned lawyer, Agather Atuhaire who has been working with Dr. Ssentongo on the accountability “exhibitions”.

The runners up

Jesca Ruth Ataa is a human rights defender from Kotido, Karamoja. She leads Nakere Rural Women Activists (NARWOA), an umbrella community-based organization for womens groups.

NARWOA responds to humanitarian crises and addresses cross-border and inter-ethnic political instability, the rise of warlords, domestic violence and discrimination of women in society.

NARWOA has reached over 15,000 women and 250,000 children through programmes aimed at appropriate and viable income-generating activities.

Doreen Kyazze is a lawyer and human rights activist. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in law and a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Center Kampala.

During the past fourteen years, including her time at Penal Reform International, Doreen has campaigned against the death penalty and worked hard to secure the rights of women in detention.

She has worked across the region to push for a model law on crime prevention in Africa and has also trained police, prison staff and others in the justice sector. She has also been active in drafting progressive laws and policies in Uganda.

****

URN