Parliament has closed the office of parliamentary reporters after court put injunction on parliament’s plan to bar journalists without degrees from covering proceedings. The new directive issued by the Director Communication and public Affairs Chris Obore says in a letter that parliament took the decision after consultation with the speaker of parliament Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga.
The sergeant At Arms Ahmed Kagoye says that the office will be closed until the relationship between the parliamentary journalist and parliamentary authority improves. However the parliamentary journalists are permitted to continue covering parliament but without an office. The office which journalists were ordered to vacate was given to them by the 7th parliament under the then speaker Edward Kiwanuka Sekandi who is now the Vice president.
Parliaments under the Inter parliamentary union (IPU) are required to provide office space to the media.
