How citizens have used FOI to improve their lives

#FreedomofExpression means that individuals can voice their opinions, engage in discussions, exchange ideas, and actively participate in public life. But freedom of expression has no substance without the right to information. This is how citizens have previously used access to information to improve their lives.

In Masaka district, central Uganda, communities had suffered years of frustration from the absence of medicines for malaria, the main cause of sickness and death amongst Ugandan women and children. The African Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC) conducted a training workshop in May 2012, and it was revealed that shortage of malaria medicine at health facilities was a common problem in the district. Mrs. Margaret Musoke, one of the participants at the workshop filed a FOIA request for information regarding the number of times Mpugwe Health Centre had received medicines for malaria and the number of doses in each delivery.

It was found that despite the chronic absence of medicine, the Health Centre had regularly received supplies. Margaret demanded that this information should be displayed at the Health Centre’s public notice board, following which there was no reported absence of medicine for several weeks.