By Kefa Senoga
When asked to name one contribution she has made in journalism that makes her overjoyed, Assoc. Prof. Emilly Comfort Maractho smiled and straightaway gave the answer: “Reviewing and redesigning the journalism and communication curriculum is one of the proudest things I have ever done in my career and in journalism.” 

Maractho said the revised curriculum was influenced by discussions on “what kind of journalists and communication professionals we want to prepare.”

The curriculum Maractho referenced was “a more practical” one taught within what was earlier called the Department of Journalism and Media Studies.  Then head of journalism in the Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication (now School of JMC), Maractho had the lead role in the emphasis on practicality when reviewing and redesigning curriculum within requirements of the National Council for Higher Education, which mandates revisions every three years. 

In the revised curriculum, Maractho said they intended to give the journalism and communication students not just the knowledge, but also the skills. For instance, she says, a person needs a solid understanding of economics in order to be a successful business journalist, and that was the thinking behind the introduction of course units like business and economics journalism in the curriculum.

Maractho found herself leading the curriculum review because shortly after obtaining a PhD in 2017, she was named the head of UCU’s Department of Journalism and Media Studies. The previous office bearer, Prof. Monica Chibita, had been promoted to the position of Dean in the then-newly established Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication.

Six years after her promotion to senior lecturer and head of department of Journalism and Media Studies, Maractho has been promoted from the level of Senior Lecturer to Associate Professor in Media Studies. Maractho says that this promotion is more of an acknowledgment of her accomplishments in the spaces of media, communication and development. 

“To be an associate professor, you must have significantly contributed to a particular discipline through research, publications, experience, and the work that you are doing in that field,” says Maractho. She has also written many papers and Chairs the Schools’ Media, Democracy and Development Research Group.

Maractho’s venture into media academia began in 2005 when she took a postgraduate program in environmental journalism at Makerere University, and took shape in 2012 when she moved to Daystar University in Nairobi, Kenya, to pursue a master’s in communication, majoring in media studies. Initially, she studied development studies at Makerere University, where she graduated in 2003 with a bachelor’s in development studies. Thereafter, in 2007, she pursued a masters in development studies in 2007 at Uganda Martyrs University Nkozi.

Maractho says she desired to study journalism at the undergraduate level, but did not secure the points to qualify for a government scholarship. Furthermore, her parents  could not afford to pay for the course on a private sponsorship.

“My mother agreed to pay for a course whose tuition she could afford and development studies was among the cheapest courses; actually, it had the lowest tuition at the university, so I enrolled for that,” Maractho asserts.

Nevertheless, Maractho didn’t give up on her lifelong passion. After her university education, she joined Uganda Electricity Distribution Company limited and did part time work as an editor for the Westnile, a community newspaper whose target audience was northwestern Uganda. That is how she enrolled for a postgraduate course in environmental journalism at Makerere University in 2005.

Since undertaking her Master’s in Communication at Daystar University in Nairobi, Maractho has seamlessly integrated herself into the media and journalism academy. Subsequently, in 2014, she embarked on a PhD in Cultural and Media Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.

Maractho’s May 2024 promotion to the level of Associate Professor coincided with her appointment as chairperson of the board of the African Center for Media Excellence (ACME), a non-profit organization that “occupies the space between the media industry and academic institutions that train journalists.” 

“Our role as ACME is to make sure that there is journalistic excellence, so my job will be to champion the work of ACME, its ideals, and core values, and making the institution live to its full potential,” Maractho said.

She also sits on the boards of Uganda Media Women’s Association (UMWA) and Nation Media Group, Uganda.

She adds that part of her contribution at UMWA was participating in developing a gender-sensitive curriculum that provided training on reporting women’s stories, particularly those concerning domestic violence. She argues that such stories were not being given prominence by the media houses.

Previously, Maractho served as the director for the Africa Policy Centre (APC) at UCU, a think-tank set up by the university to propose policy alternatives to transform communities.

“My biggest achievement at APC was collaborating with the Impact Centre in South Africa to do research on the science granting councils in Africa,” she said. “A science granting council is a governmental body that champions science and technology. For example in Uganda, we have the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology.”

Maractho’s educational journey began in 1984 in Nebbi Town, where she attended Nebbi Primary School and later moved to Muni Girls Secondary School and Mvara Secondary School. All the three schools are located in northwestern Uganda. 

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