By Mulengera Reporters
The government of Uganda, through Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), has intensified efforts to make vandalism and destruction of telecommunications infrastructure very risky business and one no one will engage in and walk away with it.
Vandalism of infrastructure is a big problem for Uganda with many jobless and financially desperate people resorting to harvesting such equipment to be able to sell it either as scrap or spare parts. The telecom sector has suffered and been a victim of this, just like the electricity sub sector has. Power lines are being disrupted by vandals seeking to harvest the relevant infrastructure as scrap or as spare parts.
And the President has been very outspoken against this vandalism to the extent that he recently instructed the CDF Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba to work with other security agencies to make sure perpetrators are identified, arrested and made to face the law.
In the telecom sector, such vandalism negatively impacts masts and communications towers, and thereby causing network disruptions. You will hear the public complain how the MTN or even Airtel Uganda network is so poor. Unknown to such customers and telecom services users, such disruptions are a direct result of vandalism.
The good news is that Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), which is charged with regulating the telecoms sector is doing something to tame this rampant vandalism. Having been bestowed with delegated prosecution powers, as authorized by the Office of Director Public Prosecution (ODPP), UCC is directly prosecuting many such offenders. The Commission is closely working with Police and other law enforcement agencies.
Many of these vandalism-related offences are prosecuted at the Makindye-based Standards, Wildlife & Utilities Court. In most cases, the Commission secures conviction because the Police investigators attached to UCC always do an excellent investigations job to ensure that all the relevant evidence is adduced before Court.
Quite often, such accused persons get overwhelmed by the evidence put forward against them and opt for plea-bargaining in which case they get convicted and sentenced on their own guilty plea. This saves court’s time and makes the country safer and our economy stronger, and more attractive to investors like American Tower Corporation (ATC). They are a leading investor in telecom masts and towers enabling effective communications across Uganda.
To demonstrate how active and deliberate the UCC has been and continues to be committed to making vandalism risky, we hereunder reflect on some of the cases and criminal prosecutions that have been sustained against vandals at the Makindye-based Utilities Court.
The accused persons have so far included Robert Taremwa, Bernard Sseguya and Ryan K Sula. These were charged for offences created under the UCC Act and theirs specifically related to installing or operating broadcasting apparatus without a license issued by UCC. Their case referencing derived from CID HQTRS E/377/2023 & SUW-268/2023.
Another group of accused persons was charged with vandalism of telecommunications installations and theft of batteries belonging to ATC and the offence was first committed in March 2023. It’s an active case still ongoing at the Makindye Court. Yet that isn’t all. There are several other vandalism-related active cases that are still ongoing at the Makindye Court and are being prosecuted by UCC on behalf of the state of Uganda.
These include Wakiso CRB 625/2023 and SUW-350/2023 under which Charles Kasirye, Hamdan Mukwaya, Leti Lawrence and Abdul Makanga are being prosecuted for having removed and tampered with telecommunications installations contrary to sections 84(1b) of the Uganda Communications Act, and also with theft contrary to section 244 of the penal code Act. The Magistrate will soon be proclaiming whether the accused persons have a case to answer or not. The same group is separately charged with theft of batteries belonging to ATC around the month of March 2023.
At the same Court, UCC prosecutors had since 2023 been pursuing Vincent Ssimbwa under GEF/357/2023 and SUW255/23 over his decision to install and operate broadcasting apparatus without a license issued by UCC. Gratefully, having got overwhelmed by the evidence UCC prosecutors tendered implicating him, Ssimbwa owned up and opted to plead guilty in return for lighter sentencing namely payment of Shs1m fine and 3 months’ imprisonment. Under GEF/376/23 and SUW264/23, Charles Kayira was charged with similar illegal broadcasting offences for which he was convicted to serve for 6 months in prison.
Under CRB/971/23, the trio of Micheal Katamba, Sharif Kundu and Dusan Saava was charged with tempering with, removal, criminal trespass and theft of communications installations contrary to Sections 83(1b) of UCC Act, 302(a) and finally 254 & 261 of the Penal Code Act. They were convicted and sentenced to payment of a fine of Shs2m each. For similar offences, the UCC prosecutors secured the conviction of Richard Sunday Mugenyi who was found guilty and sentenced to pay a fine of Shs2.4m or face three years’ imprisonment.
Under Masaka CRB/365/2024 and SUW219/2024, Paul Kato and Fredrick Makumbi were forced to instruct their lawyers to request for plea-bargaining whereafter the Magistrate convicted and sentenced them to payment of a fine of Shs1.2m each or severing two years in prison.
The same UCC prosecuted journalists Ashley Mubiru and Ssengooba Alirabaki for publishing information online without a valid broadcasting license. This was under CPS/CRB1055/2024. The offence with which the duo was charged is created under section 27 of the UCC Act. The hearing stalled after the accused persons escalated and appealed against their prosecution in the High Court.
Under UCC/GEF19/24, Mr. Edengel Earnest was charged with commission of electronic fraud after defrauding several members of the public under the name of a one Mukula, a former MP. Male Ssekandi alias Sadat Mayanja and Hamuza Ssetala were separately charged with damaging and removal of communication installations under SUW008/2025 and CRB048/24 of Kajjansi.
Leveraging the same Standards Utilities & Wildlife Court based at Makindye under Her Worship Gladys Kamasanyu, the same UCC prosecution team (under UCC/GEF20/2024) brought charges against 27-year-old Wagon Selector aka Ronald Kiweewa after he was caught red handed illegally broadcasting and operating 92.0 Creft FM in Kyotera town without being licensed or authorized to do so.
Under Matugga CEB294/2025, the same UCC prosecutors also preferred damaging and removal of telecom installations charges against 30-year-old Quriash Ssegirinya aka Lubowa Yasin after he was caught red handed vandalizing telecom infrastructure belonging to ATC on Namakonkome hill in Matugga Kasangati sub county Wakiso district. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
