By Mulengera Reporters
On Friday, the UCC Executive Director Hon Nyombi Thembo was hosted on Norman Tumuhimbise’s Digital TV for an exclusive interview.
During the interview, Nyombi Thembo elaborated on many issues, guidance and directives proclaimed in the numerous media statements the Commission has lately been churning out.
The most recent of these was outed on Wednesday 7th January and addressed to all media outlets, guiding on broadcasting and publication of election results.
Asked about the perceived bias of the Commission, which Tumuhimbise claimed tends to selectively come down hard on those involved in political commentary especially on things State House or the President doesn’t like, Nyombi Thembo told the interviewer that there was nothing wrong with the Commission swinging into action after receiving a phone call from the President or even line ICT Minister Dr. Chris Baryomunsi. He added that what matters is for that directive to be lawful and reasonable.
The ED explained that the Commission is not an NGO but an agency of government, which is also part of the executive branch. He said that in most cases, the government or executive can reach out to the Commission through the Minister Chris Baryomunsi or even directly through the President contacting him.
He explained that the Commission has stakeholders it hears from regularly, including its licensees (like the media platforms it authorizes to operate), the consumers and then the government.
That each one of these is entitled to giving feedback or even contact the Commission seeking protection against communication-related offences such as cyber bullying, misinformation, doxing, sharing of pedophile content, hate speech, exposing children to harmful content and the like.
“Some of the phone calls [giving feedback] can be from above and others from the ground by the ordinary people who can call me directly since I’m also a muntu wawansi,” Nyombi Thembo sarcastically said making it clear that the President or Minister Baryonunsi have a right to contact him or any other UCC official directly to give feedback or even complain against anyone engaged in offensive communication. He emphasized that there is nothing wrong with that happening.
He also denied claims that the Commission is only hard on social media users who are involved in political commentary. “Let me make this clear, we have no problem with people engaging in legitimate criticism against the government or any public official. Even without waiting to be prompted by anyone complaining to us directly, we always come hard on those putting out pedophile videos, those exposing children to violent scenes, cyber bullying, doxing, hate speech, misinformation and others,” Nyombi Thembo clarified during the Luganda interview.
He also clarified that the Commission is always patient and by the time they come hard on someone by engaging into enforcement, that person has already been engaged severally and required to change course but has refused to heed advice and guidance.
“I’m a muntu wawansi as you know and I sit in those places for a drink and I get to hear what the ordinary people are saying in those bufundas like SMG and Kimese in my home neighborhood [near Bulange]. You will hear them say that ‘eeh but that one had become too much.’ We only enforce against those who become excessive and extreme in their offensive communication, otherwise the first action is engagement and sensitization,” Nyombi Thembo clarified.
He said that communication is too important to be left unregulated. “Information is a raw material and the way its received and consumed builds character of a person and internet has democratized communication to the extent that these days, even a nobody who can’t be permitted to talk during a family meeting can these days communicate and influence millions of people in one video for as long as he or she has access to a smart phone and internet connectivity. So, as the regulator, we clearly have a tough job to do and we have to do it in enforcement of the law without fear or favour because we aren’t here to appease anyone.”
He clarified that everything the Commission does is rooted and derived from their legal mandate as is stipulated under the Uganda Communications Act and the subsidiary legislation comprised of the 19 regulations.
He added that this equally is what guides the Commission’s compliance with the Presidential or Ministerial directives, each one of which has to be reasonable and lawful.
He added that, with communication becoming increasingly democratized and accessible to everyone who has a smart phone and internet, UCC has to do its lawful job regardless of who gets offended because they are like tax collectors who can’t be popular; courtesy of the difficult but necessary job they are mandated to do. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
