Quoting from the provisions of the National Security Council Act, the UCC Executive Director George William Nyombi Thembo on Friday emphasized the importance of the district security committees (DSCS) which in every district are chaired by the area RDC, with the District Internal Security Officer (DISO) being its secretary.
Nyombi Thembo, whose Commission is mandated with regulating all manner of communications content for and on behalf of the Ugandan government, at Imperial Royale Hotel told broadcasters and media platforms owners that the decision by some rogue-minded actors to weaponize information in a bid to undermine peace and stability of Uganda had left the UCC with no option but to deepen its relationship and collaboration with DSCs.
He made it clear that even after investing in acquisition of technology (digital lodgers) that can help them to electronically detect broadcasters who put out harmful content on especially radios upcountry, UCC can’t be simultaneously be everywhere.
He said that, as the country counts down to voting day 2026, UCC had become more interested in monitoring and documenting the content that is being broadcast on radios upcountry hence the need to leverage the elaborate spying and information-gathering infrastructure the DSCs have in place, to keep ahead of those who are plotting taking advantage of the campaign time to ferment anarchy.
Describing the RDCs as very good allies of the Commission, Nyombi Thembo revealed that UCC was closely working with the RDCs to listen in and identify broadcasters of harmful content on radios upcountry, in real time, so that remedial interventions are promptly made to apprehend whoever the culprits might be.
He said there was nothing illegal about UCC using the RDC-headed DSCs to spy on and gather information about radios which broadcast harmful content aimed at inciting people against public order and stability, using communication tools like radio, during this politically heated up period. He commended the directorate of economic monitoring at UCC for working well with the RDCs to quickly identify and mitigate against broadcasters who are synonymous with harmful and offensive content. He said many would-be troubling situations had already been diffused by UCC by merely acting on tip offs, red flagged for them through the network of RDCs in their capacity as chairpersons of DSCs.
He thanked the Presidency Minister Milly Babalanda, who supervises all the RDCs in Uganda, for being deliberate about making this RDCs-UCC collaboration possible and productive.
That “because it’s not going to be business as usual,” UCC is, from now onwards, going to be depending on reports and recommendations by the RDCs-headed DSCs to make decisions on which radio station or media platform gets their license renewed or not-upon expiry.
“Time has come to sanitize this [media broadcasting] space for the good of everybody. The public needs information and it’s their right to access accurate unbiased information and the media owner needs good business to make money and thrive his or her business. If you are established by us, in collaboration with the DSC committee reports, to have engaged in hate speech and incitement of violence or disinformation campaigns, then your radio license won’t be renewed. The Commission won’t be obliged to issue you with the compliance certificate for the renewal of your broadcasting license,” Nyombi Thembo told an audience which had government Ministers, media broadcast houses’ owners, individual broadcasters, security services chiefs and some RDCs.
Ministers Babalanda and Chris Baryomunsi, who directly supervises UCC, declared their full backing for what Nyombi Thembo was saying and called on media owners and individual broadcasters to fully comply with all the legal provisions empowering the Bugolobi-based Commission to regulate all communications and broadcasting activities in Uganda, to avoid getting into problems.
Kampala-based media houses were specifically called upon to emulate their counterparts, based upcountry by beginning to allocate the mandatory one hour of prime time per week for the airing of government messages free of charge-because this is part and parcel of the licensing conditions that were enacted by UCC as the regulator.
Baryomunsi urged radios and TV stations which aren’t prepared to comply with this requirement not to bother applying for and going ahead to obtain broadcasting licenses from UCC, because it will immediately be revoked.
“This is something we are quickly going to look into because we can’t tolerate some media houses in Kampala taking themselves to be too big to be impacted by such regulatory requirements. Media houses shouldn’t behave like the government is their competitor or co-wife. Non-compliance of not availing that one hour of prime time per work for the government officials to communicate to the public, is an act of breach of licensing conditions and those doing that are going to be sanctioned regardless of how big they consider themselves to be,” Baryomunsi said clearly re-enforcing Nyombi Thembo’s earlier pronouncements. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
