By Mulengera Reporters
In a bid to ensure that lack of impartiality and objectivity doesn’t push members of the public to lose confidence and trust in media broadcasting platforms (especially radio and TV stations), Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), mandated with regulating communication services in Uganda, has proclaimed a public notice requiring all media houses owners and managers to ensure that no one declares ambitions to seek electoral office in 2026, and continues holding out as a media practitioner at the same time.
In the widely-circulated public notice that was published as a special message in major newspapers this week, the Bugolobi-based Commission asserted that its not prudent practice to allow media employees to continue serving as news anchors and moderators for current affairs programs after they have declared aspirations to stand for MP and other elective offices in 2026.
The same applies to those who accept roles and responsibility to serve say as communication persons under any given political party or candidate.
The Commission has unequivocally demanded that no one should be permitted to continue in active media practice after commencing campaigns for any elective political office.
The Commission has equally declared as unacceptable the practice by some media personalities to autonomously use their social media platforms to engage in or exhibit partisan hostility or endorsement towards any political formation or candidate.
That this equally is bound to cause the noble journalism profession to be misunderstood and distrusted because majority members of the public, before whom media practitioners are expected to be neutral and objective, can’t easily draw a distinction between the two personas.
The Commission is also requiring media houses’ owners and managers to make sure that whoever can’t practice journalism while holding high levels of objectivity, fairness, neutrality and impartiality, in especially this political season, is forced out of their media employment. That failure to do without exhibiting overt bias breaches minimum ethics and standards expected of all media practitioners.
Prompted by growing complaints from members of the public flagging and protesting bias, hostility and total exclusion from some media platforms on the basis of one’s political affiliation, the UCC notice also talks about continued employment of politically biased news anchors and moderators as being synonymous with clear conflict of interest at the work place.
The Commission is also calling for equal treatment of all political actors, by the licensed media platforms, regardless of one’s political affiliation.
In existence for the last more than 25 years, UCC (as the regulator) derives its mandate from the Uganda Communications Act and the relevant regulations deriving therefrom.
The Commission is mandated to regulate and control all activities relating to the development of a modern communications sector that is inclusive of telecommunications, broadcasting, radio communications, postal communications, data communication and the attendant infrastructure.
The Uganda Communications Content Regulations 2019 specifically mandate UCC to license, monitor, control and set standards for all content that gets broadcast or published through all manner of platforms in Uganda. This includes radios, TVs and online platforms.
The public policy behind all this regulation by UCC is anchored in the prudent need to protect the public against the risks deriving from consuming poor quality, illegal, harmful and distasteful content or communication services.
Even when the Commission has always prioritized persuasive engagements, the legal and regulatory framework makes it mandatory for all broadcasters and media practitioners to be impartial, objective, balanced and unbiased while engaging in their journalism practice.
And all this is in line with the latest circular or public notice by the Commission requiring media houses’ owners and managers to do away with news anchors, presenters and current affairs programs moderators who can’t comply with such legal and regulatory requirements. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
