The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) is set to meet executive members of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) to iron out disagreements on breach of minimum broadcasting standards.
The meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 7, at the Commission headquarters in Bugolobi, according to a letter by UCC Executive Director Godfrey Mutabazi, to NAB chairman Kin Karisa.
“Reference is made to the above-captioned subject (repeated breach of the minimum broadcasting standards) and your letter dated 2nd May 2019 in which you requested for a meeting with Uganda Communications Commission (UCC). The Commission agrees to meet the executive of NAB and hereby invites you for a meeting on Tuesday …,” the letter reads.
But Mutabazi has not indicated whether the directive to radios and TVs to suspend senior staff is rescinded. This was a key request in Kin Karisa’s letter to Mutabazi, dated Thursday, May 2, 2019.
On Wednesday, UCC ordered six televisions and seven radio stations to suspend 39 staff over alleged breach of minimum broadcasting standards. The affected media houses are; NTV, NBS TV, BBS TV, Bukedde TV, Salt TV, Akaboozi FM, Beat FM, Bukedde TV, Capital FM, CBS FM, Kingdom TV, Pearl FM, Sapientia FM and Simba FM. UCC ordered each of the stations to suspend the producers, head of news, and head of programmes.
UCC’s call for suspension arose out of the coverage of Monday’s arrest and prosecution of Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi also known as Bobi Wine. Karisa has urged the media industry regulator to rescind suspension directives arguing that effecting the “abrupt suspension of key staff on the orders of UCC will have adverse consequences on the operations of the media houses.”
Karisa said that the impromptu directive will undermine the quality of journalism by creating an environment of fear, weaken in-media house standards and controls and compromise opportunities for dialogue between UCC and broadcasters.
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