UCC closes down eleven radio stations over non-compliance

Kampala September 17—The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has shut down eleven radio stations across the country for operating illegally.

The affected stations include; Mayuge 99.3 FM in Mayuge district, Kasanda 98.8 FM in Mubende, Green Radio 104.3 FM in Mubende, Community Green Radio 103.9 in Kiboga Town Council, Mpororo 89.8 FM in Ntungamo, California 103.6 FM in Kiryandongo, Miracle 98.2 FM in Sembabule, Lwamata FM in Kiboga District, Ngabu 89.9 FM in Bunyangabu, Voice of Bukuya 89.5 FM in Kasanda District, and Eye FM (Nalugooli) – 94.6 in Iganga.

Announcing the closure of the radio stations at the UCC headquarters in Kampala Tuesday, the UCC Executive director, Mr. Nyombi Thembo, said that the decision was reached following an investigation into the stations’ operations and aired content, which he said, breached standards related to unethical programming, and failure to adhere to licensing agreements.

The grounds for shutdown, according to Nyombi, include; failure to operate with annual compliance certificate, failure to operate within the technical parameters, operating with non approved equipment, broadcasting content that is contrary to minimum broadcasting standards, failure to pay license fees among others.

“You are not supposed to operate without a license. There are those are licensed, but compliance is the problem,” Nyombi said.

He added: “You don’t see any professionalism. Radios are becoming centers of abuse; they are abusing everybody, they are abusing leaders, they are abusing each other. This undermines the integrity of the sector, and it must stop. As Commission, when we license you, you must adhere to minimum broadcasting standards. We cannot allow this to continue for the good of everybody. They must be brought to book.”

Nyombi also warned any other possible media outlets that could be operating illegally to halt operations with immediate effect.

“If you are broadcasting illegally, stop it. Otherwise, we are going to switch you off. Switch off before we come for you. If we come for you, we will switch you off at your own cost and prosecute you,” he warned.

UCC’s move is likely to attract significant backlash from the media fraternity and human rights activists.

This is not the first time the Uganda Communications Commission has taken action against media outlets.

In 2021, the UCC directed eleven television stations to reschedule their adult-themed gossip shows to air between 10pm and 5am if they wanted to keep them on air. The Commission said they were not complying with the minimum broadcasting standards.

The targeted shows, which primarily focused on celebrity gossip, included NBS TV’s Uncut Sabula and Uncut Kalakata, Spark TV’s Live Wire, Urban TV’s Short Circuit Sonsomola, ABS TV’s Evening Zone, Baba TV’s Poko Poko, and BBS TV’s Roundabout. Others affected were Dream TV’s Tik Taka Sesetura, Kingdom TV’s Kapyaki, STV’s Select E-Buzz, BTM TV’s Access, and Top TV’s Kachumbali.

The UCC stated that the decision followed numerous complaints from the public about these programs breaching the minimum broadcasting standards.

Nyombi emphasized the need for broadcasters to follow ethical guidelines, ensuring that programming remains responsible and in line with the law.