UCC Can Only Monitor 60 Radio Stations Of The 222
The Director Legal Affairs in UCC Suzan Awegoye and the Acting ED UCC Jonas Muhoozi Banturaki before Parliament's Committee on Gender.
The Uganda Communications Commission-UCC can only monitor 20 televisions and 68 radio stations using the digital logger, the gender committee of parliament learnt on Wednesday.
While appearing before the committee, Paul Mukasa, the Manager Content Regulation at UCC said the commission depends on complaints from listeners and viewers.
He disclosed this after MPs complained that radio stations continue running adverts promoting witch doctors involved in child sacrifice.
UCC had appeared before the Gender committee to make a presentation on the adverts run on different radio and television stations promoting traditional healers.
The Gender Committee is handling a petition that was tabled in July 2012 by the Namutumba Woman MP Florence Mutyabule on the anti-Child Sacrifice and Ritual Murders in the country.
According to the International Telecommunication Union figures sourced from UCC, the number of licensed radio stations in the country now stands at 222, of which 192 are operational, while 35 of the 50 licensed television stations are on air.
Winnie Kizza, the Kasese District Woman MP expressed concern on the failure of UCC to monitor all the stations yet it is mandated to monitor media content.
Arinaitwe Rwakajara, the workers MP and Chairperson of the Gender Committee questioned why UCC continues to license media houses that it is unable to monitor. He noted that leaving media Houses unmonitored compromises the security of the country.
Suzan Awegoye, the Director Legal Affairs at UCC noted that it may not be possible for them to monitor what is being aired all over the country but they have regional offices through which they do basic monitoring using simple receivers.
She noted that the digital logger system which picks in real time what is going on air is being expanded.
Jonas Bantulaki, the Acting Executive Director UCC noted that they are constrained by financial limiting, but he hastened to add that they plan to extend their presence to Masindi, Mbale and Mbarara. He noted that it is UCC’s intention to cover the country as first as they can.
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Thre radios in east and north that you listen to and wonder how they got on air their content of broadcast mamamamamamamamm
let thm nt monitor any
There is excuse for failure to regulate TV and Radio regardless of number. Every media must follow without excuse