By Andrew Irumba
Kampala:The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) last week directed 13 media houses to suspend over 39 news editors, program managers and journalists.
UCC accuses the said journalists of allegedly breaching the minimum broadcasting standards. However, as you read this,the directives have started being implemented and so far two journalists have been fired for allegedly broadcasting news about Bobi Wine. Spy Uganda can reveal that NBS TV news anchor Joyce Bagala and veteran journalist cum drama actor Charles Ssekunbuge aka Siasa of Salt Media have already tasted UCC’s wrath. Bagala and Ssenkubuge have already been axed by their respective media house bosses for allegedly continuously airing news about Bobi Wine, which, according to UCC, breaches the minimum broadcasting standards.
However, their firing comes at a time when the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB)is set to meet UCC bosses such that they can iron out some of the impasse between the Commission and the affected media houses.NAB recently requested UCC to rescind its directives to media houses of suspending the affected news editors, program managers and producers. The meeting is slated for this Tuesday May 7th, 2019 at the UCC House in Bugolobi.
However, on a separate investigative piece this website run last week,it revealed how actually the whole issue of the said media houses and the affected journalists stems from top security orgarna of the state like ISO and ESO. According to them,the affected journalists are on the payroll of foreign powers, who, together with key opposition figures want this elected Gov’t led by late Amos Kaguta’s to collapse even yesterday. Security believes they’re being used as conduits to topple people’s Gov’t by showing the world that Kampala is burning, that way they would mobilize the international community in various asoects to help push out the man from Rwakitura even when his term is still up and running.
During Saturday’s 91.3 Capital FM’s Capital Gang talkshows, UCC Executive Director Eng.Godfrey Mutabazi thanked NBS TV management for leading in the implimantation of their directives when he revealed that the said staff (Joe Bagala) had already been asked to ‘step aside’.
So the question this reporter leaved with you is; Do you truly believe UCC will Tuesday handover a bunch of solutions to aggrieved media houses? Your answer is as good as mine.
