Resident District and City Commissioners (RDCs/RCCs) in Eastern Uganda have come under fire for allegedly misusing government airtime allocated by broadcasters for public education.
According to the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) Act of 2013, all radio and television stations are mandated to provide one hour of free airtime per week to the government.
This airtime is strictly reserved for public education on government policies, programs, and services—explicitly excluding any political content as per UCC guidelines.
However, during a regional broadcasters’ meeting held at Akello Hotel in Soroti City, several radio station managers expressed concerns about increasing violations of this directive by RDCs.
Justus Akol, Station Manager at Continental FM in Kumi Municipality, recounted a recent confrontation with an RDC who attempted to use the designated airtime to promote the activities of a non-governmental organisation.
Akol revealed that the NGO was even prepared to pay for the airtime—providing potential income for the station—but the RDC insisted on utilising the free slot allocated for government messaging.
Peterson Hiirya, of Teso Broadcasting Service (TBS) in Soroti City, noted that some RDCs have begun using the airtime to push political campaigns ahead of the upcoming election season, in blatant disregard of the UCC’s non-political guideline.
He raised concerns about the growing pressure on broadcasters and questioned how they are expected to handle such situations as the political season intensifies.
In response to the complaints, Daniel Baitwababo, a senior officer in charge of standards at the UCC, advised broadcasters to firmly uphold the guidelines. He encouraged them to engage RDCs in constructive dialogue, emphasizing the importance of protecting the integrity of public service airtime.
“Broadcasters must safeguard their platforms from misuse and ensure that this airtime is used solely for content that genuinely serves the public interest,” Baitwababo said.
