Government has tabled a Bill before parliament seeking to remove parliamentary approval of regulations required in implementing the Uganda Communications Act, 2013. The Uganda Communications Act, 2013 was enacted to consolidate and harmonize the Uganda Communications Act and the Electronic Media Act; to dissolve the Uganda Communications Commission and the Broadcasting Council and reconstitute them as one body known as the Uganda Communications Commission.

The Attorney General, Fred Ruhindi, presented the Uganda Communications (Amendment) Bill, 2016 for its first reading during Parliament’s plenary session. The Bill seeks to amend section 93(1) of the Uganda Communications Act, 2013 to remove the requirement for parliamentary approval of regulations made by the Minister under the Act.
The Act grants the Minister powers to make regulations relating to among others: fees payable upon the grant or renewal of a license; the classification or categories of licenses; the use of any communications station, apparatus or license; and anti-competitive practices. In addition, the Minister has powers to make regulations on the retention of records relating to programmes or broadcasts; the obligations of proprietors, producers or broadcaster in respect of public broadcasts; and the regulation of community broadcasting.

In the Memorandum to the Bill, the Minister said that two conflicting provisions were incorporated while enacting the Uganda Communications Act, 2013. In section 93(1), the Act provides that ‘The Minister may, after consultation with the Commission and with the approval of Parliament, by statutory instrument, make regulations for better carrying into effect the provisions of this Act.’ In section 93(3) however, the Act says 3) ‘Regulations made shall be laid before Parliament.’

The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, referred the Bill to the Committee of Parliament

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Members of Parliament are divided over a clause in the Tobacco control bill 2014 seeking to force a smoker to buy a whole packet of cigarette as a deterrent for youth not to smoke. A number of MPS while at a meeting  organized by Uganda National Health Users’/Consumers’ Organization at Serena Hotel in Kampala some say they want a law imposing a restriction on the sale of a stick of cigarette so as youth and low earning people are not exposed to high consumption of tobacco products which are harmful to their health.

Kalungu West MP Joseph Ganzaga Sewungu said that people should be given their rights to buy one stick. The woman MP for Bundibugyo  district, Harriet Ntabazi,  opposed  the idea  of selling one stick of cigarette because it  compromises the health of Ugandan who cannot in future  get required treatment fees for tobacco related diseases.

The shadow Minister for health Dr. Lulume Bayiga said that the Tobacco control bill 2014 is also intended to protect children from exposure to tobacco products which can damage children tissues at an early age.

The Tobacco control bill seeks to have a clause barring youth below 21 years from smoking. The Manager of the Centre for Tobacco Control in Africa (CTCA) Dr. Prosy Mugyenyi said that the label of graphics on tobacco products must have health warnings, visible and scaring all those who smoke in public, informing its citizens about the deadly consequences of tobacco use.

On another note the Technical Advisor on the occupational safety and Health standards in the ministry of Gender, labour and social Development Dr. Deogratious Sekimpi says that the new Tobacco control bill which is before parliament will be fully implemented to catch the smokers who abuse other people’s right of living in a free tobacco zone. He said that the new law will be a voice for the non-smoking people against smokers.

The debate on the Tobacco control bill 2014 is expected to start today in parliament.

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On Friday last week I attended a human rights dialogue convened by human rights network in Uganda and the police force and human rights activists interfaced at Nkumba University and the deliberations pre-empted this journalist to find out a draft of the public order management bill, 2009 to which the police was defending very much and activists were against.

And this journalist observed after reading it that once passed into law it will pose serious challenges to enjoyment of freedom of expression, speech, and assembly which are fundamental freedoms and human rights.

The proposed public order management bill raises grave concerns about the situation of human rights and rule of law in Uganda in so far as it; the spirit of this bill intends to reintroduce the provisions of the police act, cap 303 which were nullified by the constitutional court in the case of Muwanga Kivumbi vs the attorney general of Uganda (constitutional petition no.9/05) and this contrary to article 92 of the constitution which prohibits enactment of laws intended to overturn a judicial ruling.

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The public order management bill has been widely criticised by members of the public with some politicians terming it as “a disaster to Ugandans and an infringement on the freedom of speech and after speech.”

After reading through the bill, the president of the Democratic Party, Norbert Mao got no kind words for it and he says that if this bill is passed into law Ugandans will be completely gagged.

The bill grants the inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Minister for internal affairs wide discretionary and unjustifiable powers over the management of public meetings. The bill places numerous extensive and impractical obligations on the organisers of public meetings, which are impossible to satisfy, and seeks not to regulate the conduct of public meetings but extend to regulate the content of the discussion of issues at such meetings, in contravention of the right to freedom of speech.

There is a provision in this bill which mandates the organizer of the meeting to write to the Inspector General of Police 5 days before the meeting/party/function.

This clause above rally doesn’t look at the miscellaneous circumstances like death which happen any time and people have to assemble. The bill provides that even 3 people gathering one has to first inform the Inspector General of police. If you have visitors home you inform the police. The critics anticipate that the government is about to regulate how people sleep in bed.

Walakira Nyanzi

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The current bill gives the minister powers to issue and revoke licenses to oil companies.

However several Mps including Alice Alaso, Barnabas Tinkasimire and Crispus Ayena say this will be dangerous and could breed corruption.

Some legislators insist that the powers to issue and revoke licenses be vested in the Oil Authority to be established by the same law.

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The call was made by the chairperson of the parliamentary forum on oil Theodore Sekikubo while commenting on the ongoing parliamentary discussions on the oil bills.

Sekikubo says that the continued delays not only discourage members from debating but also affects the quality of debate.

He says that according to the rules of procedure the bill should have been handled immediately when parliament resumed but up to now it hasn’t been brought up.

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The Commissioner General Allen Kagina says they initially had issues with both bills but after meeting the ministers of finance and energy some issues were cleared with only a few others still pending.

She says that they had agreed to delete some clauses in the finance management bill that restricted URA to only collection which is a very narrow and incapacitating provision.

URA boss, ALlen kagina

Kagina also says that if URA’S submission is considered the bill will be aligned to the income tax act that stipulates penalty and the petroleum exploration development and production bill.

She now urges parliament to consider the URA’s submissions if the finance management bill is to be helpful to the country.

Before they went on recess, the MPs were handling the oil bills but failed to reach a conclusion following disagreement between parliament and the executive on the powers given to the minister in the bills.

The MPs said that the minister was given too much powers compared to the roles of other stake holders.

Related articles

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• NRM MPs fail to agree on Uganda oil development bill
• Denis Obua wants Bank of Uganda Questioned over misused finances
• MPs to make access to health a human right

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Singer Abdul Mulaasi met a girl on facebook, chatted again and again, and became good friends. Time went on and they talked about becoming husband and wide.

Abdul Mulaasi is now to be introduced by this UK based Kyeyo girl identified as Fatumah Mugenyi.

Surprisingly the singer is currently broke because his music no longer sales. So the girl is meeting all the costs and the function is to be held at Resort Beach Munyonyo. But in traditional Africa or Buganda in particular it was a man to foot the bill of okwanjula (introduction). So kwanjula is completely lost meaning in Buganda kingdom.

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Nevertheless, as a human rights organisation, FIDA is strongly opposed to the proposed anti homosexuality bill. In the first instance, human rights are in born and belong to all individuals equally without requiring any permission for their enjoyment. Human rights are also not conferred    by the state or by any other institution, organisation or person.

According to the press release FIDA Uganda has issued in Kampala today, it says that the proposed anti homosexuality bill is unnecessary and redundant. It says that the current criminal law for example the penal code act amendment of 2007 fully protects all children, whether boys or girls from sexual exploitation by any person who may abuse his or her position of power or authority. The penal code act already provides for the offences outlined in the homosexuality bill.

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The Firearms, Ammunition and Related Materials Bill is expected to harmonize and regulate use of guns in Uganda once passed into an act. In Uganda guns are accessed mostly by security organs.

The government is also planning to recall all guns from people who will have to reapply for new guns once the bill is passed into an act of parliament. The number of guns in Uganda is not known.

The Director of legal affairs in the internal affairs ministry Lt .Col Godard Busingye says that the government is ready to check on misuse of guns in Uganda. He has also asked Ugandans to support the bill when it comes on the floor of parliament.

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