The Uganda Communications Commission(UCC) has put on notice proprietors and managers of 222 radio stations across the country after failing to renew their broadcast licences .
According to UCC, 181 radio stations applied for renewal of their broadcast licences, but only 50 met the requirements. The annual licence fees for commercial radio, tier 1 (national radio) is fixed at Shs7 million, and tier 2 (Kampala region) at Shs5.6 million.
Annual licence fees for tier 3 (regional cities) are at Shs4.2 million and tier 4 (rest of the country) at Shs3.5 million.
Mr Fred Otunnu, the director of corporate affairs at UCC, said if they enforce the law, only 50 radio stations will remain on air.
“If we are to strictly adhere to the law, you will have only a few radio stations on air now because the majority have failed to meet the requirements for renewal of their broadcast licences,” he said.
Recently, UCC closed down 19 radio stations for operating illegally. The latest was Point FM in Mubende District. The closure caused uproar.
The State Minister for ICT, Mr Godfrey Kabbyanga, urged the public to adhere to the law.
He said the country does not need so much radio because it can destabilise its security.
“We have many radio and TV stations in the country because of the liberation of the airwaves,” he added. However, he said only 70 radio stations can serve the country appropriately.
“The majority of these radio stations are owned by politicians, and their interest is not about business but to use them for political campaigns,” he added.
Uganda has 282 radio stations spread across the country. According to the Uganda Human Rights Commission, Northern Uganda has the third-highest number of licensed radio stations in the country. The report indicates that there are 72 radio stations in northern Uganda.
The region with the highest number of radio stations is western at 95, followed by central at 85. Meanwhile, the eastern region has the fewest number of radio stations at 52.
The report further indicates that the majority of Ugandans, both in urban and rural areas, rely on radio to access information, while television use is more prevalent in urban areas.
A 2023 report by Ipsos also indicates that 73 percent of Ugandans tune into the radio at least once a week, compared to only 28 percent who view television
