Speaker Kadaga under Pressure from Donors over Parliament Radio

Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has written to the Ministry of ICT over the Parliament radio which has remained nonoperational over lack of frequency.

In 2018, Parliament with support from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) started an FM radio project with a frequency that covers all parts of the country, to communicate parliamentary activities to the public. Whereas the state-of-the art studio and all other equipment had been put in place by late 2018, the machinery has remained redundant after Parliament failed to get a frequency from Uganda Communication Commission (UCC).

In her January 25 letter, Kadaga has written to the Minister of ICT Judith Nabakooba demanding for response on her undertaking to acquire a frequency for the parliament radio. During the vetting process in 2019, the Appointments Committee raised concern over the “inexplicable and unwarranted” delay in issuing a frequency for the Parliament radio.

“An undertaking was made by your good self, to resolve this matter. However, we have not had any feedback from your Ministry. This delay has cast parliament in a bad light especially in view of the fact that UNDP has expended considerable sums of money to actualize the facility,” Kadaga says in her letter to the ICT Minister.

The Parliamentary Commission is expected to sit this week to among others discuss the progress of the Parliament radio. Apparently, UCC allocated the Parliament radio station one of the frequencies of the national broadcaster, Uganda Broadcasting Corporation – UBC. However, the Parliament Commission rejected the radio frequency (98.0) because it only covers Kampala and central region, yet their interest is a countrywide radio frequency. Among other issues that stalled as a result of the delayed frequency is the recruitment of staff whose recruitment process was suspended at the final stage.