Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has reversed its decision to withdraw the frequency FM 98.0 currently used by Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) in Kampala. UCC had planned to hand over the frequency to Parliament, which has been trying to set up its own radio station for over a year.
In a twist of events, UCC Executive Director Godfrey Mutabazi instructed Parliament to instead supply content to UBC, which shall then air the material to the public. This comes after Parliament had finalized plans to set up its own studio and recruit staff.
Winston Agaba the Managing Director of UBC in response to queries about the Parliament radio license and frequency argued that it would be difficult for the house to maintain its own station, when it is sometimes in recess.
“Parliament will bring the content as and when they have it and UBC runs it. That’s what we are looking at as ideal, as you know some times Parliament is in recess, so what will be happen in that kind of period,” Agaba said.
On another note, UCC also reduced the Effective Radiated Power (ERP) for the Parliament Radio from 3 Kilowatts to 1 Kilowatts, citing congestion within the central region. Officials at the regulator say all stations receiving licenses in Kampala are being allotted ERP of 1 Kilowatt, to avoid them interfering with the signal of other stations in neighboring districts.
