By TV10 Editorial Team.
The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has suspended the operating license of Pearl FM (107.9), a Muslim-founded media station, for allegedly broadcasting “alarmist” and “sensational” information related to the Kawempe North by-election.
This decision was made after the station’s presenter, Sulaiman Kalule, claimed on air that there was ballot stuffing and vote rigging in some parts of Kawempe during the show “Mpulidde Kamenya”.
According to UCC Executive Director Nyombi Thembo, Kalule’s statements were inaccurate, misleading, and full of distortions, and he failed to distinguish between comments, conjecture, and facts.
Thembo emphasized that the suspension is necessary to protect the public during the emotive election period in Kawempe.
The UCC has ordered Pearl FM to shut down all its broadcast services with immediate effect until the commission completes its investigations.
This move comes amidst heightened tension and security deployment in Kawempe North, where journalists have been roughed up and some media houses have withdrawn their teams.
The main competition in the Kawempe North by-election is between NUP’s Elias Nalukoola and NRM’s Farida Nambi.
The UCC’s decision to suspend Pearl FM’s license has raised concerns about media freedom and the commission’s powers to regulate broadcasting content.
