KAMPALA, Uganda — The Executive Director of the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), William Nyombi Thembo, has publicly rejected assertions that the decision to take Mubende-based Point FM Radio Station off air was politically motivated due to its plans to host National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine.
Mr. Nyombi Thembo stated that the regulatory action stemmed from the station’s repeated failure to adhere to licensing requirements, a matter the Commission had been addressing for several months.
“It is not true that we disconnected Point FM because of plans to host Mr Kyagulanyi,” Nyombi Thembo said.
The UCC chief elaborated that the Commission had spent nearly half a year reminding the station’s management to fulfill their regulatory obligations. He emphasized that Point FM was fully aware of the official grounds for the disconnection.
“You can ask the management of Point FM — before disconnecting them, we had written several times. They must have a copy of the disconnection order, which contains the details of why we disconnected them. They simply failed to resolve those issues,” Nyombi Thembo said.
The Executive Director declined to publicly disclose the specific compliance details, citing the confidential nature of the regulator-client relationship. “Point FM is our client, and we treat every licensed operator as our client. Therefore, it is not proper to discuss their disconnection in the media, but they know the reasons as our client,” he added.
Mr. Nyombi Thembo further provided assurance that Point FM would be allowed to resume broadcasting once the outstanding issues were resolved. “Their licence will be renewed, and they will get back on air once they resolve the matters that led to their disconnection,” he confirmed.
In addressing the allegations of political interference, the UCC head firmly defended the opposition candidate’s right to media access and dismissed claims linking the shutdown to his upcoming appearance.
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“Kyagulanyi is a presidential candidate, and we have no problem with any radio station hosting him. He is not an enemy of the state. Uganda is a democratic country, and as far as UCC is concerned, we have no issue with Kyagulanyi Ssentamu being hosted on any radio station,” Nyombi Thembo emphasized.
He stressed the principle of media parity in electoral coverage, encouraging broadcasters to maintain balance: “We encourage all radio stations to host every candidate and give them equal access to the airwaves. It would be wrong to suggest that the disconnection of Point FM is related to Kyagulanyi being hosted on that radio. Besides, no station is required or forced to host any particular candidate,” he concluded.
The radio station’s manager, Samuel Balaba Magala, had announced plans to host Bobi Wine during the “Ensonga” talk show on Saturday, October 4, with the station reaffirming the plans on October 7.
Mr. Kyagulanyi is scheduled to hold a public rally in Mubende on October 8, with Point FM 105.1 having been confirmed as the broadcast partner.
Attempts to obtain a comment from Point FM’s management were unsuccessful, as the station manager was reportedly unreachable.
