Journalists challenged to speak out about computer misuse law

Political players have continued to challenge journalists not to fold their hands after assenting to what they referred to as the draconian computer misuse Law if the media profession is to survive.

The secretary-general of the National Economic Empowerment Dialogue party, Asuman Odaka says with the newly amended computer misuse act assented to, the media and journalism practice in Uganda is on the verge of collapse.

The Computer Misuse (Amendment) Bill, 2022, was presented by Kampala Central Member of Parliament Mohammed Nsereko as a private member’s bill, on grounds that existing laws do not specifically address the regulation of information sharing on social media.

Odaka says that whereas the law affects many Ugandans including politicians, it mainly intends to crush the media practitioners using computers and social media platforms.

Written by Prossy Kisakye