Uganda bans erotic dances and vulgar languages on broadcast media

The Cabinet has agreed to ban erotic dances and drama as well as vulgar language on broadcast media, Information Minister, Jim Muhwezi, has said.

Those the court might find to have flouted the new regulations could be fined Shs10 million or serve up to ten years in prison.

In the extreme cases, the offenders would have to pay the fine and serve a 10-year prison term.

Thus far, Mr Muhwezi said some people and women activists have misunderstood the Anti-p*rnography Act, 2014, thinking it bans miniskirts.

To address the misunderstanding, Mr Muhwezi said during a press conference on Thursday, April 28 in Kampala, the cabinet agreed on the new anti-p*rnography regulations.

"Cabinet scrutinised the provisions of the Anti-p*rnography Act, 2014 with the view of addressing its ambiguity to ease its applicability in Uganda," Mr Muhwezi said.

"After scrutiny, cabinet has approved the anti-p*rnography regulations, 2015, which we believe will now ease the implementation of the Anti-p*rnography Act, 2014. The guidelines prohibit broadcasting of sexually explicit material in the form of still pictures, video footage and vulgar presenter utterances on our media airwaves."

To the effect, cabinet has directed the Ethics ministry to issue a statutory instrument to gazette the regulations "so that enforcement can commence immediately".

The new regulations come on the heels of the formation of a P*rnography Control Committee, which will, among other roles, sniff for p*rnographic material before it is even offloaded on the public and to destroy such offensive matter.

Dr Annette Kezaabu Kasimbazi heads the committee whose other members are Pastor Martin Ssempa, Dalton Oponya, Sheikh Ali Waiswa, Joan Kyomugisha, Gastone Byamugisha, Hafisa Kabagonja, Victoria Ssentamu and Fred Nyakori.

At the beginning of this month, Ethics minister Simon Lokodo said the government would next fiscal year spend Shs2.6 billion on p*rnography detecting software.

The software would be installed on electronic gadgets such as mobile phones and even computers, which would automatically send an alert to the control room - giving the details about the kind of gadget being used for p*rnography.

All this, Mr Lokodo said, is meant to ease the enforcement of the anti-p*rnography act.