SECTOR 1 • • • Draft Press and Journalists Amendment Bill – This Bill requires print media to be annually registered and licensed by the statutory Media Council which is also given powers to revoke a licence in case of breach of licensing conditions. “No one has yet been bold enough to present this in Parliament.” Uganda Communications Regulatory Authority Bill – This has had its second reading in Parliament, and seeks to merge the Uganda Communications Commission and Broadcasting Council, which were established previously under separate laws. “This Bill will have implications for free expression in terms of the regulation and ownership of media. It was dressed up as legislation addressing the convergence of communications, but it is really about the merger of the two regulators, which has already happened in practice.” Public Order Management Bill (2011): The Bill seeks not only to regulate the conduct of public meetings but extends to regulate the content of the discussion of issues at such meetings, in contravention of the right to freedom of speech and expression. When such laws have been tested in court, they have tended to be set aside or amended because the Constitutional guarantees are strong. Nonetheless, the authorities continue to enforce some of these repealed laws. Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 3.3 (2010: 2.9; 2007: 3.3) 1.2 The right to freedom of expression is practised and citizens, including journalists, are asserting their rights without fear. Citizens and journalists practice their right to free expression, but sometimes with a high level of fear. The majority of Ugandans (approx. 85 per cent) live in rural areas, where restrictions on what people dare to say are much greater than in urban areas. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER UGANDA 2012 13