SECTOR 3 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: 2.3 (2010: 1.4; 2007: 1.7) 3.4 The state/public broadcaster is accountable to the public through a board representative of society at large and selected in an independent, open and transparent manner. The Uganda Broadcasting Corporation Act of 2005 sought to establish a “public national broadcasting centre of excellence” (Article 4.a), and to “achieve and sustain comprehensive national radio and television coverage” (Article 4.b). However, the law also states that the UBC is “wholly owned by the government” (Article 3.3), while the information minister directly appoints the UBC’s Board (Article 7.1). Those Board members appointed by the minister should be “prominent Ugandans of proven integrity by virtue of their qualifications, expertise and experience in the fields of broadcasting, technology, media law, business management, finance, and journalism” (Article 7.2). The Board appoints the corporation’s Managing Director, but only with the minister’s approval (Article 11.2). The Board reports annually to the minister, who tables the report in Parliament (Article 24). When it comes to its editorial content, the UBC is accountable to the government-appointed Broadcasting Council (Article 22.g). Therefore, the UBC is “a de facto state broadcaster” that is not independent of government. The minister suspended the UBC Board and Managing Director in May 2011 to pave the way for investigations into alleged corruption. A commissioner from the Gender and Social Development Ministry was appointed Acting Managing Director, and he reports to the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister13. Since then the UBC has been running without a board. 13 ‘Uganda Broadcasting Corporation Managing Director sacked’, New Vision, May 21, 2011 (sourced from: http:// allafrica.com/stories/201105230067.html) AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER UGANDA 2012 47