ICT Cabinet
Secretary William Kabogo has reiterated the government’s commitment to
enhancing freedom of expression in the country.
The CS, who spoke on Thursday during the launch of The Code of Conduct for Media Practice, 2025, said while the government has the capacity to switch off a media station, at no time has it contemplated doing so.
"The government has the capacity to switch off any
radio station. But we do not have the intention to switch off anyone because
there is freedom of expression that is enshrined in the constitution,” Kabogo
said.
Kabogo asked
the media to remain truthful and report matters of public interest responsibly
to avert scenarios where the media become purveyors of misinformation.
He asked the
media industry players to endeavour to self-regulate and agree on
how to conduct their operations professionally.
“If you ask
me to say something, one of them will be let us be responsible,” he said.
The CS was
reacting to remarks he made in his early days in office, which he said were
taken out of context.
This is
after media reports insinuated that he had threatened to shut down some media stations,
reports he said shocked him, as he did not say that.
“We have to understand how to play and be fair and just. It is important to report fairly and accurately. The trending, I enjoyed, that was good,” he said.
“We have a country to protect, we have no other. Let us be accountable to the people we serve. Let us never forget that in every broadcast headline or tweet lies the power to either build or break. Together let us safeguard the future of our media and through it the future of our country.”
He said there is a plan to reorganise KBC and make it an international standard broadcasting corporation as long as he remains the ICT CS.
