Kampala, Uganda | Free‑to‑air television stations across Uganda have been off the air for nearly a month due to an acute cash shortage at the national broadcaster, Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) and its signal‑distribution arm Signet Uganda.
Sources at UBC say the broadcaster has failed to pay taxes and fees on four transmitters, with vital spare parts held in customs due to unpaid duties. “There was a time when URA came with seals, saying: ‘UBC, we are going to close you,’” said UBC Managing Director Winston Agaba.
The company’s long‑running financial woes stem from the failed implementation of the UBC Act that envisioned a TV licence fee, stalled government funding, and accumulated debts estimated at Shs 30 billion owing to agencies such as the Uganda Revenue Authority (Shs 7 billion) and the National Social Security Fund (Shs 15 billion).
With the blackout affecting millions of free‑to‑air viewers who cannot afford paid TV, the disruption poses both a public service failure and a warning sign for Uganda’s broadcasting infrastructure.