KAMPALA, UGANDA: Parliament of Uganda Thursday passed MP Muhammad Nsereko’s Controversial Computer Misuse Amendment Bill 2022 that prohibits hate speech and makes it criminal to degrade another person, tribe, ethnicity, religion or gender.
Nsereko who tabled before parliament maintained that it was important for the bill to come into act as a regulation of continued misuse of social media by Ugandans.
The inside part of the bill makes it criminal if caught sharing photos of minors or any person on social media without seeking the consent on the same.
Clause three of the bill also prohibits the sending, sharing or transmitting of any information about or relating to a child through computer unless the person obtains consent of the child’s parent, guardian or any other person having authority on behalf of the child.
Mawogola South Legislator Gorreth Namugga however presented a minority report opposing the majority report that was tabled by the ICT Committee chairperson Moses Magogo
The committee however after examining the the case between journalist Charles Onyango Obbo and Attorney general, recommended that clause six should be amended to remove reference to the criminalisation of sharing misleading information
Magogo said that the amendments are intended to punish those who misuse social media to tarnish other people’s image.
However the clause seeking to restrict leaders or public officers who commit any offence under the Computer Misuse Act from holding any public office for a period of 10 years was deleted.
Kampala Central MP, Muhammed Nsereko, who proposed the amendments, was conspicuously absent.
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