Kampala Central Member of Parliament Muhammad Nsereko has defended the controversial Computer Misuse Amendment Bill. Yesterday, President Museveni signed and approved the bill, and it became law which has caused mixed reactions in the public.
The law targets misusers of social media for which access to another person’s information, audio, and video recording without authorization is punishable and attracts a fine of Shs.15 million or imprisonment for a period not exceeding ten years.
It also prohibits sharing information about children on a computer without the authorization of a parent. Speaking about the controversial Computer Misuse Act, Nsereko noted that it will create an inconvenience in the short term but in the future, it will help the country grow.
“There is no limit to freedom of expression. You are free to express yourself in the right way,” he said. Nsereko further added that he is proud to say that anyone that does child pornography should go to prison for 15 years, insisting that he has no regret in that.
“There is no law that prohibits me from amending a particular law, the one I chose to amend is the Computer Misuse Act and the reason is the progression in technology and cyberspace.”
He contended, “If anyone sends hate speech towards you, it’s part of the wider cyberbullying and they can be convicted under the same law (Computer Misuse (Amendment) Act, 2022).
“Under Computer Misuse, someone will think 10 times before they harm a nobody or do cyber bullying towards someone.” He divulged that one has all the freedom to say what they think is right.
“You also have the responsibility to defend it. No one is stopping you from saying what you want to say online but have your facts on the table.” He maintained that the law is there to particularly help Ugandans as a wider society, but it’s not targeting any individual, it’s actually protecting them.
He asserted, “We can make this country free from hate speech, cyberbullying, cyberstalking and other things. We can enjoy the technology space for the benefit of the generation of our young people and make it better for them.
“You are free to operate on your social media platforms, you can use them as much as you can but be responsible. If you think you cannot do that, there is a law now, if you want to break it, it’s your choice.”
Among other bills that were signed is the Kampala Capital City (Amendment) Act, 2022, the Mining and Minerals Act, 2022, and the Physical Planners’ Registration Act, 2022.
