The High Cost of Internet in Uganda vs Freedom of Expression and Access To Information.

The law provides for freedom of expression and the right of access to information. Under the Ugandan Constitution of 1995 the law provides for the right to access of information

Article 41 of the constitution reads

1) Every citizen has a right to access to information in the possession of the State or any other organ or agency if the State except where the release of the information is likely to prejudice the security or sovereignty or interfere with the right to the privacy of any other person.

This article clearly indicates that all persons have the right to access information if it's for the benefit of them or the state or of it doesn't prejudice the right of others.

On May 7th, 2021, Uganda's 10th parliament passed the 'Excise Duty (Amendment) Bill, 2021' which introduced the 12% duty on internet data. This hiked the costs of data thus limitation on the access of information mostly by persons who have a low income earning status. This is a violation to their right of access to information. The newly levied tax took effect on July 1st .

Article 19, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights also entails that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Critiques interpreted the 12% increments on internet data as a form of censorship from the government, this is because the internet is the most used form of communication and source of information since we are in the digital era.

‘‘I’ve never supported these internet taxes because they kill our innovation as a country. Much of our work today is data reliant. The future depends on internet. They just want to control us,’’ AV Performance analyst Bridget Nattabi, 25, argues.(Daily Monitor source.)

However, the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) argues that over 7.5million internet users shunned the tax and instead opted for a Virtual Private Network (VPN), this crippled tax compliance of over 21 million internet users in Uganda will be achieved.

By Annet Namusisi ( A student of Journalism at MAK)