Attendees of the Stakeholder Engagement at Kabale University
KABALE – A section of Information and Computer Technology experts has urged the Ugandan government to develop a comprehensive national policy regulating the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to mitigate the rising cyber crimes associated with the evolving landscape of digital technology.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The appeal was made today during a stakeholder consultation focused on Uganda’s National Emerging Technologies Strategy, held at Kabale University.
Organized by the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance in collaboration with the National Information Technology Authority-Uganda (NITA-U), the consultations aim to inform the creation of a policy framework that will guide the adoption, governance, and responsible use of emerging digital technologies across various sectors of the economy.
Prof. Businge Phelix Mbabazi, Dean of the Faculty of Computing, Library, and Information Science at Kabale University, highlighted that academic institutions are struggling to develop cohesive policies aimed at regulating AI, especially regarding plagiarism detection and manipulation of exam scores. He emphasized that it is high time for the government to establish a national policy to streamline the use of AI technologies uniformly.
“Currently, some institutions have no policies in place, while others are still struggling to formulate them. A national policy could make this process much easier,” he stated.
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Benjamin Taremwa, the IT officer at Rugarama Hospital, said he had seen people celebrating the recent nullification of the Computer Misuse Act 2022, but warned that with the introduction of AI and other technologies, this legal vacuum may be exploited to commit online crimes.
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Dr. Wilbroad Byamukama, founder of Wibry Agro Innovations Ltd, urged the Ministry and NITA-U to deepen their consultations within rural communities, noting that many individuals involved in diverse sectors, particularly agriculture, could be impacted by policies regulating emerging technologies.
“Sometimes, these policies face resistance from the public because consultations are limited to select groups,” he remarked.
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Dr. Gloria Nassuna, Engineer in charge of data networks at the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, explained that once finalized, the Emerging Technologies Strategy is expected to steer the use of digital tools and platforms to bolster economic growth, drawing lessons from other countries that have implemented similar strategies.
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Joseph Kigundu, an ICT consultant at the Ministry, revealed that the countrywide consultations seek input from various sectors before the finalization of the strategy, anticipated by the end of April, 2026. The process, which began in Kampala, will continue with upcoming engagements in Gulu and Soroti.
“These forums aim to gather sector-specific insights, identify opportunities and challenges, and generate policy recommendations to shape the national strategy,” he added
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During the opening of the first consultation, Dr. Aminah Zawedde, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, underscored Uganda’s progress in digital transformation, including the development of a national data strategy to support data-driven technologies.
“We deliberately strengthened the fundamentals, beginning with a national data strategy that will guide how data is governed, shared, and utilized across government and the wider economy,” she said.
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