Rukungiri District Chairperson Geoffrey Kyomukama has made it categorically clear that digital technology is playing a crucial role in advancing education and business which will transform Ugandans to greater heights.
Kyomukama made the remarks on Friday August 15th while speaking at a one day Regional Consumer Dialogue organised by Uganda Communications Commission at Hotel Riverside in Rukungiri Municipality where he called for stronger interventions to curb fraud and immorality in the telecommunications sector.
This comes after the Uganda Communications Commission carried out a survey that indicated that 54.2% of telecom consumers in Rukungiri District have experienced fraud attempts and 60% of these incidents occurring through phone calls.
Kyomukama noted that digital technology has come to stay to facilitate the day to day businesses and therefore it’s a noble individual duty to understand how to move with it without being inconvenienced.
The event brought together telecom companies that included MTN and Airtel, service providers that included American Tower Corporation (ATC) led by Robert Muhereza, Crane Digital, Uganda Telecommunication Company Godfrey Ninsiima, business leaders in telecom services, the Media and telecom Consumers aimed at addressing consumer challenges and promote digital safety.
According to Consumer Awareness Digital Safety Survey conducted by Uganda Communications Commission from August 13th to 14th 2025 in Rukungiri District sampled insights from 1,235 respondents across Nyamayenje, Nyakibale, Nyakatoma, Kikona and Masheku revealed that 98% of respondents use telecommunication services. however, 58.3% people do not know how to verify if their phone is genuine, leaving many vulnerable to counterfeit devices.
Uganda Communications Commission Customer Care Officer Kenneth Tweheyo said that although the Organization is facing many challenges to ensure digital safety, they are committed to ensure that the consumers are protected and that is the reason they are carrying out consumer awareness across the country.
Tweheyo made particular emphasis on SIM card registration which is vital in protecting the owners and this should be done by using the correct names that appear on the National ID.
The Uganda Communications Commission Western Regional Manager Jude Murindwa advised the public to avoid clicking suspicious links on social media and refrain from using public Wi-Fi when accessing sensitive information such as bank accounts.
While speaking at the closure of the Dialogue, Rukungiri Deputy Resident District Commissioner Wilberforce Ahimbisibwe Ongom urged parents to closely monitor their children’s internet use to protect them from harmful online content.
Ahimbisibwe warned that unregulated access encourages the creation and sharing of inappropriate material especially among youth who are the most vulnerable group when it comes to computer misuse.
