Uganda';s communications commission has suspended over 30 journalists for their roles in reporting about the arrest of opposition figure Bobi Wine. He faces trial for staging a protest and has since been released on bail, state own media outlets disclosed.

A government body that regulates Uganda';s media has ordered the suspension of producers, head of news and head of programs of 13 broadcasting stations after reporting on the case of Ugandan pop star turned politician, Kyagulanyi Ssentamu  known as Bobi .

The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) cited "concerns over the nature of content aired on these broadcast stations" claiming the journalists gave sensational coverage to Wine.

This comes after journalists reported on Wine';s court hearings. Wine who has hinted at running for president in 2021 against longterm President Yoweri Museveni faces trial over staging a street protest last July against a social media tax. He also faces separate treason charges.

"As Uganda gets ready to mark this year';s World Press Freedom Day, it';s saddening to learn of the continued infringement of media rights by several government agencies," the president of the Uganda Journalists Association, Haji Kazibwe Bashir Mbaziira, said in a statement.

';Another step in the wrong direction';

"This is another step in the wrong direction by the ';regulators'; as we seek to build and have a freely conducive and productively progressive media landscape in Uganda," he added.

"In total over 30 journalists are on the verge of losing their jobs and this will not only affect their lives and profession, but millions of Ugandans are set to miss out on the services of these dedicated men and women of the fourth estate."

Kin Kariisa, the chairperson of the National Broadcasters Association (NAB), says the UCC has overstepped its mandate. "We are engaging them first as individual media houses; then after we are meeting as NAB to see what we need to do such that we check the excesses of the regulator," he told DW.

Francis Babu, a member of President Museveni';s ruling National Resistance Movement who also owns a radio station, says the reasons behind the move by UCC are political.

"I do agree that sometimes during a broadcast a few things go through," he told DW. "But I think the reason has been political and they are using UCC to solve that problem. That is not the way to solve these problems."

"To sack presenters, to threaten media to write letters, I think that';s very unfortunate," he added.

Journalists also said they are receiving threatening phone calls from alleged state agents asking them to stop covering the opposition.

"They are being accused of promoting the opposition and there is a particular person who calls these journalists, he calls himself Stephen Bakaleke," Robert Sempala, National Coordinator of the Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda, told DW.

"This is a very unfortunate development, which certainly is intended to create fear within the media and to make it shy away from giving the opposition and dissenting views a fair and objective coverage."

"We are aware of more journalists and media houses whose names and brands have been marked in red by the commission," Bashir Mbaziira of Uganda';s Journalists Association said.