Justine Samuel Tuko, the Moroto Deputy Resident District Commissioner, has directed police to begin enforcing the ban starting Friday. Officers will confiscate any public address systems found playing music after 7:00 p.m. in bars and on streets within Moroto Municipality.
The Moroto District Security Committee has banned the use of public address systems to play music in bars and on streets at night. The decision follows complaints from residents about noise pollution caused by road drives for political campaigns and loud music in bars. Open-air loudspeakers are often used to play political songs, which, according to security officials, incite violence.
Justine Samuel Tuko, the Moroto Deputy Resident District Commissioner, has directed police to begin enforcing the ban starting Friday. Officers will confiscate any public address systems found playing music after 7:00 p.m. in bars and on streets within Moroto Municipality.
Tuko stated that bar owners have increasingly promoted political songs, some of which are now considered a threat to public order and security. He also noted that mobile broadcasters—especially those campaigning on the roads—have disrupted community peace by playing loud music at night when residents are supposed to be resting after a long day. “We have resolved that all radio systems must stop playing music at 7:00 p.m. to allow security to monitor the situation,” Tuko said.
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Residents have welcomed the move, saying they have suffered from noise pollution since the start of political campaigns. Julius Omara, a resident of Nakapelimen Ward in South Division, noted that some politicians have paid bar owners to exclusively play their campaign songs.
Omara said bar owners compete by blasting songs of their preferred candidates throughout the night, disturbing the surrounding community.
He added that certain bars have been effectively taken over by specific political camps, with only supporters of a particular candidate allowed in.
He further warned that political agents have sometimes incited violence when they encounter rival groups in bars.
Mary Nachap, another resident, supported the ban, saying the noise had made it difficult for families to get a peaceful night’s sleep.
Nachap noted that the use of public address systems in bars and on the streets was previously regulated, but control has declined since the campaigns began.
“Every bar owner playing political songs wants their music louder than the competition, and the result is unbearable,” she said. However, Albert Loduk, a bar owner in the Labor Line area, appealed to the security committee to extend the curfew on music from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Loduk argued that 7:00 p.m. is too early to shut down their systems, as it would drive away customers. He suggested that instead of banning all music, authorities should specifically prohibit political songs during night hours.
