NITA-U and PDPO engage communicators as cybercrime soars by 93.5%

The National Information Technology Authority–Uganda (NITA-U) and the Personal Data Protection Office (PDPO) have united to tackle Uganda's alarming surge in cybercrime, which has jumped by 93.5% in a single year.

In a high-level engagement session, the two bodies convened over 20 professional communicators, marking a critical step in the ongoing Beera Ku Guard campaign.

According to the 2024 Uganda Police Force Annual Crime Report, digital offenses dramatically increased from 245 to 474 cases, resulting in a staggering financial loss of UGX 72.1 billion.

Compounding the challenge, the report notes that only 67 cases were prosecuted, with a mere 21 convictions secured by the year's end. This data underscores the urgent need for heightened public awareness and stronger digital defenses.

The "Beera Ku Guard" initiative, a nationwide digital safety campaign running from 2025 to 2026, aims to empower Ugandans with practical knowledge and habits covering cybersecurity, data protection, and privacy. It expands upon earlier initiatives like 'Stay Safe Online' to include offline data handling and institutional readiness.

The first session of the engagement focused on Data Protection and Privacy, led by Gilbert Ssettuma from PDPO’s Compliance and Investigations team. Ssettuma emphasized the indispensable role professional communicators play in shaping national behaviour around digital safety.

He noted that as Uganda becomes increasingly connected, communicators must be equipped with the precise knowledge, language, and tools required to translate complex concepts into clear, relatable public messages.

Ssettuma reiterated the legal foundation of these efforts: “The Data Protection and Privacy Act was put in place quite obviously to protect the privacy of the individual and their personal information, but also to regulate the collection and processing of personal information.”

The second session, which covered cybersecurity, was led by Jerome Okot, a Cybersecurity Expert from Milima Security.

Okot highlighted the continuously increasing sophistication of digital threats and stressed the need for vigilance across institutions, communities, and online spaces. He urged communicators to adopt and promote safe digital habits to protect against these evolving risks.

This Communicators’ Engagement reaffirms the strong commitment from NITA-U and PDPO to establishing a unified communications front, crucial for building a safer and more resilient digital Uganda.