{UAH} CAN A MEDIA HOUSE IN UGANDA BE SUED FOR MAKING A WRONG WEATHER FORECAST:

CAN A MEDIA HOUSE IN UGANDA BE SUED FOR MAKING A WRONG WEATHER FORECAST:

Eastern Uganda has faced its worst famine in years in part due to unpredictable rains which led to poor harvests.

In the last season, Opolot, a farmer in Katakwi, bought seeds and got ready to plant as soon as the rains started.

Now, while watching TV, the weather forecast said the rains would start soon, and so, Opolot, believing the weather forecast reader, went ahead to plant his crops. Unfortunately, the rains only fell for a few days and stopped, leading to a loss of his crop.

A month later, the real rain season started but Opolot has already suffered a loss since the seeds failed to germinate and he did not have money for irrigation.

Opolot is now counting losses and wondering if anyone can be held liable for giving him, and many other farmers, the wrong weather forecast. He wants compensation for the loss.

WHAT THE LAW SAYS:

Under the law, it is an offence for a person to knowingly and intentionally give false weather information.

This law, called the Uganda National Meteorological Authority Act says that a person found guilty of doing this can be fined up to shs. 960,000 or imprisoned for up to 2 years.

However, as the law says, the person should have intentionally given this information even when he/ she knows it to be false.

So, in this case, there is a possibility of suing the weather forecaster, including the TV or radio station giving out the weather information but only if they gave the wrong information knowingly and intentionally, which might be very difficult to prove. This is because they also rely on scientific equipment, which is not 100% accurate.

In addition, according to the same law, its an offence for any person to make weather forecasts without getting permission from the Executive Director of the Uganda National Meteorological Authority.

--

Allaah gives the best to those who leave the choice to Him."And if Allah touches you with harm, none can remove it but He, and if He touches you with good, then He is Able to do all things." (6:17)

--
Disclaimer:Everyone posting to this Forum bears the sole responsibility for any legal consequences of his or her postings, and hence statements and facts must be presented responsibly. Your continued membership signifies that you agree to this disclaimer and pledge to abide by our Rules and Guidelines.To unsubscribe from this group, send email to: ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Ugandans at Heart (UAH) Community" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ugandans-at-heart/CAJqBGGchbraZa5uNQMW8KOHN8YkHSsXttyMvsYgF%3DjqpXsLB4w%40mail.gmail.com.