The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has taken a decisive step in addressing a pressing concern within the realm of media and communication, which is the recent exclusive state media advertising directive.
In a move that underscores their commitment to preserving a fair and competitive landscape, the NAB has today submitted a formal petition to the Parliamentary Committee on Information Communication, Technology and National Guidance.
The NAB’s petition to the Committee seeks to halt this directive in its tracks, arguing that it infringes upon the principles of fair competition, freedom of media, and a diversified advertising ecosystem.
This directive mandates all state Ministries, Agencies and Departments to exclusively funnel their advertising endeavors through state-owned media outlets.
Of particular concern is the prominence of the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) as the primary recipient of these mandated advertising efforts. This move, as elucidated in the petition, has generated a cascade of ramifications that the NAB deems detrimental to the principles of a competitive media landscape.
Winston Agaba, the Managing Director of UBC, recently brought the matter to the forefront with a letter highlighting a series of alarming concerns.
These include allegations of underfunding, claims of denial of government advertising to non-state media, and the burgeoning burden of debt that UBC finds itself grappling with.
Joseph Beyanga, the Secretary for NAB conveyed to the committee that the government’s directive compelling state Agencies, Ministries, and Departments to abstain from advertising with private broadcasters would ultimately result in a substantial portion of the public remaining uninformed about government initiatives.
This is due to the prevailing preference of most individuals for private media outlets over national broadcasters, a preference that the directive fails to acknowledge.
“Should the directive be enforced, many media houses shall close as many means of survival will be taken away and they shall be left with no option but to let go of 70% of their staff and workforce, so we are in a country which is fighting unemployment, are we now entrenching it and creating more job losses?” Beyanga wondered.
“And it will be in contravention of the many laws that we cite in the pages behind which means this directive if it is implemented where it is, it is illegal, its an illegality and I don’t know what it means to this honourable house which makes the laws,” he added.
Kin Kariisa, the Chairperson of NAB, emphasized that discontinuing government advertising with private broadcasters could potentially lead to a significant decline in the tax revenue collected by the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA).
This decline would stem from reduced revenue sources, resulting from the decreased tax contributions from the media houses in question.
“I believe this directive will hurt the country, but above all these institutions that run these media hubs will be affected financially and eventually will cut jobs and so many other consequences. Think about some of these campaigns like the national census, UBC owns 11 radios out of 320 radios that are in this country, that’s less than 2 per cent, so we have a census to conduct under UBOS, how will you communicate to citizens?” Kariisa asserted.
The Committee Chairperson, who is also the MP for Budiope East, Hon. Moses Magogo, provided a glimmer of hope to the concerned private broadcasters by assuring them that their grievances will be thoroughly examined and the issues addressed.
The parties expressing their grievances, along with the Committee, have plans to convene with Uganda’s President, HE. Yoweri Museveni.
Their aim is to bring to his attention the concerns they hold and to advocate for the abandonment of the contentious directive, which they assert was formulated with the intention of stifling private broadcasters.
The balance between state-owned and private media, as well as the integrity of advertising distribution, hang in the balance, making this a pivotal moment that could significantly shape the landscape of media and communication in Uganda.
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