Government promises to pay media firms after 30-day ultimatum
(L-R) Uganda Media Owners Association Vice Chairman Alex Katende Birigwa, association chairman Azin Tharawi and member Samson Bill Nyatia after addressing journalists in Kampala yesterday. PHOTO BY JOSEPH KIGGUNDU
What you need to know:
According to media owners association, government owes them Shs1.5 billion.
KAMPALA- Government has agreed to pay money it owes media houses accruing from advertising the National Identity Card registration campaign, the spokesperson of the National Security Information System (NSIS) project, has said.
Mr Paul Bukenya yesterday said: “We shall start paying by the end of this month and by Friday this week, some media houses we contracted will have received their money.”
Mr Bukenya’s assurance follows a 30-day ultimatum by media owners after government had failed to pay their radio, television and newspaper outlets which were contracted in March by the NSIS project under the Ministry of Internal Affairs to mobilise the public to participate in the ID registration process.
The media owners under their umbrella association, the Uganda Media Owners Association (UMOA), gave the ultimatum during a media briefing on Tuesday in Kampala.
UMOA vice chair Alex Katende Birigwa, said government owes the media houses Shs1.5 billion. He said while media houses allow 45 days credit limit to their clients, the period passed a long time ago yet government showed no interest in paying them. He said the association would sue government if it does not pay the members in time they have given it.
Nation Media Group outlets Daily Monitor, NTV Uganda, KFM and Dembe FM are some of the media houses affected by the delay in the payment.
