NRM sued over Shs580m for Museveni posters, shirts
NRM supporters donning yellow T-shirts wave President Museveni campaign posters at a rally during the 2016 campaigns. FILE PHOTO.
Kampala- A company which printed more than 16 million campaign flyers and posters for President Museveni during last year’s election campaigns, has sued his ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party to recover more than Shs580m for the supply.
Elite Graphics Printers Ltd has filed a suit in the Commercial Court in Kampala. The company lawyers Ssesaazi and Co. Advocates filed the suit on July 7.
In the statement of complaint, Elite Graphics Printers contends that on November 9, 2015, it received an order from NRM to supply one million posters, each at Shs300. The company further avers that on November 23, it received another order from NRM to supply three million posters at the same rate, translating into Shs900m.
It was also asked to print another 12 million flyers at Shs15, bringing the total amount to more than Shs1 billion.
The money
Documents filed in court show that out of the owed Shs1b for the campaign materials, NRM paid only half of the money and has since defaulted on the balance.
The printing firm laments that despite several reminders to the ruling party, no response had been received from the debtor.
Elite Graphics says in the circumstances, it was constrained to take legal action against NRM whose actions have occasioned great inconvenience and unprecedented financial losses to the company. The company is seeking recovery of the outstanding balance, payment of general damages and costs of the suit.
“The company invested its monies some of which were borrowed from different sources and in turn interest has been levied onto them by such institutions and, therefore, shall seek that court grants interest on the sums due,” reads part of the company’s plaint.
“The defendant political party is in a better position to pay off the outstanding sums and there is no justifiable reason for it not to pay,” the plaint adds.
The court registrar has already sent summons to NRM to file its defence and warned that in default, the judgment will be entered in their absence.
“You are required to file a defence within 15 days from the date of service of summons on you in the manner prescribed under the civil procedure rules as amended,” the court’s summons state.
