MY UBC CHRONICLES Intercalation with the New Vision. Just so that I bring you to speed. UBC was to be funded by the TV Viewers license, some form of tax. Estimates had put it at 20 billion Ugx (rather conservative). Being campaign time Mr. Museveni found no sound reason to impose such a tax. It was summarily banned via an interview by Tamale Mirundi to one of the dailies. No other formal communication came through on the matter. The information minister, the suave and ebullient Dr. James Nsabiyumva Buturo had risen on the floor of parliament to make a ministerial statement clarifying the position as hearsay following a request by then backbencher Maj. Bright Rwamirama. Jama wasnt in an enviable position. His front bench colleagues including the leader of Government business were struggling to contain laughter. (In my native Kinyarwanda - gusekera mu gipfunsi lol). They knew better, Mirundi rather than the Information Minister was more reliable on such information. (Folks, when I talk of daring radical paradigm shift in management of public affairs, I mean interrogating this rather unfortunate modus operandi) . Against this background, UBC was bankrupt at inception. No cash at inception but lots of liabilities inherited from UTV and radio Uganda. Utility bills alone stood at 883,000 million Ugx (government has this practice of over delayed payments) . With banning of the TV tax, it was being failed at inception (how we pulled this off, look out for more in these series) . With no money, those with interest in being MD UBC suddenly developed cold feet. Enter the dare devil , Edgar Muvunyi Tabaro as Caretaker MD (I opined in the last chronicle using title Acting MD got no swag! Lol) . Now to the story. Intercalation with Newvision! Mr. Pike had taken to snooping on the goings on at UBC. He, ran a print house media as an employee as well as running capital FM and Beat besides having interests in QG Saachi & Saachi an advertising agency. I had also done an abominable, I snatched the able William Odoch (one of the finest sales and marketing managers this country has groomed- harrassed and arrested too by the Kihika Mafia - dude is now plying his trade in Rwanda, damn it!!. We frustrate our finest only for Rwanda to snatch them and we dare say we are smart? Ngaaha buzima kyaba too much lol) from Capital FM where he was in charge of Sales and Marketing. Its against this background that Pike seemingly had more than casual interest in goings on at UBC. Following my restructuring exercise, many senior managers were rendered redundant, who in revenge took all sorts of conjured up stories to vision. I had to act fast and first. The board chair was Noble Mayombo whose family we go along way as Araali Tungakwo can testify. I also had Emmy Allio and others whose names I cant disclose. I sought the advise of a Kenyan media guru John Chihi (this dude makes Gina Din Karuiki look a novice at the trade). I took the battle to the vision editorial boardroom. Getting them to commission an investigation of vision employees conflict of interest in the UBC. as they say the rest is history now being told. It wasnt an easy manoeuvre as Pike as was removed from the editorial boardroom and replaced with David Sseppuuya and eventually with Robo. How it was done and at whose instigation, in next episodes ... Stay tuned
Posted on: Tue, 02 Dec 2014 02:52:02 +0000
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