Broadcasters petition Parliament over Government adverts

The Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, told members of parliament that NAB had written a letter to her office requesting Parliament’s intervention into the issue. Among said she referred the association to the parliamentary Committee on ICT and National Guidance.

"The petition regards the Government policy on business to private media houses, where all the avertss are supposed to only be given to two Government media houses," said Among.

The Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury, Ramathan Ggoobi, issued a circular dated Monday, July 10, 2023, directing all Government of Uganda accounting officers to give Government adverts to only UBC and Vision Group (New Vision).

Private broadcasters, however, said the move blocks them from benefiting from Government advertising and have since announced a boycott of coverage of Government activities until the directive is reversed.

In a related development, the Speaker also referred a petition from the Uganda Manufacturing Association (UMA) regarding the sugar sector to the Committee on Trade.

"The petition regards the challenges affecting the efficiency and effectiveness of the sugar sector as mainly arising from regulatory weaknesses on the part of the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives," Among said.

The tasks assigned to the committees are in line with Rules 30 (5) and (10) of the Rules of Procedure of Parliament.