How NTV and WBS narrowly survived being closed
By Our Online Team
30th May 2011: WBS Television and NTV, the two leading local television stations in the country, narrowly survived being closed by the government at the height of the ‘walk-to-work’ protests last month; Uganda Correspondent can reveal.
Reliable sources revealed that some security chiefs had advised President Yoweri Museveni, as Commander-in-Chief, to shut down the two television stations at the peak of the ‘walk-to-work’ protests that saw FDC Party President Dr. Kizza Besigye shot in the right hand, his car smashed, his eyes sprayed at point-blank range with blinding pepper spray and tear gas, and violently arrested.
President Museveni was reportedly bitter that the security chiefs had failed, and we quote, “to tame” the opposition FDC leader whose popularity seems to have sky-rocketed after he joined the ‘walk-to-work’ protests to identify with, and empathise with millions of poor Ugandans who have been hit the hardest by the spiralling fuel and food prices.
In a bid to save their jobs, some of the security chiefs are said to have pointed the finger of blame at the way some media houses like NTV and WBS were covering ‘walk-to-work’ protests. The security chiefs allegedly gave President Museveni reports which concluded that the level, angle, and magnitude of the media coverage that the ‘walk-to-work’ protests were getting was responsible for the “escalating unrest”.
The security chiefs were especially irked by the live courage of the April 29th riots that followed the violent arrest of FDC President Dr. Kizza Besigye. The live broadcasts, the security chiefs said, “…were inciting masses to riot”.
The President is then reported to have tasked the then Security Minister and NRM Secretary General Amama Mbabazi [now Prime Minister] to talk to WBS TV owner Gordon Wavamunno. Sources close to the events indicate that Mbabazi duly met Wavamunno and the duo had a lengthy meeting over the matter.
The exact details of the meeting are unclear but Uganda Correspondent understands from alternative sources that WBS Chief Gordon Wavamunno stood his ground and advised Mbabazi to [instead] talk to Police Chief Kale Kayihura to ensure that his anti-riot police officers don’t indiscriminately beat up innocent people engaged in legitimate and peaceful protests.
Mr. Wavamunno also reportedly reassured the then Security Minister, and the government as a whole, that WBS had no sinister motives behind its live coverage of the ‘walk-to-work’ protests and riots that followed Dr. Besigye’s arrest.
Mbabazi is then said to have briefed the President who then directed the Inspector General of Police Maj. General Kale Kayihura to go to WBS to convey government’s regrets over the excessive use of force during the riots. Indeed, General Kayihura later appeared on the WBS show hosted by presenter Peter Kibazo.
President Museveni himself is reported to have met officials of the Nation Media Group based in Nairobi-Kenya and told them that he was unhappy with the way NTV Uganda and The Daily Monitor newspaper [both owned by the Nation Media Group] were covering political events in Uganda, especially the ‘walk-to-work’ protests and riots that followed Dr. Besigye’s arrest. Museveni allegedly claimed that both NTV and Monitor give more positive coverage to his main political rival Dr. Kizza Besigye.
In a long reaction article to the media, Museveni would later say that some media houses, “…both local and international such as Al-Jazeera, BBC, NTV, The Daily Monitor, etc that cheer on these irresponsible people are enemies of Uganda’s recovery and they will have to be treated as such”.
Consequently on the 12th of May when Museveni was sworn in as President for another five year term, Journalists from these media houses were denied access to the VIP Lounge at Entebbe International Airport to interview Dr. Besigye who was returning to Uganda on the same day after receiving treatment for his injuries at Nairobi hospital.
All the State’s apparent attempt at censorship notwithstanding, it is fair to say that both the jubilation and violence seen on Entebbe road as Dr. Besigye made his way to Kampala that day completely overshadowed and took the shine off Museveni’s big swearing-in day. END. Please login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.
