PR
is relatively a new profession in Uganda and as such people tend to relate it
to propaganda. Few agencies and organisation have taken crisis management as a pivotal
role of PR seriously. This list is not aimed at attacking individuals and
organisation. It offers a professional PR insight into Crisis management
in Uganda. I hope that Lessons shared can better the PR fraternity in Uganda. I
commend the inclusion of Best Crisis Management Award category in the PRAU
Excellence Awards. PR Practitioners need to stop leaving Crisis management to
the legal departments. They should fully be involved.
- Suspension of Fr Musaala by the Catholic Church.
Archbishop
of Kampala Dr. Cyprian Kizito Lwanga suspended Fr. Anthony Musaala, who
authored a document criticising his Catholic Church colleagues in Uganda,
accusing them of sexual crimes among others. Mismanagement of Fr. Musaala‘s saga by Catholic Church put it
in the media spotlight. The Archbishop was quick to suspend and give
explanations without assessing the magnitude of the crisis. The Catholic Church
prolonged the crisis when they over reacted. Fr Musaala would just be
transferred to another place or a commission of inquiry publicly instituted but
not sacking him. And going public about the move was wrong. As Christians who
preach forgiveness, the idea of peace talks would be good. All efforts should
always be done to stop crises from growing. It was a delicate time especially
that the Pope was just settling in. According to the Archbishop Dr Cyprian
Lwanga,Fr. Musaala was suspended for the document, which “damages the good
morals of the Catholic believers and faults the church teaching”. Fr.
Musaala admitted to authoring the document which widely circulated on the internet
after being leaked. Fr. Musaala’s letter sparked public debate concerning
celibacy in the Catholic Church. The saga also attracted enough media
attention. He was hosted on highly rated shows and made it to the front page of
daily Newspapers.
2.
Tullow oil‘s alleged bribe to President Museveni
It
was alleged that Tullow considered bribing President Museveni with $50million
ahead of the 2011 elections. After several media reports, President Museveni
issued a directive through his lawyers’ instructing Tullow Oil to respond
within three days to the allegations. The story was an embarrassment to the
president who is the fountain of honour. Tullow Oil later refuted bribery
allegations and apologized to President Museveni. Tullow’s response was restricted
because this court case against Heritage was still on-going. President Museveni
has since instructed police to probe Oil bribery allegations made in a London
court.
3.
Tullow pays expatriate Shs9m daily for a year
Tullow
Uganda paid a one-man consultancy firm about Shs9 million per day for one year
to teach its officials about “organizational effectiveness”, an investigation
by a local newspaper revealed. Tullow Oil says the cost was borne by the Tullow
group. Critics say ‘organizational effectiveness’ could have been taught by
local consultants. The claims highlight the lack of goodwill because a lot of
the expenses incurred by oil companies fall under “recoverable costs” that the
oil companies can claim back from Uganda when the oil revenue starts flowing
in. The report points to an old concern of
transparency in the Oil sector.
4.
Uganda court rules against Hima
Cement
On
March 26, Justice Eldad Mwangusya took away Hima’s mining rights to limestone
deposits in Kasese, western Uganda. The ruling affected its image and
operations in a number of ways. The ruling invalidated all transactions and
legal rights because Hima does not have a legal basis to carry out business in
the country. East Africa Gold Sniffing was contesting a decision by the
Ministry of Energy that restored Hima’s mining rights after the latter managed
to secure an exploration license over the same area. Hima Cement went back to
court and appealed against the ruling requesting for stay of execution.
Ivan N. Baliboola
The author has worked with some of the most
well-known and influential East African brands, conducting marketing, Public
relations, strategies, crisis management, and social media. He is a proud Award winner of the prestigious Public
Relations Association of Uganda excellence Awards. He has volunteered
his life to addressing environment and health related causes. He is also a
blogger, professional critic, and strategist.
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