Top 7 Ugandan PR scandals that rocked April 2015.

1.             Africell Telecom shocks on alleged racism and poor employee relations

Africell Telecommunication Company Uganda got entangled in online negative publicity just as it continues to rebrand from orange. This was after Africell Uganda Telecommunication Company laid off 59 Ugandan workers and allegedly replaced them with Lebanese nationals. This fueled racism discussions. This was a rather bad time as it coincided with xenophobic attacks in South Africa. The Story alleged that those who were fired were not given satisfactory explanations raising concerns of poor employee relations. A disgruntled employee is more dangerous than competition in disrupting company operations.

This crisis went viral because it was in the court of public opinion which reacts with emotions not logic.A Ugandan website leaked an email communication between Africell Telecom Uganda and a renown Ugandan Communication specialist Simon Kaheru. Simon was on board to manage their organisational change communication needs. People started attacking Simon Kaheru. Simon Kaheru should however be credited for his expert response during the trying time. He was consistent with his communication and his responses were not out of anger. He intellectually challenged those with racism evidence to come forward.

 Africell has not bothered to explain itself extensively on the matter. Africell failed to give detailed responses to allegations. Failure to use their information to counter react to all the allegations just prolongs the crisis. It could give a round figure of terminal benefits paid and when. They released a statement on their Facebook page which was not dated or signed off by any Africell Uganda manager. Africell Uganda Telecommunication Facebook page describes the recent racist allegations as ridiculous and preposterous.The crisis has given rise to other   bad theoretical stories on the telecom’s operations. There are also rumours online about Africell Uganda considering closure or buy out. Africell Uganda has since responded and said it is still in Uganda. Some people have started to push for boycott of   products from Africell because of the crisis..

2. KCCA tractor kills child

Another 2-year old child was knocked dead by a KCCA tractor in lugala. The driver was on phone when the incident happened. KCCA driver was Patrick wasswa. This story was on the mighty ‘Agataliko Nfufu’ news on Bukedde TV. The KCCA management moved fast and resolved the issue by through communication .KCCA sent support for the burial with its team. Last year another baby was killed by KCCA vehicle in its premises.

3. Women stripe to protest against ministers presence

Land dispute in northern Uganda attracted debate in April when elderly female residents of Amuru district stripped naked before government officials. This was to protest against government plans to demarcate boundaries between the districts of Amuru and Adjumani. The contested land has also been claimed by the Wildlife Authority has not eased tensions.Lands Minister Daudi Migereko and Internal Affairs Minister Gen Aronda Nyakairima visited a disputed boundary area to resolve the crisis .The women said the move would to push them out of their ancestral land.Minister Migereko later assured residents that the government has no hidden-motive .Quelling the storm further, Minister Migereko announced that they had cancelled the erection of the boundary mark stones.

4.  URSB on the spot over double company registration

A Local daily reported that Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) Registrar General Bemanya Twebaze acknowledged that he had received several complaints of fraud and erroneous Company registration. The double registration came to light as bids for the tendering process for the supply of Stabilized Interlocking Block Making Machines for the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development. According to the registration of Companies Act, no two similar companies can be registered at the same time.The Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) is on the spot over registration of two companies operating under the same names. The two companies in question are Hydraform (U) Limited and Hydraform (Uganda) Limited. They both deal in interlocking stabilizing block making machines (ISSB) are dully registered and operating in the country.Apart from the registration numbers being 137639 and later being 149594 and the directors being different, they bare the same names.

5. King oyo challenge

This was a crisis of sorts depending on how you look at it.There was one viral  image  of King Oyo greeting the Buganda Katikkiro Charles peter Mayaige while cross-legged.What made it worse was the fact that the youthful king seemed not to pay attention. The incident was  during Kabaka Ronald mutebi’s 60th birthday celebrations .This incident  got  #KingoyoChallenge  as its hash tag. Celebrities and members from the public posed the same way and posted their pictures. It was reported that Toro King, Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru also took his own challenge during his birthday celebrations by greeting a friend while looking away. Some critics felt katiikiro is the outside king and needed to be respected. Being a youthful king, some felt his posture was disrespectful.

6. Athletics coach arrested over  alleged rape

Ugandan police arrested an athletics coach Wemali for allegedly raping three teenage female national runners. Alleged sex abuse scandals damage the country’s image.The crisis came to light after Uganda’s Commonwealth gold medallist Moses Kipsiro shared complaints from female teammates against Peter Wemali. Wemali is said to have advised them to get pregnant and then abort so they could run better. The Uganda Athletics Federation (UAF) has been accused of cover up by activists. Coach Wemali allegedly used vulgar language during training with female runners. Uganda police has since suspended him pending investigations. Wemali maintains he is innocent.

7. Pension Saga taints the image of Uganda Police.

Local newspapers reported about the Pension saga. Police officials are on the spot over irregularities on authenticity of reports on the scandal. Uganda Police has been accused of failing the shs 165b case after they reportedly received a bribe from the culprits. The CIID team which investigated the matter filed two conflicting reports. CIID chief Grace Akullo filed a different report. The matter has since attracted public outcry

 Both the Inspector general of police and the director of public prosecutions have vowed to pursue the case to its conclusion. Uganda police PR machinery released a statement on the incident. Police clarified in a press release that while the court case was dismissed, it was on a technicality and not on absence of substantive evidence. The Police investigation of the case was thorough and comprehensive according to Uganda police. ‘Strong evidence in form of witnesses and exhibits is available. In fact, the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Police are working together to ensure that the case is reinstituted.’ Reads the police statement

Ivan .N.Baliboola

PR and organisational diagnosis specialist

nbaliboola@gmail.com

nbaliboola.wordpress.com/

Disclaimer.

This article strictly offers academic insight meant to create awareness about crisis PR management in Uganda. Therefore, it should be used for educational purposes and not viewed as an attack on institutions or individuals. The writer assumes no responsibility for contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein.

Africell Telecom shocks on alleged racism and poor employee relations

Africell Telecommunication Company Uganda got entangled in negative publicity just as it continues to rebrand from orange. Negative publicity started with a Uganda website the insider story. This was after Africell Uganda Telecommunication Company laid off 59 Ugandan workers and allegedly replaced them with Lebanese nationals. This fueled racism discussions online. This was a rather bad time as it coincided with xenophobic attacks in South Africa. The Story alleged that those who were fired were not given satisfactory explanations raising concerns of poor employee relations.

This crisis went viral because it was in the court of public opinion which reacts with emotions not logic. The Ugandan website leaked an email communication between Africell Telecom Uganda and a renown Ugandan Communication specialist Simon Kaheru. Simon is on board to manage their organisational change communication needs. People started attacking Simon Kaheru.  Simon Kaheru should however be credited for his expert responses during the trying time. He was consistent with his message and his responses were not out of anger. He intellectually challenged those with racism evidence to come forward.

The leaked mail however projects Africell in a negative way and no one seems to comment on the incident. We are in the era of cyber threats. Are they weaknesses with Africell cyber security? Africell needs to reassure their clientele that their data and internet platforms are secure. Africell needed to communicate what they have done on that security breach if it indeed happened. This scandal had much coverage online but Ugandan local newspapers did not give it any attention. This obviously points to the question of newsworthiness.

 Africell has not bothered to explain itself extensively on the matter. Africell failed to give detailed responses to all allegations. It offered a general statement failed to use their facts to counter react to all the allegations on case by case. Africell could give a round figure of terminal benefits paid and when.

They released a statement on their Facebook page which was not dated or signed off by any Africell Uganda manager. Africell Uganda Telecommunication Facebook page describes the recent racist allegations as ridiculous and preposterous. The crisis has given rise to other   bad speculative stories regarding the telecom operations. There are rumours online about Africell Uganda considering closure or buy out. Africell Uganda has since responded and said it is still in Uganda. Some people continue to push for boycott of   products from Africell because of the crisis.

The Crisis common hashtag was #ExposeAfricell.AFricell Uganda Telecom has an ongoing campaign where they subscribers have free calls every night with no limitations. The PR team at the telecom could rely on this to build goodwill.

A disgruntled former employee is more dangerously than competition. They can disrupt business operations .Organisation must learn to manage staff exits  better so as to reduce on the possibility of them becoming disgruntled. This can cause disruptions in business.

It is common to have resistance to change but Africell change might have been poorly presented. Restructuring is understandable given their struggling financial situation. With any change comes panic. Staffs who have achieved status see any new plan as a threat. The incident still shows the weak Uganda civil society. Opposition and labour unions did not pick interest in the matter.

Ivan .N.Baliboola

PR and organisational diagnosis specialist

nbaliboola@gmail.com

nbaliboola.wordpress.com/

Miss Uganda event shocks on bad PR

Natumbwe, a business computing graduate from Greenwich University, left with the Miss Uganda crown, a brand new Mercedes Benz and sh18m. The organizers got it right on Mcs, sound, lighting and entertainers but faulted on the Mercedes gift.Queen mother Best Kemigisa who was the guest of honour handed over a cheque of 18million to Stella and proceeded to hand over keys of a new Mercedes Benz as the second prize. The gift of Miss Uganda which was a Mercedes failed to start.

This shock on PR featured on the mighty ‘Agataliko nfufu’ News on Bukedde TV.The situation was worsened by the Former big Brother housemate Denzel who showed up bare footed in a suite to give one of the contestants a present. What was the exact problem with the Mercedes?  Did the event organizers actually mock start it before the event?         Was there any per-event communication regarding dress code or who was going to hand over the gift?

Today’s PR and Brand or marketing managers need to think beyond Publicity stunts. Controversy sells but it should never be at a sacrifice of the organization’s reputation it has built over time. Some argued that it was a hilarious stunt that would keep the event fresh in the minds of media professionals. Miss Uganda organization this time round put their best foot forward to revamp it which is promising but those stunts put it back.

Top seven Ugandan Blunders for May 2013

This month the institution of Parliament featured with lots of crises. This month we witnessed different organizations doing something about their crises. Outstanding advocacy PR tools were used during the closure of Monitor publications which is commendable. They used the courts of law and the Court   of Public opinion to their advantage. They shared the uncertain future of children who benefited from Monitor scholarships.

Media siege by Uganda police

The Uganda Police obtained a search warrant authorizing the search of the Daily Monitor and Red pepper premises for the letter allegedly written by General Sejjusa. Uganda police closed Red pepper and Daily monitor together with two radio stations after declaring them crime scenes. The Uganda Police responded with excessive force which attracted unnecessary attention. East African Newspapers carried an editorial on media siege. The media siege dented the Ugandan image locally, regionally and internationally. Most critics think the government should have handled the media issue better. International and regional newspapers, US Embassy in Uganda, Public Relations Association of Uganda (PRAU), politicians, human rights activists, and members of the civil society condemned the media siege. The most famous hash tag was ‘#mediasierge’. Uganda police ignored a court order instructing them to vacate monitor premises. Police found this to be highly irregular. On May 30, 2013, Media houses were allowed to resume operations. Daily monitor’s reopening following 11 days of police siege was allegedly after negotiations with government according to a government statement. This introduced a debate on future compromised editorial policy of the Daily Monitor. Monitor publications has since responded to the issue in Public notices “Monitor: What we agreed with government” reassuring the public about their editorial policy of publishing all news as long as it is in public interest.

IGG opened  fresh investigations at NSSF

The Inspector General of Government started wide ranging investigations into National Social Security Fund over allegations of fraud and corruption by a whistle blower. Some allegations relate to alleged irregular Umeme Shares purchase, disposal of Land at Namirembe, joint venture with SBI for planned housing estate at Lubowa among other concerns. This is a heavy blow to the fund manager at a time when it has embarked on a rigorous re-branding exercise. NSSF is not new to funds mismanagement scandals. Scandals at NSSF have in the past resulted into sacking and prosecution of former top leaders. NSSF has since embraced good PR tools to set the record straight by responding to the allegations. Employees are yet to witness the renewed promise by the new NSSF.

Expelled  NRM  MPs VS NRM

The Speaker of parliament Speaker Rebecca Kadaga ruled that the four expelled NRM rebel MPs cannot lose their seats. NRM Secretary General, Mr Amama Mbabazi had demanded the speaker to declare the MPs’ seats vacant after their expulsion from NRM.NRM has since registered   aspirants for the posts in case they fell vacant. The matter of rebel Mps has since gone to court. This has yielded to grounds. This follows a case in court relating to the expelled MPs.

Alleged forgery of the final KCCA petition recommendation report.

The report was presented to Parliament with ten out of 17 members on the committee signing it. The report followed a petition on alleged mismanagement of KCCA to parliament through Hon. Betty Namboze Bakireke (DP, Mukono Municipality). The report recommends that President Yoweri Museveni takes over the executive functions of KCCA for six months. Members on the Committee of Public Service and Local Government raised doubts over its authenticity. The committee Chairperson and her deputy are said to have locked out the Clerk out of the parliament as the concluded with the report. The local government committee had a stormy meeting which ended prematurely with members exchanging bitter words. This was also aired on some local Televisions. Improper conduct of some members of parliament projected the institution negatively. The Deputy Speaker of parliament Jacob Oulanyah ruled that the office of the Clerk investigates the authenticity of the KCCA.KCCA report forgery allegations is a dent on the integrity of parliament.

Missing Uganda diplomatic passports

Police started a hunt to recover at least 200 diplomatic passports suspected to have gone missing from the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control. The Deputy Police Spokesperson, Mr Patrick Onyango, said the diplomatic passports had already been made but the only procedure not done was the placing of names and photographs of the bearers and their titles. Some officials from Immigration were arrested as investigations   into circumstances under which the passports went missing continue. There are several Ugandans holding diplomatic passports illegally who are facing criminal charges abroad. This has been an embarrassment to Uganda. Former junior minister was allegedly arrested in India with a diplomatic passport. The Immigration passport department has released press statements declaring their position on the same which is recommendable.

Irene Namubiru arrest in Japan over illegal drugs

Namubiru was arrested at Naita Airport Japan after her luggage was found with illicit drugs. she claimed that she had no idea about what was in the luggage she was given to deliver. Irene was scheduled to perform in Japan. It remains a PR scandal though most Ugandans felt Irene Namubiru was a victim of a set up. All events were confirmed by Interpol officials in Uganda. Some bloggers shared a theory portraying it as a PR stunt as a build up to her upcoming album launch. This is a negative dot on her image. There will always be online negative search results about her. Colleagues and relatives organized a church service to pray for. This was a good PR tactic tool utilising the court of Public Opinion. Namubiru tweeted after her release and date of return. She had a hero’s welcome in Uganda. This is still an ongoing crisis. Irene’s manager then Thadeus Mubiru has since made a public apology over the same. Kim Tumwesigye was arrested by the police over the scandal. Irene struggles on to save her image.

Judge Choudry Vs  Judge Yorokamu Bamwine

There has been an exchange of attacks between High Court judge Anup Singh Choudry and the Principal Judge, Yorokamu Bamwine. Judge Yorokamu Bamwine kicked out Judge Singh Choudry from his chambers. On March 28, 2013; Chouldry delivered a judgment in the case ordered the partners in the firm to pay shs 37b in damages. Uganda law society petitioned against his appointment in 2012.Chouldry was discontinued from practicing law in England after his firm reportedly got in trouble and was subsequently closed in 2001. Some people believe that Chouldry slapped the hefty award on the lawyers to hit at Uganda law society for questioning his eligibility. Critics feel the two judges would have opted for appropriate forums to talk peace.

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.

nbaliboola@gmail.com

Blog: http://mediasurgeon.blogspot.com/