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Viewing cable 07KAMPALA463, UGANDA: GOVERNMENT CLOSURE OF NATIONTV

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
07KAMPALA463 2007-03-15 10:43 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Kampala
VZCZCXRO6338
RR RUEHGI RUEHRN RUEHROV
DE RUEHKM #0463/01 0741043
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 151043Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY KAMPALA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8429
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KAMPALA 000463 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV KDEM KPAO UG
SUBJECT: UGANDA: GOVERNMENT CLOSURE OF NATIONTV 
 
1. (SBU) Summary:  The Government's closure of NationTV and 
concurrent demands on its sister organization, Monitor 
Publications, highlight the Ugandan Government's questionable 
commitment to an independent media.  In exchange for allowing 
the station to broadcast, President Museveni has reportedly 
requested that the Daily Monitor newspaper tone down 
criticism of the government.  Museveni's close advisors have 
presented other government demands, including the replacement 
of the Monitor's management and editors with government 
approved personnel.  Journalists and parliamentarians claim 
that NTV's closure, coupled with the curbing of the Monitor's 
independence, appear to be part of a campaign to curb 
opposition to Museveni, particularly coming from within the 
ruling party, which had found an outlet in the vibrant 
Ugandan press.  End Summary. 
 
2. (SBU)  Conrad Nkutu, Managing Director of Monitor 
Publications, raised the issue of the closure of the 
independent Nation TV with several diplomatic missions.  On 
February 26, he told the Ambassador and Embassy officers that 
the Government had placed conditions on the re-opening of the 
station. Monitor Publications, a subsidiary of Kenya-based 
Nation Media Group, whose majority owner is the Aga Khan, had 
been trying to get a license to begin broadcasting for 
NationTV for the last two years.  Initially, they were told 
the broadcast spectrum was full and no frequency was 
available to them.  The National Broadcasting Council (NBC) 
subsequently suggested that the Monitor group buy a license 
from another company which had been granted one but was not 
using it.  NTV initially decided against this option, but 
eventually purchased one from M/S Gentech Ltd.  Nkutu said 
the Chairman of the NBC, Godfrey Mutabazi, was responsible 
for holding up their efforts to gain a license. 
 
3. (SBU) Nkutu used family connections with the Minister of 
Information, Kurunda Kivejinja, to get the license granted in 
late 2006.  According to Nkutu, there was a last minute 
attempt from President Museveni to block the license during a 
telephone call from Hong Kong, but Nkutu had already picked 
it up.  The Nation Group then moved quickly to enter into a 
contract with the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation to rent 
space on the main transmitter mast in Kololo for the 
equipment. 
 
4. (SBU) Nation TV began broadcasting on January 3, 2007. 
Nkutu claims that the transmitting equipment was sabotaged 
twice, but was quickly fixed each time.  Nkutu also told the 
Ambassador that the government then instructed UBC to turn 
off the NTV transmitters.  After some pressure, UBC complied. 
 The Nation Group threatened UBC with legal action, which was 
the catalyst for restoration of the service.  On February 2, 
officials acting on behalf of the UBC confiscated two 
microwave receivers.  NTV has been off the air since. 
 
5. (SBU) The Nation Group is trying to get the station back 
on the air due to the Aga Khan's investment in the NTV 
project of USD 4 million.  Nkutu said that Minister of 
Security, Amama Mbabazi, Government Spokesperson, John 
Nagenda, and Managing Director of the Government-run New 
Vision, Robert Kabushenga, gave Nation Group a list of 
demands that must be met before NTV will be allowed back on 
air: 
 
-The Daily Monitor newspaper and private radio station KFM 
must stop running stories that are critical of the government 
-Nkutu must be replaced as Managing Director of Monitor 
Publications. 
-Joachim Bwembo must be replaced as Editor of the Daily 
Monitor newspaper. (Bwembo was replaced on March 12.) 
-Wafulo Oguttu, who is spokesman for the opposition party, 
Forum for Democratic Change, must be removed from the Monitor 
board. 
-An opposition spokesman and leading journalist, Oguttu and 
Charles Onyango-Obbo, must give up their 24 percent shares in 
the Monitor Publications Group. 
-The government will approve Nkutu and Bwembo's replacements. 
-The government will appoint a senior manager to work in the 
Monitor group and appoint a marketing director of Nation TV. 
 
6. (SBU) Nkutu said the Nation Group rejected the 
Government's demands.  On February 15, the Nation Group's, 
Chief Executive Officer, Linus Gitahi, and Vicky Unwin, an 
Aga Khan Foundation representative met with President 
Museveni.  Amelia Kyambedde, the Personal Principal Secretary 
to Museveni, was also present.  In the meeting, Museveni 
complained that the Monitor was too critical of his family 
and government.  Museveni focused on balance in reporting in 
the Monitor.  Museveni wanted assurances that positive 
stories about the government would be covered as well as 
negative articles.  Museveni closed the meeting by saying he 
needed to "demobilize his troops who prepared for war." 
 
KAMPALA 00000463  002 OF 002 
 
 
Kyambedde told Unwin that the President needed a letter from 
the Monitor outlining the steps it would take to comply. 
 
7.  (SBU)  The Nation agreed to strike a balance.  Nkutu said 
since the meeting, there had been changes in the Monitor. 
Positive government news stories have been more prominent and 
the Monitor had chosen not to run some critical pieces or not 
place them on the front page.  A government critic was 
removed from a popular political talk show.  The Monitor 
agreed that it would tone down coverage, but not tone down 
the stories. 
 
8. (SBU) Nonetheless, Nkutu said that additional demands and 
pressure continued to come from those around Museveni.  For 
example, planted stories appeared in the New Vision, Red 
Pepper, and Observer newspapers casting doubt on Nkutu's 
ability to keep his job. 
 
9. (SBU) Nkutu said the Nation Group was considering its 
options, but hoped to resolve the situation without legal 
action.  The Aga Khan apparently wants to avoid a legal 
confrontation that could jeopardize almost one billion 
dollars of investments in Uganda, including the Monitor, KFM 
radio, Diamond Trust School, Aga Khan School, the Serena 
Hotel, a new power plant at Bujagali, and an airline to be 
based at Entebbe International Airport.  However, Nation 
Group is now looking at taking the case to the courts, but is 
skeptical about the outcome given the Government's defiance 
of the courts in the Peoples' Redemption Army (PRA) case. 
Nation Group officials believe the government would either 
bog the case down in technicalities and adjournments or 
interfere to ensure the Nation Group loses. 
 
10. (SBU)  Parliament called Kivejinja to explain what had 
gone on.  Nkutu said he met with Kivejinja, who said he was 
uncomfortable with covering for the government.  Kivejinja 
said the GOU had acted badly.  He would seek to make a 
carefully worded statement that leaned in favor of NTV.In his 
statement to Parliament, Kivejinja claimed that the Group 
initially obtained frequencies by purchasing their license 
from M/S Gentech Ltd.  Kivejinja said that Mutabazi signed 
the letter granting the transfer of license and confirmed its 
validity when requested to do so by the Nation Group 
attorneys.  The Minister then wrote a letter on January 30 
informing NTV that they were "free to commence broadcasting." 
 The case was brought to Kivejinja's attention when the 
Broadcast Council declined to renew the license in June 2006. 
 His guidance concurred with the decision and he said that 
"selling licenses was akin to selling chits, a practice the 
Movement had done away with because of the corruption 
tendencies."  He expressed a need for the government to 
retain some control over the media under certain 
circumstances. 
 
11. (SBU)  Comment: Dissident ruling party parliamentarians 
called Kivejinja to explain the station's closure.  He 
claimed the issue was adminstrative in nature and could be 
resolved without parliamentary involvement. 
CHRITTON