UGANDA: GOVERNMENT CLOSURE OF NATIONTV

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