UBC Shs80 Billion Bailout Blocked By MPs

Posted by: Kyeyune Andrew Jonathan in Uganda news January 19, 2023

MPs on the Parliamentary Committee on Budget recently blocked UBC’s Shs87 billion request. The request was intended to bail out the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) from the glaring arrears the national broadcaster is currently grappling with.

The grown out request came as part of the Shs176.761 billion proposed budget for the Ministry of Information Communication and Technology (ICT).

The vice chairperson of the parliamentary Committee on ICT, Mr Nathan Nabeta proposed the budget yesterday. According to Nabeta, UBC would completely eradicate outstanding arrears once it received the funds.

He further reasoned that lawmakers should consider the request since it is state information conduit.

“It is the mouth piece for government. So we need to look at that,” Mr Nabeta said.

The request, however, ran into a concrete wall since the lawmakers declined saying the previous bailouts by government didn’t yield results. Some legislators even proposed that UBC should be merged with New Vision and all problems would vanish quickly.

“So just transfer UBC to New Vision, all the problems will go away. Otherwise, they have emasculated that entity. They have taken away land, taken away masts,” Mr Ssemujju Nganda, the Kira Municipality MP said.

The state broadcaster has failed to clear a Shs315 million bill to the National Water and Sewerage Corporation. It also owes another Shs77 billion to the National Information Technology Authority which it is yet to pay.

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