Top six Ugandan PR crises that rocked March 2015

1. Ugandan Parliament shocks on poor media relations.

Parliament drowned in negative publicity after issuing a hostile media relations letter. The Clerk
to Parliament on March 9, 2015 sent out a letter to newsrooms, ordering the replacement of all
journalists who had covered Parliament for five years and more. The letter was sketchy on the
justification for the act.
Parliament team took long to end the crisis. Withdrawing the letter alone was not enough since
suspicion and dishonesty was not dealt with. The act was condemned by some MPs, the general
public, and the Uganda Parliamentary Press Association .No wonder Parliament authorities
yielded to pressure and reversed the decision. Parliament Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah
should be credited for managing the crisis.Organisations should learn to support, build and
maintain mutually beneficial relationships with journalists. Media can break or build an
organisation. Journalists are reputation management angels. Journalists expect a love and hate
treatment but an organisation must ensure a strictly love relationship with the media.
2. UCC fines MTN Uganda for breach of directive.
MTN Uganda was in media for wrong reasons this month. The Uganda communications
commission slapped MTN Uganda with a Shs5billion fine for alleged breach of the
commissions directives.
3.

Crest foam fire accident kills 6

Fire gutted Crest foam factory and left six workers dead. This huge PR crisis dominated
headlines. Crises happen all the time but this raised questions on occupational health and safety
record of the company. A Minister and police have since picked interest.
4. Local musician Stecia Mayanja's controversial wedding.
A day before her wedding, close family members announced that it was called off. The wedding
went on as earlier planned sparking controversies. This alleged PR stunt reaped benefits, as her
wedding became a topic of discussion. She apologized and her husband declared his political
ambitions during the wedding reception.
5. Uchumi supermarket food section closed by KCCA
KCCA closed food section of Uchumi supermarket over poor hygiene. The food section at
Garden city was closed on Friday March 14,2015 .This followed an inspection by KCCA public
health team at time Kampala is battling a typhoid outbreak.
6. Muzaata remarks on Ettoffaali anger many.
Sheik Nuuhu Muzaata attracted public outcry after criticizing the Buganda government
fundraising project known as Ettoffaali in the past. The Sheik also attacked people who

contribute to the Ettoffaali project yet they have other personal problems to deal with.
Muzaatas statements come off as insult and a boycott call towards Ettoffaali project which
makes it a PR crisis. This crisis went viral online under the hash tag #Muzaata.Sheik Muzaata
could have done better. His main mistake was being insensitive and trading insults. Local
celebrities, politicians, public, and religious leaders have condemned Sheik Muzaata over his act.
The backlash shows that he needs to hire a PR specialist to manage this crisis and future
communication projects successfully. Sheik Muzaata should start treating himself as a brand.
Sheik failed to understand the Psychology of the topic he was talking about. Preparation of
public messages must be done in consultation with communication technicians to ensure content
is acceptable and effective. The crisis teaches us on how to say what is politically correct and
what is not right. A public apology or clarity on his remarks could calm waters. A PR Specialist
will help him with media coaching, reputation damage assessing, and developing effective PR
strategies.
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.