By Spy Uganda
The bad news about state television-Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) indicates that it’s left with only 6 days from today to clear $988,225 (Shs3.7b) arrears or risk being switched off-TheSpy Uganda reports.
According to Intelsat Director of Finance Hervy Mrjuna, UBC last paid for satellite services last year and despite a couple of reminders, the station bosses decided to go mute.
Now, the Satellite company says the station has less than a week to clear the debt or be switched off.
Hervy Mrjuna warns in a letter to State Minister of ICT Godfrey Kabbyanga, “We certainly would like to avoid such measures and would regret having to take actions that may result in termination of your services. We would also like you to consider opening a dialogue with us to consider governmental needs regarding connectivity requirements in Uganda.”
According to reports, on August 23, Kabbyanga had written to Intelsat asking them not to suspend UBC’s services in view of government using the national broadcaster to create mass awareness about vaccination against coronavirus and the Parish Development Model.
“The Ministry commits that satellite service provision to UBC be maintained, especially during this critical time that the government is popularizing the mass vaccination campaign against Covid-19 and the parish development model,” Kabbyanga reportedly wrote, adding that if switched off, UBC would not be able to inform the public on government programmes and the ruling party, National Resistance Movement’s manifesto.
Now, we wait to see whether UBC clears the arrears in the remaining days but you also need to know that if switched off, 30 television channels and the free-to-air decoders that use it’s infrastructure to transmit services will also be switched off.
