By Our Reporters
A very destructive corporate war is brewing at Makerere University whose over 1 square kilometer space, prime location and vast population is being targeted by shrewd Ugandan entrepreneurs running corporate advertisement via outdoor bill boards. The idea is to position billboards and giant screens to enable several businesses to advertise their products and services to the Makerere student and staff community that stretches to close to 100,000 people. The University occupies over 1square km of land at the main campus and that doesn’t include the vast real estate it owns in Kololo, Makindye, Katalemwa, Gayaza Kabanyolo etc. The advertising deal, now causing war, affects all these places that are owned by Makerere. It all started sometime last year when Brutus Kagingo who is the MD and proprietor of Prime Media Ltd wrote his proposal and sold it to Makerere top management. His proposal was to pay the University Shs375m for his company to have the exclusive control of all the advertising space inside and outside Makerere for the next five years. On top of that he promised to maintain open places adjacent to areas where his advertising bill boards would be situated. This meant paving roads and hiring men to always slash/clean areas surrounding his advertising infrastructure. This meant he would be paying Makerere Shs75m per year and this excited the Makerere top officials because this was considered incremental income which they currently aren’t getting. The contract was on the verge of being signed but when Henry Mwebe was recruited to serve as Makerere’s Director Legal Affairs, he advised that whereas this looked a good deal for Makerere, it was possible to get something much better. This meant opening up the space for other potential advertising agencies to also put in their proposals so that the best would carry the day. Mwebe was vehemently supported by DVC Finance and Administration Prof William Bazeyo who insisted that the Shs375m Kagingo was offering for 5 years was too little. Seremba was directed by top management to write to Prime Media announcing the nullification of what Kagingo considered to be his contract with Makerere.
The matter has since been opened up prompting many other advertising agencies that are basically Prime Media’s competitors, to put in more attractive proposals. One of the firms has proposed giving Makerere Shs375m per year (as opposed to Prime Media’s mere Shs75m) projecting that it’s very possible for the firm to realize over Shs1bn annually which can be shared by giving Makerere Shs375m and leaving the firm to take the rest. Whereas Kagingo, who has since become sleepless, had offered to maintain cleanliness only for places adjacent to his advertising infrastructure, one of the rival firms has offered to maintain cleanliness for the entire campus on top of sharing Shs375m annually for Makerere as part of the revenue sharing. This has since created chaos leaving Makerere top bosses sharply divided into those backing Prime Media and others that are sharply opposed to it. Insisting this was their own idea that envious Makerere bosses only leaked to their competitors, Prime Media bosses have vowed to sue Makerere University should they eventually lose the deal to any of their competitors. Watch this space for more updates on this developing story! For comments, call/text/whatsapp us on 0703164755.
