Over the last couple of months, Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, has claimed at several rallies that CBS Radio, the Buganda owned radio station no longer wants to invite him for any talk show. In his formative political years, Kyagulanyi, the president of NUP, was regularly featured on the radio station which enjoys big listenership in Buganda.
This year while in the UK, Meddie Nsereko, the host of political talkshow, Kiriza Oba Gana was asked by Ugandans in diaspora why Kyagulanyi is no longer invited to the station. He replied, sarcastically, that they should direct the question to Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga.”
Alongside Kyagulanyi, there are other opposition politicians that we understand are no longer welcome to CBS. They are mostly members of the National Unity Platform (NUP) and some used to appear on the station regularly.
A producer at CBS told Bbeg Media on condition of anonymity that the station was “retaliating” for the abuses some of these politicians have directed at it in the last two months.
The abuses, the producer said, intensified after Kaygulanyi fell out with Mathias Mpuuga over the Shs 500 million service award given to the former leader of the opposition. Mpuuga is closely associated with Mengo having worked with the establishment for years before he branched into politics. By attacking CBS over its coziness with Mpuuga, the producer said the station had to find ways of “fighting back.”
The producer said the ‘ban’ is temporary and will be lifted when relations between Mengo and NUP normalize.
By extension, the politicians who are ‘blacklisted’ by CBS or also unwelcome at BBS TV, the kingdom owned TV station.
Besides Kyagulanyi, here are other opposition politicians currently on CBS’s blacklist.
Joel Ssenyonyi, Leader of Opposition
Joel Ssenyonyi, the Leader of Opposition, too, is on the CBS blacklist. Ssenyonyi is close to Kyagulanyi and has been critical of his predecessor, Mpuuga. He has not featured on CBS’s talk shows in months.
Paulson Luttamaguzi (MP Nakaseke South)
Luttamaguzi is a member of DP but he is a vocal supporter of Kyagulanyi. The Nakaseke South MP has been a regular guest on CBS and BBS TV but we have been told that he is now on the blacklist. In fact, for the last one month, Luttamaguzi has not featured on BBS TV’s Amaaso Ku Gwanga show.
Betty Nambooze (Mukono Municipality MP)
Betty Nambooze has had a hot and cold relationship with CBS. There was a time, after the re-opening of the station in 2010, when she was suspended from the radio for fear that her acidic tongue would rub the central government the wrong way. But for more than 20 years, CBS has been like a home. In fact, it has played a big role in raising her political profile. But recently, the Mukono Municipality legislator was seen on a video clip whining that CBS stopped inviting her over unclear reasons.
Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro (deputy spokesperson NUP)
Mufumbiro, the deputy spokesperson of NUP, is said to be another politician unwelcome at CBS. Mufumbiro speaks bluntly and he is always in attack mode. It does not matter who the person or institution is as long as NUP’s interests are at stake. He has been accused of leading the attacks on CBS and for this, he has been put on the radio station’s blacklist.
