Daniel Kalinaki, the General Manager, Editorial, of Nation Media Group in Uganda, is in a spot of bother after his PR firm was linked to a Shs 22 billion deal undertaken by the Ministry of Works and Transport, which has attracted public scrutiny.
Zulu Media Limited, one of the entities in a joint venture that was awarded the deal, is a private firm owned by Kalinaki and his wife, Sheila Kulubya, according to documents from Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB).
The company was incorporated on 29th October 2014. Kalinaki holds 99% shares in Zulu Media, according to the Beneficial Owner’s Particular’s form of the firm generated by URSB.
The dubious deal, which involves the provision of consultancy services for functional design and supervision of the motor vehicle registration system, was first brought to light by Andrew Natumanya, who uses X handle @NinyeTabz, a couple of weeks ago. It has since become a hot topic of debate and heated exchanges on social media.
The deal was awarded on March 15, 2022, to Tiscon Consultancy, according to the PPDA Portal. One of the joint venture partners in Tiscon Consultancy is Integrated Transport Solutions (ITS), and this is where Kalinaki’s Zulu Media comes in.
The shareholders of ITS are Zulu Media, Collins Rugaba, a city lawyer, Annette Kobusingye, a businesswoman, and Vorster Johannes Alwyn, a South African businessman.
Zulu Media owns a 20% stake in ITS, according to documents seen by Bbeg Media.
We have been told that Zulu Media was brought on board to, among other things, run public awareness campaigns about the motor vehicle registration system; handle publicity, sensitisation, or media buys; and manage branding, messaging, and communication related to the project.
It is was not clear how much Zulu Media has been paid so far for its services.
The name of Winstone Katushabe, the commissioner for Transport Regulation and Safety at the Ministry of Works, has featured prominently in the deal. Natumanya, the photographer cum social media activist, claims that Katushabe influenced the award of the deal to Tiscon.
What makes the deal dubious, according to some people, is that the firm that won it (Tiscon) was officially registered on June 7, 2021, only four months before the ministry advertised for the privision of the consultancy services for the project. Secondly, it has been claimed that the figure of Shs 22 billion, was inflated.
Our efforts to talk to Katushabe were futile.
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Yet it is Kalinaki’s involvement that is likely to raise questions, especially within the media fraternity and with his employer, Nation Media Group, whose editorial policy places strong emphasis on integrity and the avoidance of conflicts of interest by its journalists and editors.
Part III of the NMG editorial policy, which focuses on the Code of Conduct of its staffers, stipulates: “Journalists, editors, and their employers should conduct themselves in a manner that protects them from conflicts of interest, real or apparent.”
The section says it is important for its editors and journalists “not only to avoid conflicts of interest but also the appearances of such conflicts.”
“If a senior editor is linked to a company that benefits from government contracts, especially in a ministry that is routinely covered by the media house where he works, that raises legitimate ethical questions,” said a senior journalist who has worked with Kalinaki before. The journalist asked not to be named.
He added: “The issue is not only whether wrongdoing occurred, but whether public confidence in editorial independence is affected.”
At the moment, there is no indication that Kalinaki has used his editorial position to influence positive coverage of the Ministry of Works and Transport in the Daily Monitor or other NMG platforms in Uganda.
Kalinaki told this reporter he could not respond to the allegations “because he was on holiday.”
For Nation Media Group, the matter presents a reputational challenge. Kalinaki has served in various top positions at NMG for more than 20 years; therefore, the media group may want to handle this matter cautiously.
Yet allegations that a senior editor may be linked to a controversial government deal could undermine public trust if not addressed transparently.
