Professor Samuel Sejjaaka, the chairman Board of Directors Nation Media Group (NGM), the publishers of Daily monitor newspaper revealed that the search for the company’s Managing Director has kicked off after Tony Glencross tendered in his early retirement prayer and it was allowed.

In the Statement, Sejjaaka stated that effective from 31^st December, 2023, Glencross will be officially retiring and as per now, the board is undertaking a competitive recruitment process to identify a suitable replacement.

South African born Glencross joined Monitor Publication in 2015 and has spearheaded its transformation from print media company to a multimedia company.

Highly placed sources at Nation Media told theGrapevine that politics and the bad economy forced Glenscross, a former Commercial Officer at Vission Group, to retire. A source said that the company has failed to recover from the economic shock that many companies are currently suffering from as a result of the Covid-19 long lockdowns and the Russia-Ukraine war.

The monitor paper circulation has since declined because the pockets of most readers are yawning due to the bad economy.

There is also the issue of bad politics. Insiders allege that Glencross has been working under pressure especially from top government officials who are always attacking the company for working against the government.

On several occasions, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni declared Monitor a ‘bad paper’ to the extent of suing the publication over defamation.

In Monitor’s legal battle with Museveni, Justice Musa Ssekaana of the Civil Division of the High Court ordered them to pay Shs300m as damages to the President.

Museveni always alleges that Monitor publication is working for bad foreign agents.

A source at Monitor further revealed that the newspaper’s private advertisement has dropped yet government is also taking long to pay for their adverts.

Glencross’ early retirement comes days after New Vision Managing Director Don Wanyama warned the company’s current and prospective shareholders of an impending loss for the year 2022/2023.

Wanyama based his announcement on the “preliminary assessment” of the company’s performance by the Board of Directors, which is expected to return a loss for the year.

He explained that the company’s bad performance is as a result of the recent price hikes of inputs like; newsprint and other raw material inputs resulting from global supply chain disruptions.

He added that the company’s revenues are dominated by printing which accounts for almost half, followed by broadcasting (radio and television) outlets, commercial printing and others.

“The main contributor to this performance is the challenging business environment due to slow business recovery from the COVID-19 impact on newspaper sales and advertising revenue spent across the different platforms,”  Wanyama stated.

Highly placed sources at both Monitor and New Vision intimated to theGrapevine that plans are underway to cut on the number of staff and costs of operations.

By Sengooba Alirabaki

The Makindye Division Mayor Ali Kasirye Mulyanyama, a blue eyed boy to National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) has warned his party members to be very careful with Kampala Lord mayor Ssalongo Erias Lukwago who he branded a vampire.

Mulyanyama branded Lukwago a war monger who cannot be at peace but finds pleasure in picking up fights with other people.

It is at this point that Mulyanyama branded Lukwago a vampire who is always smelling for blood.

He explained that Lukwago is using these wars to seek popularity from the gullible local people who think that he is fighting for them but in reality, he is looking for personal gains.

Mulyanyama was commenting on the fresh verbal ongoing fight between Lukwano and Kampala State Minister Joseph Kabuye Kyafatogabye over road construction in the city.

Kabuye accuses Lukwago of frustrating road construction in the city because he wants to achieve political gains.

However, Lukwago insists that government officials like Kabuye are undermining the resolutions and proposals of the elected leaders in the city with the mission of placing them in bad light before their voters.

Political commentator and also the senior presidential advisor on media Joseph Tamale Mirundi recently revealed that Lukwago is going to use his new position as the leader of Katonga Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) faction to achieve his 2026 presidential ambition.

Mirundi claims that the four presidential candidates Dr. Kizza Besigye is going to make sure that Lukwago, who he mentored politically has plans to stand for presidency come 2026.

He explained that Lukwago’s presidential candidature will cost Bobi Wine badly in his strong areas of Buganda and among the Muslim community.

Mirundi added that Lukwago’s candidature is going to bring together the Muslim sects which include; that of Old Kampala led by mufti Sheikh Shaban Ramathan Mubajje, Kibuli faction led by Prince Dr. Kassim Nakibinge Kakungulu and the Tabliq sect led by Sheikh Muhammad Yunus Kamoga.

“Bobi Wine is gone, the only person who can save him is Buganda King Ronald Muwenda Mutebi or Prince Nakibinge who have the power to convince Lukwago to drop his presidential ambitions otherwise Bobi Wine will bleed,”’ Mirundi said.

Sources within Katonga camp revealed that very soon, they are going to unveil their political pressure group which is expected to be named ‘One Uganda One Dream’.

The Katonga group want to use this pressure group as a political motor vehicle come 2026.

Insiders in NUP that theGrapevine talked to during the course of investigating this story disclosed that Lukwago’s political calculation is to threaten that he is standing for presidency so that he catches the eye of Bobi Wine who will fear splitting the Buganda and Muslim community vote.

“Lukwago has calculated that because of this fear, Bobi Wine will enter a deal with him which will involve ring fencing his Lord Mayor position so that NUP do not front a candidate in 2026,” the insider said.

Sources disclosed that once Bobi Wine makes such a decision, Mulyanyama, Kawempe Division mayor Emmanuel Sserunjogi and Kampala city speaker Zahara Luyirika who are competing for the NUP ticket for Lord Mayor slot will be badly affected.

Sources in the FDC told Grapevine that they are set to front former Makindye East legislator Ibrahim Kasozi.

National Resistance Movement (NRM) is set to front Kampala Central Division mayor Salim Uhuru.

By Sengooba Alirabaki

City businessman Haruna Sentongo has suffered a setback in the legal battle to save his multimillion empire which is under threat of being auctioned by I&M Bank formerly Orient bank over a Shs10bn debt.

Justice Harriet Grace Magala of the Commercial Division of the High Court dismissed with cost the application filed by Sentongo seeking a court order staying taxation proceedings against him until the determination of his appeal at the Court of Appeal.

In his affidavit, Sentongo challenged the proceedings of taxation against him explaining that he challenged the order for payment of costs in his Appeal and he has secured the interim order staying the execution of the orders of the lower court.

He accused the bank of abusing the court process by filing the bill of costs which will irremediably prejudice to his appeal.

He pleaded with court to exercise its inherent powers to stay the execution proceedings of the bank’s bill of costs because if it is allowed, it is going to be a  pivotal ground on his appeal and render the appeal nugatory and academic.

The bank protested the application through the affidavit in reply deposed by Cheguvera Mushemeza, the Legal Officer of the bank, stating that the application for stay of execution is an abuse of court process.

Mushemeza explained to the court that the court of appeal granted Sentongo a conditional stay but he failed to comply with it. He added that the court of appeal issued an interim injunction against the sale of the mortgaged property and an interim stay of execution of the Decree.

He explained that the Court partially allowed the application but declined to grant a stay of execution and it is the ground they based on to file and serve their bill of costs in the consolidated suits which was scheduled for taxation on the 7th June 2023.

He stated that prior to the taxation hearing date, Sentongo was invited for a pre- taxation hearing on the 5th June 2023 but he either declined or failed to attend.

In her ruling over the matter, Justice Magala explained that her court cannot entertain Sentongo’s application because he is in contempt of the court order issued against him.

“The applicant therefore came to court with unclean hands. For that reason, the court cannot exercise its judicial discretion in the Applicant’s favor unless he has purged himself of the contempt. In the result, this Application is dismissed with costs to the Respondent,” Justice Magala ruled.

Sentongo is challenging the decision by the Commercial Division of the High Court which dismissed his case challenging the bank’s action to auction his commercial property known as Segawa Market, on land situated on Kibuga Block 12 Plots 250 and 251, Kisenyi Kampala city over Shs10bn debt.

Court records indicate that in 2015, Sentongo approached the bank for a financial facility for completion of the commercial blocks for Segawa Market which was to be rented out to tenants to derive rental income.

Both parties executed a facility letter dated 22^nd February, 2016, for a Loan of Shs5bn and it was agreed that the facility would only be serviced through rent collections from the market if the bank funded the development.

Sentongo claims that the bank breached the facility contract by failing to disburse the agreed sums of monies.

Court documents show that Sentongo told the Commercial Division of the High Court that the ban would purport to credit his bank account, and synonymously liquidate the loan, paying itself back immediately with the sums credited, and the sums it would repay itself were always reflected as “Loan amounts recovered”.

The bank on the other hand, according to court documents claimed that between February to October 2016, Sentongo was granted several loan facilities and at his request, they were consolidated into one term loan with a single monthly instalment amortized for a period of five years.

He however, failed to meet his loan repayment obligations consequent upon which the bank issued him two notices of default.

The bank further claimed that when they started the process of recovering their sum of Shs10bn, Sentongo decided to institute a lawsuit and was defeated at the High Court. He appealed at the higher court.

By Grapevine Reporters