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By a Reader
It was reported early this week that soldiers had burned down the Red Pepper printing press. However, I dont think this story is true because of the following reasons:
1.Judging from the kind of premises Red Pepper is occupying its doubtful that they can afford to buy let alone operate CCTV cameras.
2. Why are they printing the CCTV camera images in black and white not colour?
3. It is well known that Salim Saleh and Janet have shares in Red Pepper and no one can recall the paper running any negative stories on any of them despite the many skeletons in the duo's cupboards.
4. I work in the print media and know that around 11pm to midnight is when the printing of Uganda's papers is done. How comes by the time the 'soldiers' invaded there was no one in the printing press and the paper came out normally the next day?
5. Shouldn't 'soldiers' have found it better to use grenades to destroy the printing press than use fire which didn't damage it any way?
In my view Red Pepper's directors may be conniving with someone in an insurance company to get money out of it or there may be another sinister motive. A rumour in Kampala is that it may have been a rehearsasl for burning down the Bulange Mengo buildings of the Buganda kingdom. Radio Katwe may go ahead and investigate.
From Radio Katwe Manager: Thank you for putting those questions. We are not familiar with Red Pepper offices but the CCTV might just be a simple one. In these days of computers you can even use a webcam.
The situation in Uganda with all these fires is indeed worrying. There are many things going on and we are monitoring developments.
You cannot rule out the possibility that these fires are the rehearsal for, or the beginning of a time of serious chaos and terror. As we have reported before, former 'terrorists' have confessed that the last time there was serious insecurity in the country, our one and only 'revolutionary' Yoweri T. Museveni was the one who sent them.
On top of that, you might see buildings in the Mengo area catching fire and if Ugandans do not react, Bulange which is the headquarters of the Buganda government could be set on fire and they claim it was just an accident like the others.
We are also here at Radio Katwe worried that soon you might see a scenario where the homes of leading opposition people like Erias Lukwago, Betty Kamya, Kizza Besigye, and Sebana Kizito and others are attacked by thugs or arsonists.
We urge Ugandans to be at their most vigilant, don't take anything for granted. These people can do anything, they have done it before. The times of business as usual are past.
Readers Comments:
03 Jul 2008
1.
In regards to your article “Who burnt Red Pepper Offices” of Thursday 3rd July 2008, I would like to point out to you that;
Red Pepper can afford CCTV. One CCTV costs Ugshs.500,000/=.it is as cheap as that, most people have them at their homes/premises.
Secondly the Red Pepper offices are not substandard as you tend to think.
The images are in black and white because Red pepper type of CCTV camera do record colour pictures during the day, and black and white pictures at night, which is common practice.
Different media houses print their papers at different times. For example, on Saturdays, Red pepper is always printing Sunday Pepper, which hits the streets at 4pm of Saturday. So by 7pm, everybody including upcountry vehicles would have left.
On insurance, there is no way you can burn your lifeline and wait for insurance to pay. It would be counter productive. Yes insurance will pay but how long will it take you to import, and install new machines. etc
Lets be pro-active and find the real culprits who are a danger to the freedom of press
From a Red Pepper Fan
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