UTV assures on W.Cup

By James Bakama THE Department of Information in the President's Office has clarified that Ugandans will not miss live UTV World Cup and African Nations Cup broadcasts. The clarification follows reports that missing sponsorship funds for the France '98 World Cup and Ghana-Nigeria Nations Cup amounting to sh 193m were likely to cost Uganda live 2002 World Cup and African Nations Cup broadcasts. But a release issued yesterday from the President's Office, under which the Information Ministry currently falls, clarified that the matter is being handled by the relevant authorities. "While all effort is being made to recover money owed to UTV by the companies that marketed the sporting events in question,.....this will no way interfere with the live broadcast of the World Cup 2002," Moses Busuulwa of the department of Information said. Busuulwa said Market Line International, that UTV franchised to market the 1998 World Cup, still owes UTV sh161m out of the sh410m deal and the case is in court. Kamu Trading Agency that bid to market the 2000 Nations Cup at sh 52m, but honoured only sh19.7m, thus owing UTV sh32.2m, is according to the release also being pursued by the CID. Press reports in The New Vision and Bukedde were sparked off by the Auditor General's report to parliament in March. The Auditor general John Muwanga wanted the culprits reprimanded and the money recovered. The report said that after scrutiny, there was evidence of weak internal controls. Ends