Monitor At 30: Founding MD Oguttu heaps praise on Sudhir, Public for supporting the publication through advertising

KAMPALA, UGANDA: Uganda’s Biggest Publication, the Daily Monitor on Thursday, August 4, commemorated 30 years of media service at a symposium held at the International Conference Centre, Serena, with Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo commending the media house for great service to Ugandans over the 30 years.

Justice Owiny-Dollo was the keynote speaker at the event in which the ICT Minister Dr. Chris Baryomunsi and Monitor Board Chairman Prof. Samuel Ssejaka also spoke, promising a mutual partnership.

The publication’s founding Managing Director and Editor-In-Chief, Mr Wafula Oguttu said the founders set out to run a newspaper to give all Ugandans an equal opportunity to freely express their views.

“I think that is the reason we were constantly called an enemy paper,” he said.

Mr. Oguttu commended the Ugandan population for standing by the side of the newspaper and singled out three individuals; Businessman Sudhir Ruparelia, Mr. John Ndyabagye and Ambassador Mumtaz Kassam who helped the newspaper in its infancy by contributing to its start-up — with office space, logistics and advertising because owners didn’t have capital.

Oguttu singled out Mr. Sudhir, saying the businessman paid a full year of advertising ahead of the launch of the newspaper and has remained a big advertiser with the company up to today.

“Mr Sudhir was also our banker when he later started Crane Bank until it was closed; we hope it returns soon,” Mr. Oguttu said.

Sudhir who was present at the event and in the day’s newspaper commemorative Editorial was quoted saying;- “My relationship with Daily Monitor is that there is always a good and bad story, so I take everything with a pinch of salt but by and large, we have very good working relationship”.

He added: “When we are advertising, our first priority is with Daily Monitor. I have stuck with Daily Monitor as an advertiser for this long first and foremost because it’s stories are effective and balanced,” he said.