Red Pepper and the Pepper Publications defaulting on loans!

In the recent few hours more and more rumours of the Red Pepper Newspaper is having financial difficulties. Like they are losing money without having enough earnings, the Red Pepper is supposed to own the sum of 26 billion shillings. Earlier this month Red Pepper already had issues.

Take a look:

“The Pepper Publications recently suspended publication of Hello, Akapapula and Emulalu subsidiary tabloids after majority of staff left the company over accumulated salary arrears. As the publication grapples with collapsing copy sales and dwindling advertisement revenues, Stanbic bank’s action could push the tabloid to the edge of bankruptcy. Sources are telling this website that the Pepper Publications sold its Shs 5bn Crane Bank loan to Stanbic before directors picking an extra Shs 2.5bn for luxury cars. Unfortunately, the tabloid has fallen short of honouring its financial obligations, compelling the bank to take drastic measures” (…) “Failure to pay means The Pepper Publications will have to get another bank to make over the loan. SOURCES said staff at the tabloid is worried about the future of the publication as most of the meager revenues coming in end up in the pockets of directors. “What we are witnessing now is milking a rock. We have gone six months without pay” (Xrated, 2017).

So the Red Pepper has tried to come with much different publication, but without having the funds to facilitate the expansion. Therefore we are seeing a meltdown in funds. So now the banks has lost their patience and now are in big trouble, even Stanbic Bank went further. They even sent debt collectors. Here is the story!

“On Monday morning, a group of debt collectors from Stanbic bank raided Red Pepper offices in Namanve, in an effort to get back their money the tabloid borrowed in to fund their expansion” (…) “Those who were already in tried to flee while those who hadn’t come got phone calls from someone called George, the chief security guard and they decided not to come,” said a source at the newspaper” (…) “Meanwhile, the long serving finance manager Bob Mahebewa threw in the towel on the very day, and he resigned in an effort to avoid future embarrassments. Muhebewa told his close friends that he was scared when he saw Stanbic debt collectors and he knows they must arrest the top five directors unless they pay all the money owed to the bank” (Guide Reporter, 2017).

We can wonder who will buy the Pepper Publication or if the papers and magazines will stop to be published. Pepper Publication and Red Pepper Newspaper needs fresh funds, since the trailing tabloid. Since they need more people buying their paper and read their stories since it seems like the people aren’t picking it up or if the investors has given it up. It is either or. Peace.

Reference:

Guide Reporter – ‘STANBIC BANK DEBT COLLECTORS RAID RED PEPPER OFFICES, DIRECTORS FLEE WHILE FINANCE BOSS RESIGNS’ (14.03.2017) link: http://businessguideafrica.com/stanbic-bank-debt-collectors-raid-red-pepper-offices-directors-flee-while-finance-boss-resigns/

 

Xrated – ‘Stanbic Bank is set to recall a Shs7bn loan given to Red Pepper Publications as the tabloid’s financial woes worsen’ (10.03.2017) link: http://xrated.co.ug/stanbic-bank-is-set-to-recall-a-shs7bn-loan-given-to-red-pepper-publications-as-the-tabloids-financial-woes-worsen/

Opinion: The Written Word and Media losing power in our day and age; because of Self-Censorship!

Sometimes I wish I knew nothing, was clueless, and didn’t have the curiosity or learning ways of finding the information. Finding the sources and looking out for the ones that really said it and not hearsay.

In this world of constant dropping of instant news that are composed in a tabloid fashion suited to the political belief of either the sponsors, owners and the ones that get clicks. The reality and the true sources don’t matters. The Stories getting copied and bought; they don’t get written the newsagents drop them like a grocery-bag and it flees the hurdles before the shade of dark comes in.

The popularity and the spreading on social media makes the marginal papers, the marginal sources silenced as the big-media houses and conglomerates control the discussion and conversations. The minor ones might have a smidge of control and ones in while find a story or picture, even glimpse of reality that the world needed to know. But the houses are silent if there isn’t a buck in it or the righteous owner doesn’t approve it.

It has to be cleared and corrected made in a way that the population can accept it and the ad-revenue can come, either on TV, Online or in the Press. The grandest of them shows loyalty to the ruling regimes and dances with the Multi-National Companies without questions. Therefore the stories are fitted so the Colgate can be sold while the ruling regime can be smug on the front pages; there might not strict rules for censorship! Still the censorship can be made by company just to sell and the integrity doesn’t matter. The digging and questioning cannot happen as long as the journalist has to think about the owners and their wealth; not about generally praising the governments and the giant companies who subsidize their rule.

The Advertisements and Owners control it, instead of the thought of giving the public the intelligence or the follow-up of stories; unless the leaks nearly have to be addressed. I am so tired of these notices and little margins of stories. The PanamaPapers and others are truly remarkable events that made certain papers look into the conspiracies and into the darker sides of the world. Where even the trails of papers found world-leaders, NGOs and Companies that wouldn’t’ like to be associated with fraud, Tax Evasions and other economic forgery. Still, the Apple Company and Amazon don’t care if they rig their LLC in ways in Europe to systematically not pay what they have due on their profits.

Still, the little smidge of barren, the little smidge of proper work or shown as the microwaved cases and the questions for a quick “BREAKING NEWS” as the Senator or MP calls the Network to come to the steps of Court or Parliament to discuss the plenary session on the “Bushwick” Tax; that are for the regulation of growth amongst the bushes. The Bushes that are a problem in the nation; this happens while the media doesn’t question the tenders, the payments and deals made for Oil Drilling and why the Petroleum Commission doesn’t show any signs of transparency towards the companies getting the contracts, the tax they pay on the dollar and the Crude Oil rate for developing the Pipeline. Still, it’s easier just to get a grand quote from the Senator or MP than asking the hard questions towards the Central Government.

The tricks and notion that the Government and Multi-Nationals doesn’t have anything is a lie. They just don’t want us to know as their knowledge and their mechanisms wouldn’t be controlling if we knew. The certain estimate if the Norwegian people for instance the grades that the food-producing companies paid the three great conglomerates (NorgesGruppen, Reitan Gruppen and COOP) for space on the aisles or placements fees directly to the Supermarket Company. Well, this will be kept secret and the agreements are happening in the shadow as the laws and regulations are not steep towards the conglomerates as they are supporting the campaigns of politicians and they doesn’t want to lose their Party funds. They might not say it, but why hasn’t anybody had the clue of curving the power of these companies and their near monopoly on food in the nation?

Well, the media doesn’t care and doesn’t question the powers enough. There certainly exemptions that some tries and somebody does ask questions. But they are wild roses and not common flowers in the gardens as they should be.

Where is these reports and these seldom good ones get lost in the trail of the tabloid and hearsay stories as the click-bait are more commonly shared. The dumbing down and the simplistic words portrayed for the masses. We have to get the media to be more responsible to the viewership, to ask the questions as the dumbing down are happening. As he the journalistic integrity is dying and the media-houses are making easier pieces. Lastly we have to pay for men and woman to dig deep it takes time and doesn’t come for free. The hardcover reports doesn’t come over night, it takes work and persistence. The persistence to find and correct the powers and follow the money takes time. It is a reason if you follow the trail of money, you will find the heart of them. That is because we spend money where our heart is or where our heart desire. The ones that claim otherwise think about how you spend your own monies and cater to your needs. There you have it right?

Just think about it and the words I am writing. It is just a wild approach into darkness. Because their beacons of hope, but very few. I am just a man who writes what I like and discuss what I see fit and digs into the stories I see needed be or find questionable. If not like with Dr. Kizza Besigye and his campaign where I am a hopeful man who wishes for regime change, and for governments that are accountable and transparent. Therefore I support the man and his cause. The same I does with Pastor Evan Mawarire and others who deserves be credited for their cause of freedom, liberation and justice for their citizens. The Citizens that needs and deserves government that represents their will and their institutions to deliver needed services to the people.

We need them to ask questions; we need them to dig deep and not just what the government want to publicise to make them look good. We need the dirty laundry out… and without a doubt without fear and without being censored for the will of profit, but for the will of common good. I know it is a lot to ask in corporate multi-national media-houses and the governments who do what they can to be embedded with them. This says what state we’re in and what we can do about it. Therefore I poke, to question. Not because I have answers, because I don’t; but because I have the will to question and seek for answers. Peace.  

Opinion: Indifference from the public is a gift to the Political Sphere!

We live in a day and age where the content of information is accessible at any time of the day on all kind of formats. It isn’t only pamphlets, posters, newspapers and books. But there are blogs like this; it is digital videos, cable-TV, social-media and all the other ways of gaining information with or without membership pay-walls for the content. In that world of constant ability to gain this, it can either feed the hunger for knowledge or become tiring for the people as the constant newsflashes and breaking news can make your mind boggle and wonder what is really important.  Therefore before I continue let see a main definitions of Indifference!

Definitions of the Word:

“lack of interest in or concern about something: an indifferent attitude or feeling” (…)” 1:  the quality, state, or fact of being indifferent

2a archaic :  lack of difference or distinction between two or more things b :  absence of compulsion to or toward one thing or another” (Meriam Webster Dictionary).

As I tried to explain brief in this time and day, we’re all access to information and ability to download reports, getting brief headlines and watching reports on TV or tablets the clarity of what is important can sometimes not sink in. As we check the normal suspects for the commentary or the capability to get news and become reasonable updated on the matters at hand. Though there are stories lost and we can’t know what happens at every corner of the world, than we are stuck between all screens and behind every tweet dropped every hour of the day. We’ll live in a forever groundhog day and wish that we had comic talent of Bill Murray instead of trying to get up to date with current news.

The fear is with the level of information, the different formats and the ability of entertainment and tabloid news. The simplistic and breaking is taking over for the hardcore policy discussions as the direct terror threats and artists dismissals seems more important than the issues of trading and health care policies. The indifference towards the reasons behind the migrations and the reasons for the crisis in Syria for instance are lost in the battle against terror. The devastating idea for why Tunisia, Libya and other states who was has been under fire since the Arab spring have been lost in tales of Clinton and British death, instead of the iconic and important support to build state institutions for the citizens. In countries that before this we’re built around grand dictators like Ben Ali and Gaddafi. Therefore the indifference to the solutions and the real deal behind the fragile state is worrying.

The worrying indifference to the abysmal understanding of the financial structure of Greece and Italy, as the banks of Italy are in limbo; while the state sales and economic liberation while drowning a debt-burden Greece in more greasy debt as they trying to cope with the level of migrations. We should ask ourselves if the European Union forgot counting people or building swimming-pools for the new rich investor elites that got ability to buy state-resources and key installations like Piraeus port harbor for few cents on the dollar. Therefore the indifference for the swallowing the pride and the reactions this might have for the Greek state.

The indifference for rigging elections and supporting peacekeeping armies on the African continent, while the UN Peacekeepers in C.A.R. are using their power to rape and destroy, not only generate peace, as the UN Mission in Western Sahara is more a luxurious club for diplomates than generating mediation and justice for the people under siege from Morocco. But the world is silent. That the DRC are planning to exile more opposition or even detain them before the General Election for a third term for President Kabila and nobody flick their eyes. While the opposition is under siege in Rwanda, but President Kagame is hailed for the economic recovery as the totalitarian leader are oppressive and using forces in the Kivu’s to still steal resources from the Congo. The world doesn’t care or tries to forget. While the Burundi are still in crisis as the third term of President Nkurunziza is bloody, friends and foes of the President vanish and assassinated, while the Inclusive Dialogue by EAC and AU under former Tanzanian President Mpaka are at a standstill. So the state of affairs is far from beautiful. The indifference to matters is staggering as the knowledge of these actions shouldn’t be forgotten.

I wonder if I feel alone on it, like so many didn’t notice the skirmishes and the recent battles from the militias in Beni, in Democratic Republic of Congo. If it was just the Congolese diaspora who wore the yellow color clothes on Sunday’s to remember the dead and spread awareness of the continuing warfare in the region. As the world have forgotten the violence and want to be rest assure that the cobalt and other resources need in the smartphones are exported to factories far away.

The ignorance and indifference are so big as the cable-news and grand media-houses focus on the click-bait and easy journalism instead of digging deep and having questions to the matters. Only following the money, the money always says how the ethical principles a man or woman has; as a person will only spend money on the things and people that they care about. That is a forgotten one, at one point of time with the PanamaPapers, the big media-houses followed it, but when the leaks when silent the interest dwindled as quickly as the importance of Blackburn in British football, which division are they now in?

We can question if the world really want to care, as the violence, the single handily gun-men going on shooting spree and the endless bloodshed is sad to read about and would make your hard. The continuation of news on the freedom fighters or guerrilla of Niger Delta Avengers would be less interesting as long as they’re a giant force in Boko Haram that are steadily doing abductions, kidnaps and killings in Cameroon and Nigeria.

We can’t be able to be refreshed and know about all issues worldwide, but at least not care more about Pokemon Go, Donald Trump’s latest racist tweet or a Stephen Colbert skit. They might a moment of joy and laugh, but with the possible knowledge of destruction, lose forces and able information, we as people shouldn’t let this just go on without questioning the powers to be.

Because as long as the public is kept in the shadow and not knowing, the people will not be able to see what the government or civil society is doing. That gives leeway to do whatever. So with this in mind the people should be interested and question, wonder and check the resources and ability to gain information on the matters. Either if it by Youtube, library or on the newsstand; the government have it easier with ignorant public sphere and indifference to matters both domestic and international, as they don’t have to take a stand and change policy as long as the people doesn’t act upon the issue. Therefore the knowledge and questioning the businesses, government and NGO’s happens when the citizen’s acts upon what we know. Indifference is only earning the government and the ones that already are in power, the danger for them is if we already knows and can anticipate their moves. Because if so, then they can’t away with thieving, lying and deceit of public will. Indifference of this gives way and is a gift to political sphere. Peace.

Reference:

Meriam Webster – ‘Indifference’ link: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indifference