Joint radio debates save candidates from hefty digital campaign costs

Kitgum, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT | Live on air radio debates initiated by local radio stations in Kitgum district are helping various political candidates in Kitgum and Lamwo districts to cut the costs of hiring airtime.  

The three radio stations including Mighty Fire Fm, Tembo Fm and Peace FM, all in Kitgum Municipality recently initiated joint debates for candidates contesting for various elective positions in Kitgum and Lamwo districts. 

Some of the candidates who have since appeared on the debates praised the initiative and described it as cost saving for their meagre campaign resources. 

Robinson Onencan Acen, an Independent parliamentary candidate in Chua East Constituency has appeared on the three radio stations in the past week. 

He says the platform has enabled him to reach his voters in remote areas in the district and beyond without spending any money.

Onencan says his campaign team has been able to save at least  Shillings 4 million, which they would have spent on hiring airtime for at least two hours on all the three radio stations.

Denis Onekalit Amere, a candidate for the Kitgum Municipality Parliamentary seat on the Forum for Democratic Change party ticket, says the radio debates have helped to save candidates from high expenditure on hiring radio airtime.  

Amere says he has been able to reach out to thousands of people in a single session through the radio Programme, which would have initially taken him days and a lot of money. Walter Livings Tooroma, the incumbent Kitgum Municipal Council Mayor who is running for a second term in office says he has been saved from high competition given the fact that politics is highly commercialized. 

Tooroma says he has since saved more than a million Shillings that would have been used to hire airtime on radio stations. Steven Komakech, the Programme Manager Mighty Fire FM told Uganda Radio Network in an interview on Monday that the Programme was initiated well aware that some of the candidates have financial constraints to reach out to their voters through radio.

He says the station management also decided not to hike the airtime for various political candidates to ease accessibility to the voters through radio.  The Radio station charges Shillings 1 million for Presidential candidates and Shillings 800,000 for other candidates.  

Komakech says they have now hosted candidates contesting for Mayoral race in Kitgum Municipality, Parliamentary candidates in both Kitgum and Lamwo districts and intend to extend the Programme for candidates in Pader and Agago districts. 

Electoral Commission banned mass rallies for 2021 general elections and instead advocated for digital campaigns on Radios and TV to contain the spread of COVID-19.

********

URN