Advertising companies battle for Entebbe Airport space

Entebbe, Uganda's only airport located about 40km south west of Kampala, is a major attraction for leading companies including MTN, Zain, Warid Telecom and Barclays Bank.

Katende, Ssempebwa & Co, lawyers of Clear Channel, on August 11, issued a stern warning to potential advertisers at the airport, against booking space with Alliance Media Uganda.

“Existing and intending advertisers are warned that any attempt to regularise or book space at Entebbe International Airport with Alliance Media (U) Ltd is also in contravention of the above ruling and order,” said the statement from the law firm. The ruling in question is Misc. Cause No. 156 delivered by the High Court of Uganda in August 2008.

Clear Channel's lawyers added; “Any person therefore, whether natural or juristic, who continues to deal with Alliance Media (U), as a concessionaire for Entebbe International Airport does so at his or her own peril.”

According to the agency's lawyers, the concessionaire for the airport currently belongs to Clear Channel until the court rules otherwise.

The warning to advertisers about the deal comes on the heels of an advertisement that was published in the Daily Monitor and New Vision newspapers on August 4, last week.

The advert, which appeared with a logo of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of Uganda, informed the public that Alliance Media (U) was appointed the new advertising concessionaire for the airport effective 1 July, 2008. It could not be immediately established whether the advert was issued by the CAA, from the authority's spokesman, Ignie Igundura.

“Existing and intending advertisers are advised to regularise or book space with the concessionaire who can be contacted on Alliance Media…” it read on. In addition it noted that, “the Authority will not take responsibility for any airport advertising arrangements entered into with any other agent.”

Attempts to get comments from Alliance Media were also futile as the company's representatives in Uganda remained silent on their claim.

As the battle rages on, advertisers can only wait for the High Court's ruling on who the rightful concessionaire will be.