The Market Intelligence Group (MIG), led by Dr Joel Isabirye, has given the Uganda Media Owners Association (UMOA) 10 days to retract and apologise for a statement dismissing MIG’s 2026 Uganda National Media Survey, accusing the association of defamation, business disparagement, and anti-competitive conduct.
Through M. A. Kajubi & Co. Advocates, MIG is demanding that UMOA withdraw its September 3 statement, issue a public apology, and commit not to repeat similar claims. UMOA’s original statement said it had identified “misrepresentations and inaccurate information” in MIG’s findings and urged stakeholders and the public to disregard the report, adding that it does not subscribe to MIG’s research and instead works with organisations it considers credible.
MIG’s lawyers argue the association’s language went beyond fair criticism of the research and damaged the firm’s professional and commercial reputation, pointing specifically to phrases such as “purported research findings,” “so-called research reports,” and the call for stakeholders to disregard the findings. The legal notice further alleges the conduct violates the Competition Act, 2024, and the Competition Regulations, 2025.
The dispute centers on MIG’s 2026 Uganda National Media Survey, released September 3 at Emin Pasha Hotel in Kampala, which covered 146 districts and surveyed 26,733 respondents. The survey ranked NBS Television as Uganda’s most-watched TV station across news, politics, and entertainment, with several Next Media programs and personalities topping their categories, including NBS Live at 9, The Frontline, NBS Barometer, and NBS After 5. Sanyuka Television’s UnCut was ranked the leading late-evening entertainment program.
Dr Isabirye said UMOA never contacted MIG before issuing its statement, despite standing invitations to attend the firm’s report launches and prior access to its questionnaire. He defended MIG’s methodology, citing its larger sample size, face-to-face interview approach (as opposed to phone-based research), and nationwide geographic coverage, which he said allows for more reliable verification of respondent demographics and location than competing methods.
MIG’s lawyers say the UMOA statement has caused reputational and financial harm, including lost clients and business opportunities. They are seeking retraction, a public apology through UMOA’s channels and a national newspaper, damages to be assessed by a court, and legal costs. Failure to comply within the 10-day window, the notice states, will result in court proceedings seeking general, aggravated, and/or exemplary damages, special damages for financial loss, an injunction, and costs.