Businessman to petition Media High Council

A local businessman is threatening to petition the Media High Council (MHC) over an article which was published by Umuvugizi a local Kinyarwanda newspaper, in which his company, Computer Bytes, was misrepresented as belonging to another person. Kassim Ntageruka who is the Managing Director of Computer Bytes Limited says the company belongs to him and his wife as opposed to the allegations in the story that it belongs to a person identified as Major Willy Rwagasana. “What I want is my company’s name to be rectified, it was named to someone who has even never been my business partner. Many people are calling me on this issue and it is damaging the reputation of my business,” he said. The story titled ‘Major wa RDF asigaye yarabaye umuherwe mu bandi’ (An RDF Major has become a tycoon among others) that run in Umuvugizi’s 14-25 February this year says that Computer Bytes and a number of other houses belong to Major Rwagasana, a thing Ntageruka calls “a blatant misrepresentation”. “I don’t know what the writer intended to portray but my concern is that whoever misrepresented my company in such a way should correct the mistake, or else I will take the issue to higher authorities.” Ntageruka is not pleased with the fact that the author did not try to establish the real property owners, especially his company. “After realising the misrepresentation of my company I sought advice from Patrick Mulama of the Media High Council, who told me to seek a right of reply from the paper, but they are adamant to do this, it looks like they are complicating the whole thing,” he said. In a telephone interview with Mulama, he told the Sunday Times that it is true Ntageruka called him about the issue on the level of seeking advice. “It’s true Ntageruka called me about the issue and I told him to work it out with the publication by seeking a right of reply, where the issue can be corrected and if it is not done he can formally write to the council,” said Mulama. In a phone interview with Bosco Gasasira, the Managing Director of Umuvugizi, he said he has not received any word from Ntageruka on the issue. “I have not had any communication from Ntageruka, he has not called me or written to me concerning the issue, all I get are intimidations from people,” he said. “Just like any other Rwandan he has a right to come or communicate to me in any way but this has not been done, he added. Ends