Low budgets make it difficult for us to operate effectively – Public Relations Officers

Public Relations Officers (PROs) in Uganda have spoken out against the low budgets usually designated to public relations departments in both government and private institutions.

According to Public Relations Officers who spoke at the National Public Relations Symposium at Hotel Africana in Kampala last Friday, underfunding undervalues their works.

Tina Wamala, the President of the Public Relations Association of Uganda (PRAU), was the first to highlight the matter, saying both government and private institutions prefer to fund other departments.

“Most budgets go to human resource, marketing and sales departments. We are given a small portion. This makes it very difficult for us to operate effectively within our organizations,” she said.

Protecting organizational reputation 

As if to agree with Wamala, Selestino Babungi, the Managing Director of Umeme Limited, recommended that organizations should start including a PR professional on their boards.

He said: “One of the major aims of any Board is to protect the reputation of an organization. Companies need to be open to the fact that just as much as they need a lawyer on the board, they must accommodate a PR professional.”

Godfrey Kabbyanga, the State Minister for ICT, revealed that the government, through the Ministry of Public Service, has developed a Scheme of Service for all communicators working in Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

“The scheme aims to help the government to streamline communication in all MDAs. It is hoped that this will go a long way in facilitating information sharing, which in turn, is hoped to support service delivery to our people,” he said.

“As you may be aware, currently, all MDAs have professional PR professionals managing communication. This is evidence enough that Government is committed to supporting the Public Relations and Communication sectors in Uganda,” he added.

Kabbyanga criticized some government communication officers who always delay communicating to the public when there is a crisis. He said this is something which attracts citizens on social media platforms to draw their confusion leading to the spread of false information.

The minister hoped that along the way, the government will engage in facilitating information sharing through the Public Relations Association of Uganda, which in turn, supports service delivery to Ugandans.

The Chief Executive Officer of Uganda Airlines, Jennifer Bamuturaki, explained that public relations in the public sector are different to that in the private sector. In the public sector, even a simple thing will be blown out of proportion because you’re accountable to the public, she stated.

PR is not marketing 

The President of PRAU also not those PR practitioners are unappreciated and misunderstood. Wamala said companies do not understand the role of Public Relations until a crisis hits or when there’s an event to manage.

Wamala noted that the role of PR officers is much bigger than crisis management and events management. She said public relations require strategic and proactive thinking and running campaigns with or without a crisis.

“A lot of people think marketing and PR are the same. They are different. Marketing uses finances to push and promote products. We (PROs) use our stakeholder engagement and management skills to manage our relationships key of which is the media to support us in promoting our organizations and providing visibility for them,” she added.

In his submission, Fabian Kasi, the Managing Director of Centenary Bank, said public relations is about understanding the brand that you represent, the values it stands for and why it was started. “That way, you’re building a brand, and once built then you communicate it,” Kasi said.

The Senior Corporate Affairs Manager at Uganda Development Bank said Public Relations practitioners must research deeply, be innovative and adaptive to changes.

Rachael Ddumba of Steadman Global Consulting said networking is crucial for any upcoming PR professionals. “Become knowledgeable about a myriad of topics & develop your LinkedIn accounts – especially. Most recruiters start there when they are looking for something about you,” she said.

Return of PRAU Excellence Awards 

Uganda is set to host the Second East Africa Public Relations Week later this year in Jinja. The awards are meant to recognize PR excellence in the country; to appreciate and motivate players. PRAU will use the weeklong event to bring the PRAU Excellence Awards.

“There is no doubt that the conference will help enhance Uganda’s image in the region & beyond in terms of trade, tourism and other aspects. I would like to assure you of government support towards this conference. I implore you to come in big numbers,” Kabyanga said.

The Public Relations Association of Uganda is the umbrella body of all private and public PR professionals, communication specialists, brand managers, mass communication & other related disciplines striving to promote PR excellence in Uganda.

PRAU was founded in 1976 as a membership-based professional body of Public Relations) practitioners in Uganda.

The association is affiliated with regional and global bodies such as the East African Public Relations Association (EAPRA), the African Public Relations Association (APRA) and the International Public Relations Association (IPRA).