Washington. Mercury Public Affairs has removedits Uganda’s Public Relations focal staff, Deirdre Stach, a move also likey to see the entire job of cleaning President Museveni’s global image terminated.
Stach is a senior vice president in the firm’s Washington DC office. Her deregistration follows international protests against the firm including one at the firm’s DC offices, for lobbying for a country whose human rights records have shrunk over the years with now dictatorship being in the open.
Deirdre Stach. File Photo
However, two other senior employees of Mercury George Tucker and Morris Reid remain registered on the project.
Government contracted Mercury Public Affairs to provide strategic consulting services to the Republic of Uganda as its security forces continue even after elections to unleash the worst wave of repression against citizens.
Hundreds of people, suspected of supporting political opposition to 76-year-old president Yoweri Museveni, have been rounded up, tortured and held in secret prisons.
Museveni, has been in power for more than 35 years and was recently sworn-in to run for another five years that will see him rule the nation for 40 years. He remains a key ally to the US which is still offering military support but that country is critical of human rights violations.
Uganda contracted Mercury on April 22 just days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken slapped sanctions on government officials who were believed to have committed atrocities against Ugandans. Mercury, is working as subcontractor to Mercury International UK Limited in London.
The term of the Agreement indicated work started on April 22, 2021, and would continue month to month after the first month ending May 21, 2021.
The Director of the Uganda Media Centre Ofwono Opondo could not be reached on Saturday morning for his take on the latest developments.
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