Culled from Concerned Columnist in New Vision Tabloid

There can be few advertising billboards that manage to insult most of Uganda’s population in 12 words. But such is the billboard of Akright Projects Ltd, currently found besides many of our roads.

The 12 guilty words are, “A man is called a man only if he has a home.” And pictured above this sentence on the billboard is a splendid mansion, the sort of expensive house you would expect to be owned by Mike Mukula - of Global Fund fame (or should that be infamy), whose trial is expected to take place during Obote 3.

The Akright billboard insults two key segments of Ugandans: Women and the poor.

Women
So where do women fit into the statement, “A man is called a man only if he has a home”? Will the expensive house be jointly owned by the wife? What exactly will be her property and inheritance rights? And, you can bet one of Pastor Creflo Dollar’s many dollars that almost all the work in the “man’s home” will be performed by women – by the wife, or by the house maid, or by both. And the domestic violence that occurs in the home will almost always be against women.

The poor
Most Ugandans don’t own their own home, let alone an Akright Project luxury type of house. They rent mizigos. Thus Jane and her two children pay Shs100,000 per month for the “privilege” of living in a two-roomed Kampala muzigo, while, bachelor Bernard pays Shs40,000 per month for a one-roomed muzigo without electricity.

So, is Bernard not a “man”, or is he only a man when Akright Projects says he can be classed as a man? According to Joshua Onyait, Akright’s marketing manager, “The two and three bedroom executive apartments under construction at Akright Kakungulu Satellite City, will be spread to Namanve and Nansana estates at the launch-price of between Shs64m and Shs82m.”

Now, a Kampala waitress working in a local restaurant/bar earns around Shs60,000 per month (plus food). So, even if she could save her whole salary, it would take her 1,377 months (114 years and nine months) to purchase the Shs82m Akright house. And, unless she undergoes a sex change operation, she might not be permitted to buy her new home, anyway, as she is not “a man”.

My advice to Akright Projects Ltd is to give its advertising agency a red card.

This is just hilarious.So what do they want exactly an advert with a slogan that include the poor and the women?

I hope you are aware in uganda women don't have equal right to property...

And due to lack of women empowerment and enlightenment in the country its mostly the man is footing the whole bill for the house...

So to me the ad is well informed

As a woman i would never support this ad...

But whats the purpose of an ad?? To increase sales...
So since ugandan are used 2 their egos being massaged this ad fulfils its purpose

If all Ugandan ladies were put off by the ad, as they should; sales should take a dent. I am all for social advertising. A good ad would not only try to market the product but also perpetuate social ideals. I suppose I ask too much. For most businesses, it all about the money. CSR is a total fake.