The years old adage states that a cat has nine lives while another says thief has twenty one days.
And it seems these adages haves finally caught up with renowned city pastor, Jackson Ssenyonga of Christian life church Bwaise.
Time and again he has toyed with the livelihood of the workers of his media houses namely Top Radio and TV going months on end without paying them and at one time offering to pay them a small portion of their arrears but on condition that he deducted a portion as their tithe.
And behold on Wednesday September 6th 2022 as the roosters went home, the birds flew home and city dwellers drove or walked out of town as dusk set in, the angry workers finally had had it all.
They stormed the church premises that housed the stations and made a mad dash for the studios. Each grabbed what they could and in a twinkle of an eye the studios were empty and as lonely and quiet as a graveyard. Security tried to spring in action but alas it was too late.
Speaking on condition of anonymity a former employee who worked for Top Tv in the early 2000s confided that this was not the first and will not be the last of salary arrears related scandals linked to Ssenyonga.
He reveals that back then he had to lay down his tools as he went eight months without pay and his cries were not heard.
It should be reminded that Pastor Ssenyonga evicted the same radio/TV workers to house pigs.
The seemingly depleted structures at the church’s premises were demolished and the roofings were taken to Pastor Ssenyonga’s pig farm in Kyambizzi, Mwererwe Matugga.
BACKGROUND
The workers of Top radio and TV have been in a thorn affair of striking, running to authorities and courts of law.
Last year, Uganda Communications Commission and other government authorities picked interest in the media house issues and employees were paid two months salary each irrespective of one’s arrears.
However, before, Pastor Ssenyonga deducted tithe offering off the arrears a thing that rubbed many in a wrong way.
In the line of law, Rick Ashaba, a former presenter at Top TV dragged Top Media Group head Jackson Ssenyonga and general manager, Ronald Mubiru to the Labor and Social Development ministry over unpaid salary arrears.
Just like many out there, Ashaba was allegedly sacked by above mentioned after demanding his salary arrears worth over Shs 5 million for ten months.
“I am not a very poor journalist but I want to fight for my rights and save other journalists from being exploited. Many of my colleagues have worked and left Top Media Group cursing and some hate the journalism profession. This impunity must stop,” Ashaba noted last year.
Letter reference number MGLSD/LC/307/2021 signed by Hilda Nakagga on behalf of commissioner labour, industrial relations and productivity summoned Mubiru to respond to the complaints.
Pastor Ssenyonga is also battling a case of breach of contract against a city businessman called Bisaaso at the commercial court where the latter sued him for 5bn.
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