At least 24 employees of the Masindi Municipality-based Radio Kitara 96.9 FM are jobless following the decision by the management to shut down its operations.
Management ordered all the staff to leave on Tuesday and closed the station, which hit the airwaves in 2001. Journalists visited the Radio station premises on Wednesday and found it under lock and key.
In his communication to the staff on Tuesday, the Managing Director of Radio Kitara, Maj. General Muhammed Ali Kiiza cited the biting economic crisis for his decision to stop the operations of the station.
Some of the staff told journalists on condition of anonymity that Kiiza told them he was unable to pay the staff fully and meet other related costs since they were operating at a loss.
Moses Andama, a former news reporter at the Radio Kitara said that the communication was a big blow to the majority of them who have been relying on the station for survival.
Another employee said management should have at least communicated to them earlier on the decision to close to enable them to plan accordingly. He says that the station closure caught most of them unawares. He, however, said that the managing director gave them some startup capital, which he declined to reveal.
Annet Najjemba, the former Programs Director-PD at Kitara Radio, said that there is nothing they can do to reverse the decision of their boss who made it clear that he can no longer finance their operations.
William Rwebembera, the Former Manager fo Radio Kitara FM confirmed that the station has indeed been operating at a loss for the past three years. He says that the board of directors is currently engaging their clients on the way forward.
Maj. Gen. Kiiza confirmed the closure of the station because of the current economic crisis and lack of business. He explained that the station has been operating on total loss for three years, which also affected the renewal of its operating license.
According to Kiiza, the station has been operating without a transmitter, which is contrary to the regulations. He says that their transmitter broke down in 2021 but they couldn’t repair it due to the worsening financial crisis.
Kiiza further contends that in March and April this year, the Radio failed to raise money to pay staff salaries, which forced him to look for other sources to pay them, saying
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