By Alex Balimwikungu
Word from Buziga indicates that City tycoon, Sulaiman Kabangala Mbuga aka SK Mbuga’s STV is on the verge of closure.
This follows an unprecedented move last Friday when he summarily stopped all on-air- shows and put the presenters on ‘katebe’ without any prior warning.
Just so to show them he meant business, sources tell our moles that he transferred some of the studio equipment to his home, leaving the presenters perplexed.
“They just verbally told us to stop working. No official communication or letter. Our working conditions are not the best but we put in a shift. Now we are back to nothing,” Some of the affected staffers told The Kampala Sun.
Some reveal that they have gone several months without pay and some shrewd staff made off with studio equipment.
In 2019, SK Mbuga invested heavily in STV and many believed it would be the next big thing.
Four years down the road, the TV station is still struggling to find its niche and capture the mass market.
It started off by recruiting the likes of Kazibwe Bashir, Tamale Mirundi, Full Figure, Robin Kisti among many others. There were once plans of turning it into a sports channel, but lately it had become big on entertainment.
In a telephone interview with The Kampala Sun on Wednesday, a bullish SK Mbuga lambasted whoever peddled the story that the station is bound to close after suspension of on-air shows.
“I am an astute businessman who doesn’t listen to background noise. Whoever told you that the TV is closing. Did they advise me when it was starting? No one told me when to start and no one will tell me when to close,” he said.
He further explained, “I don’t do my business in media but if you may need to know, I am not like other media stations that don’t revamp. I am revamping the station. Even Uganda Communications Commission was here to see us through the process,” he said.
