Salt Media which owns Salt Television and Salt FM, has fired veteran news anchor Teera Kaaya in a move that has shocked many.
In an announcement repeatedly aired on the Lungujja based Salt TV in an interval of relatively five minutes on Thursday evening, Salt Media noted that he (Kaaya) is no longer their employee and cautioned the public from any dealings with him in connection to their company.
While speaking to SoftPower News on phone, the soft spoken journalist admitted having had his employment terminated by Pastor Aloysius Bugingo’s station and that he is now eyeing other possible employments.
“Yes, it is true we have parted ways with them and i am no longer their employee. A lot of things have been ongoing for sometime, all originating from disagreements with the station’s owner in regard to the professional aspects of operation,” he said.
“Unlike Vision Group which is government owned with a well laid system of management, at Salt Media, one becomes an enemy if he disagrees with the powers that be,” he added.
According to Kaaya who has also been the Station’s Programmes Manager, a series of meetings were held to harmonize his relationship and professional ideas with those of Pastor Aloysius Bugingo but all failed.
According to a reliable source at Salt Media who spoke to SoftPower News on condition of anonymity, the sacked journalist was kicked out for allegedly conning people of their money in the name of the church, as well as his alleged unlimited sexual advances to workmates.
“His weakness has always been unlimited love affairs with workmates but that would have been tolerated because not all Salt Media Staff are pentecostals,” a source explained.
“However, in a bid to get some money, he conned some poor saloon people in Gayaza that Pastor Bugingo and House of Prayer Ministries are going to give out saloon chairs and that they were required to raise some money as a prerequisite,” added the source.
In April this year, a letter of caution is said to have been issued to Mr Kaaya by the station’s management warning him of insubordination in which he was accused of undermining decisions taken by his superiors.
Asked on the repeatedly played announcement on Salt TV disowning him, Mr Kaaya said, it is intended to blackmail him before his future possible employers.
“Even when we were partying, he said he will publish me in the papers, I think intending to fail and blackmail me, but all I told him is that he was at liberty to do whatever he wanted provided I didn’t do any wrong, we only disagreed on principle,” Mr Kaaya said.
He has been stopped alongside a one Liz Kataike, who was in the finance and accounts department but quit the station months back after allegedly misappropriating Shs20M meant for the company’s T-shirts. Management has asked the public to report her whereabouts to security.
On his next course of action, the veteran news anchor said he has already received calls from several media houses in the country asking for his service. He then, noted that he will soon announce his next duty station.
Kaaya shot into limelight for his unique style and colour he added into the famous Bukedde TV’s Agataliiko Nfuufu news program a couple of years back, but called it quits in June 2017 for greener pastures at Salt Media where he was employed as a station’s programme manager.