MBARARA: Ankole residents are bracing themselves for yet a twist in television experience from the monopoly of TV West that has dominated the region’s television space for the last 10 years.
Over the years, TV stations including GNTV, Revival TV and Lit TV have cropped up but failed to pose a serious challenge to TV West.
In February 2025, Sky TV rebranded to Tayari West after the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, took full control of the station from the station’s former owners.
This gave most of the journalists in the region renewed hope as the station started hunting for best talents to join them at their new home in Kamukuzi, Mbarara City.
Workers at TV West and Radio West, who were for long uncomfortable with meagre pay, among many unfavorable conditions, grabbed the new opportunity in town to join Tayari West for greener pastures.
The Kamukuzi-based station which broadcasts in Runyankore-Rukiga and Runyoro-Rutooro started by hiring former TV West Akadaara show host Yedidiya Nyakahangura as a manager.
Nyakahangura, who tried his luck at politics in the Ishaka-Bushenyi Municipality parliamentary race under the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) in 2021 but lost, was tasked with looking for Journalists that would give TV West, the Vision Group subsidiary station, a run for their money.
He had also hopped to Smart 24 TV, the Family TV in Kampala before joining Tayari TV – besides his nothing-good-to-write-home political career.
First, Nyakahangura recruited former TV West Agacencwire News Anchor Adella Orishaba as the station’s News Manager to lead a team of reporters for better news coverage in the region.
Orishaba had left TV West over irreconcilable differences with her bosses. She would later try her luck at Crane FM before Joining Tayari West.
Tayari West then quickly hired Alex Mugarura, the brains behind the annual Radio West Ekinihiiro fete, as head of Marketing at the Kamukuzi-based station.
The new station in town hopes that Mugarura will give it the best strategies to handle such shows and events.
The Pearl Times was told that Mugarura will soon start taking the TV to the local people in all parts of western Uganda through live shows.
Next on Tayari West’s shopping list from TV West was production guru Alex Rutebemberwa who did not wait for the bells to ring as he quickly sought leave to start working with the Deputy Speaker’s new media house.
According to sources, the TV West manager did not like the move. As a result, the he reported the staff (Rutebemberwa) to Vision Group Human Resource Manager who consequently terminated production guru’s contract.
Sources have further told this publication of plans for a lawsuit against Rutebemberwa for violating terms of his contract.
Meanwhile, the exodus from Booma to Kamukuzi did not stop with Rutebemberwa. Soon, Adolf Ayoreka, who had been a reporter, could not allow a pregnant opportunity to bypass him just like that. He joined the station as the official photographer.
Other current or former TV West and Radio West staff who have joined Tayebwa’s Tayari West include Cliff Abanaitwe, Joshua Natwijuka, Ibrahim Mubiru and Barbrah Nyamwija, whose online show, Shutama na Nyamwija, now airs on Tayari West.
These movements have left the Booma based station struggling with staffing challenges as more staff are looking at leaving due to meagre pay and increased demotivation, according to inside sources.
Weeks ago, the station advertised for some positions to enable them to fill the gaps left by their previous employees.
Employees at the biggest broadcast Centre in Mbarara City were left ‘confused’ by some of the moves and, in some cases, ‘upset’ by the fellows’ decisions.
The habit of hopping from station to station is common in this new media era in search of greener pastures.
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