Bitter exchanges have erupted between NBS TV host Simon Kaggwa Njala, and Edris Kiggundu, a former editor of Next Media Services’ online publication.
It all began when Simon Kaggwa Njala hosted leader of opposition Joel Ssenyonyi to discuss coffee matters and other political issues in the country. But Edris Kiggundu punched holes in Kaggwa Njala’s hosting skills.
Edris Kiggundu proposed that Joel Ssenyonyi should not be allowed to appear on Simon Kaggwa Njala’s show because the questions asked and the answers given show that Njala is not suitable to host certain people.
“LOP Ssenyonyi should be “banned” from appearing on a certain TV station because he always exposes the moderator’s mediocrity,” wrote Edris Kiggundu.
“These are things that, we people in the media, fear to talk about (because of collegiality) but honestly, sometimes the questions/probing is below par.”
Asked if it was a personal attack against Simon Kaggwa Njala, Kiggundu said: “There is nothing personal.”
He went on to say that “Njala is a media colleague and humorous fellow” as well as “a fun person to work/hang out with… but honestly, he needs to up his game. So many people (including some of his guests) have told him the same thing.”
As part of what Simon Kaggwa Njala needs to do to up his game, Edris Kiggundu suggested that the Morning Breeze host borrows a leaf from foreign show hosts who back up their biases with well researched facts.
“It’s not a question of bias. It is a question of the quality of the questions. Many foreign journalists for instance carry a bias against African leaders but when they interview them, their ‘biased’ questions are well-researched,” Kiggundu added.
Simon Kaggwa Njala then shot back, asking Edris Kiggundu, “could it be the same TV under the conglomerate where you were fired for incompetence?” Kiggundu, formerly with The Observer, was an editor for Next Media’s online publication before quitting to co-found another online news publication.
Simon Kaggwa Njala says Edris Kiggundu “nearly put” the online publication “under.” Njala then went on to remind Kiggundu how he was an underperformer whose tenure at Next Media would have unceremoniously ended years earlier had his bosses not been patient with his alleged underperformance.
“Bwana Kiggundu, I was really intrigued when they put you on Performance Improvement Plan for two years. I’m lucky, despite my inadequacies, that I have never been a subject of underperformance,” stung Simon Kaggwa Njala.
“In other work environments, employees are put on PIP for maximum six months. Your employers were really patient.”
It should be remembered that NBS TV and the entire Next Media Services were in the spotlight after their alleged salary structure leaked, prompting CEO Kin Kariisa to promise talks with a former employee close to Bobi Wine, as reported Here.
It is also important to note that it is not uncommon for journalists leaving their media houses for juicier jobs as has been the case for a number of NTV Uganda reporters leaving the station for better jobs, including with the UN agencies, as reported Here, There and Over There.
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