After working with City Radio for almost a year, Austin Luwano, like any other worker, expected to get a pay rise and probably a promotion. But the management had other ideas. On July 16, the head of presenters was forced out of the troubled station.

But it was not altogether unexpected for those familiar with the goings-on. The relationship between Luwano and City Radio Managing Director, Kelvin Katuramu, had been strained due to salary delays.

In fact, a day before the sack, the two had an argument over pay, culminating into a confrontation that saw five more security guards called in for reinforcement.

It all unfolded so quickly that neither of the two parties believed the outcome.

According to reliable sources Katuramu entered Luwano’s office and found him on his computer with no one on air.
He demanded an explanation as to why Luwano did not stand in for a colleague who had not turned up for a programme. An enraged Katuramu could not hear of Luwano’s explanation and threatened to sack him. But Luwano could not take it. He retorting that he was not recruited to work as a stand-in presenter and had no problem leaving the station if the proprietor so wished as long as he paid his salary arrears.

That triggered the mother of all confrontations, prompting the MD to go all out, calling his security company for reinforcement when the one on duty failed to throw out Luwano. According to Luwano, the problem was not the refusal to stand-in for a colleague but an extension of the previous day’s argument with the MD who was looking for a chance to throw him out without pay.

“We were not broadcasting dead air. At least there was music playing and I had not been informed of the presenter’s absence. But before I could explain, he threatened to sack me,” Luwano told ET in an interview.

In his sacking letter to Luwano titled “Indefinite dismissal due to gross misconduct to your superior”, Katuramu said the latter had verbally disrespected the MD when he said he was not a stand in presenter. “This kind of uncivilised behaviour cannot be tolerated,” stated the MD.

Others
Although Katuramu had written a warning letter to Luwano sometime in January, there are similar cases with the Media High Council of journalists who were expelled from City Radio without their outstanding arrears being sorted out. In a telephone interview with ET, Katuramu denied knowledge of any cases and accused Luwano of starting unfounded rumours to blackmail him.

“What is wrong with sacking a journalist who misbehaves? That friend of yours Austin disrespected me,” Katuramu said. “I don’t have a problem with any other person. That is blackmail. You can contact our finance department to verify if we owe him any money,” he said.  

But contrary to Katuramu’s denials, complaints abound. Tenywa Luwano joined City Radio late 2008 as a programmes director. He was later appointed head of presenters after the MD realised that Luwano had a talent in presentation. By the time he left station, he was presenting an evening musical show after the MD asked him not to be coming to office unless he was coming for his programme. Luwano complained that the management had failed to provide facilitation and other privileges promised to senior staff.

Though Katuramu managed to rid himself of a disrespectful worker in the name of Austin Luwano, those who remain are not happy either. Besides complaints of delayed salaries which are sometimes paid in instalments, the radio station has of late been facing multiple problems. It was early June closed for tax evasion while the Media High Council and the ministry has on several occasions summoned Katuramu for not registering his journalists as required. In the most recent case, the regulatory body threatened to totally close down the radio for failing to pay for operation licence since inception in 2005.