Dear Mr. Kungu Al-Mahadi Adam,
My attention has been drawn to your recent article titled, ‘How False Prophets Have Declared Another War Against Jackson Ssenyonga, A Senior Pastor In Uganda For Exposing Them.’
To quote a few sentences from your article above, you stated that: “As a journalist, [you are] desperately concerned about the manner, the structure and the tone in which the stories are presented and what exactly, the media houses want to achieve.”
You also argue that the media is writing consistent and screaming headlines about the ‘good’ prophet!
It is okay for you to smear a cancerous wound with Vaseline, and I can’t blame you for attempting to protect your boss at Top Radio and Top TV from the current spotlight.
However, in your attempt to shield Pastor Ssenyonga, you must remember that the cardinal role of the media is to inform the public by reporting the truth and shine torch on the injustices affecting society.
It is also important for you to know that a Pastor, given their place in society, must be above reproach.
Yet in your bashing of the media, you forgot to mention that it is not the media practitioners that told your ‘good’ pastor to lie to police in an attempt to protect his bodyguard from the long arm of the law over grave criminal offences.
You also failed to mention that it is not the journalists that told your so called ‘good’ pastor not to pay a businessman sh5.2b, a matter that is subject to a court process, which the media is under duty to report and inform the public and Christians that religiously follow the ‘good’ pastor.
Mr. Kungu, as a journalist, kindly explain whether it is wrong for media houses to report cases before court?
Or since it is your so-called ‘good’ pastor under spotlight, all media houses should just fold hands and look the other side as the poor businessman wallows in misery.
Instead of tarnishing the media, Mr. Kungu, the debate should be on the veracity of the issues that the media is raising.
First of all, Pastor Ssenyonga accepts that he owes the businessman sh5.2b. In his own words he said that he had two options: to pay the sh.2b or leave the court process to take shape.
Now that the court process has generated the heat, your ‘good’ pastor has hired you as a mercenary top gun to bash the media that is ably reporting the court proceedings.
As a journalist, Mr. Kungu, I also expected you to highlight the plight of your fellow journalists that your ‘good’ pastor employs on his Top radio and Top TV outlets but never pays them, with some going into two years without pay!
So, if you can’t even highlight the plight of your workmates, why do you bash other media outlets that are highlighting the plight of your fellow journalists?
Therefore, Mr. Kungu, instaed of sugar-coating the cancerous smell at Christian Life Church, just accept that of recent, the born-again church has been put in the spotlight over controversies that Pastor Ssenyonga created himself.
Ssenyonga as the lead preacher at Christian Life Church has failed to live a life that is above reproach at the pulpit and off the pulpit.
These activities have attracted consternation across the board.
At the moment, the controversial pastor is battling several court cases including non-payment of staff at his Top TV as well as the robbery charges against his close associates.
Pastor Ssenyonga is also renowned for attacking fellow pastors, which many have seen as a smokescreen to hide his flaws.
However, the court processes and battles have turned tables on him, and the media should be given the room to report these events.
The way out is not to hire mercenaries such as you, Mr. Kungu, but to repent and make good of the dirty practices.
For instance, recently the media reported that following a suit against him by his Top TV media staff for non-payment of their arrears, he acknowledged through court consent to pay them in instalments.
This was a good move.
However, these instalments, most of which cover just two months, have also been challenged on grounds that he insisted on deducting 10 per cent of the fees from Top TV employees on grounds that it goes towards tithe.
So, it is not the media to blame. It is your ‘good’ pastor that should be blamed for doing bad and expect the media not to report the bad.
Therefore, it remains to be seen where Ssenyonga will go from here but all indications point to a dead end and an expose of the pompous life behind the so-called men of God.
