Comedian Salvado makes radio comeback, set to host breakfast show

“Well, well. Tomorrow, it’s a date 6-10am the breakfast show, Sanyu FM”. That, is all it took comedian Patrick ‘Salvado’ Idringi to send his ecstatic fans on overdrive as he announced his return to the airwaves via Uganda’s oldest radio station after a lengthy hiatus.

Speaking to Sqoop, Salvado disclosed that he was to make a comeback in 2019, five years after he shelved his career at his former station, Capital FM, but opted out.

“I was supposed to have come back last year but I didn’t get a show I wanted at my former station. Then I was contacted last week about joining Sanyu and they were giving me the biggest show so I couldn’t say no,” said ‘Ombokolo’s’ greatest export. “I can’t tell the future for sure but right now I want to focus on making whatever show I get the best listened to show in the country.”

Explaining why he exited at a time when his evening drive show that he co-hosted along with two other personalities; Alex Ndawula and Lucky was billed as the country’s most listened-to program, Salvado said his schedule had come in the way of his work at the station.

“I have been quite unfair to Capital FM with my absenteeism from work, yet they gave me a platform and they have never raised any queries... I have a series of shows coming up. I’ll be flying to South Africa to do shows for three weeks and then return to Kampala for a week. I am going to do this for three months before I start on another tour in Denmark and Sweden," said Salvado at the time.

“Now, in all fairness, why on earth would I cheat a station I love so much and receive a salary yet I will not be available… I have worked with all big comedians on the continent and I am bringing all of them to Kampala, watch the space.”

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The comeback to Sanyu is, however, wrought by controversy. This is after the station owner, property mogul Sudhir Ruparelia, on Wednesday sacked all staff for ‘rejecting 25 per cent salary reduction’ and ‘absenteeism’.

Claims rejected by the station’s veteran breakfast show host James Onen, commonly known to Sanyu listeners as Fat Boy.

Said to be replaced by Salvado in the new lineup following the purge, Fat Boy accused the management of arm-twisting the staff.

“I want to set the record straight, it is not true whatsoever that the staff rejected the pay cut, this narrative is false. We had been anticipating that there could be a pay cut and we were bracing ourselves for it. It finally happened but we were not notified in writing or in any way, we only realised when we looked at our payslips and saw that the money had been cut by 25 per cent, we just moved on with work and only hoped things would improve,” said Fat Boy.

“I think I’m being scapegoated in this case. My immediate supervisor called me one evening and told me not to work the next day, he said it was a step taken until the matter is resolved and that is how we did not work, only to be shocked by an accusation that I was absconding from duty. How?”

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Fat Boy had worked at the station for 21 years. To get his job back, he, and other employees would need to reapply, this is according to the Managing Director Ruparelia Group, Raji Ruperelia.

“Some of the staff have already admitted their mistake and have apologized”.