Despite holding a radio station ID card, attending meetings and enjoying unfettered studio access, a radio presenter has not persuaded a Kampala court that he is anything other than a freelancer.

The Industrial Court of Uganda has ruled that a long-serving sports broadcaster at Central Broadcasting Services (CBS) was not an employee but a freelancer – and therefore not entitled to the protections available under employment law. Delivering the award in Kampala on 7 November 2025, Justice Anthony Wabwire Musana dismissed the claim by Yusuf Baliruno, concluding that the evidence did not establish an employment relationship with the Buganda Kingdom-owned station.

Mr Baliruno had asked the court to declare that he had been a CBS employee since 2001 and was unlawfully dismissed after years of underpayment. He sought salary arrears, notice pay, annual leave, severance, NSSF contributions (similar to National Insurance in the UK) and compensation for unfair termination, saying he had been treated as staff but denied the rights and benefits of one.

THE ARGUMENTS

Mr Baliruno told the court that he joined CBS in 2001 as a radio presenter and reporter on 88.8 FM and 89.2 FM, starting on a monthly salary of UGX 300,000 (GBP 65), later raised to UGX 500,000 (GBP 108) plus a UGX 100,000 (GBP 22) allowance. He described years of on-air work – including traffic updates and general coverage of Buganda Kingdom and national football tournaments – and claimed that, despite his contribution to...

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