Andrew Jjengo, the son of the late controversial pastor Augustine Yiga, has explained why he eventually shut down ABSTV, the television station his father founded in Kawala, saying the financial demands became too overwhelming for him to sustain.
Speaking in a recent interview, Jjengo revealed that operating the station was never his personal ambition. Rather, it was part of his father’s vision, which he inherited following the pastor’s death in November 2020.
Although he initially took on the responsibility of keeping the television station running, Jjengo said he later reassessed the situation and realised he could no longer manage its financial demands alongside his other obligations.
According to him, ABSTV required approximately Shs60 million every month to remain operational.
“It was never my passion. When I reflected and analysed the situation I was in, I found out that I wasn’t in a position to run the TV,” Jjengo explained.
He said the monthly expenditure became difficult to justify, particularly because he had inherited responsibilities that extended far beyond managing his father’s media business.
Andrew Jjengo Says More Than 500 People Depended on Him
Jjengo disclosed that he was also responsible for the welfare of more than 500 people who depended on him for survival.
Among those responsibilities were paying school fees for children left behind after his father’s death, adding another significant financial commitment to the demands of running ABSTV.
“I calculated and found out that I had to spend Shs60 million every month, yet I had school fees bills to foot for the children that were left. I had over 500 individuals whose survival depended on me,” he said.
The responsibilities came at a particularly young age. Jjengo revealed that he was only 23 when Augustine Yiga died on November 25, 2020.
“My dad passed away when I was 23 years old and left 500 people. He passed away on November 25, 2020, when I had just turned 23,” he added.
His account offers insight into the financial and personal pressures he faced while attempting to preserve his father’s legacy.
Ultimately, Jjengo said he had to make a difficult decision after realising that maintaining the television station was no longer financially sustainable.
ABSTV had been established as part of Augustine Yiga’s media and ministry activities. However, following his death, the responsibility of managing the operation fell to his son, who says the costs and wider family obligations eventually made continuing impossible.