Crysto Panda's first NTV salary was Shs700k, undertook 1-year unpaid probation

He finally signed the contract to start earning a salary in April 2016. He earned Shs700,000 as a T Nation host, he said while appearing on Wolokoso Mu UG Extra.

Before joining NTV, Panda had worked with WBS TV which he joined from Bakiyimbira Dramactors.

He had joined Bakiyimbira through celebrated actor and media personality Charles James Senkubuge who had paid his school fees when he was in primary school and also linked him to non-profits that supported his secondary education.

Panda, who is also a singer now, works with NRG Radio too.

Crysto Panda, real name Herbert Kityamuwesi, hails from Kabonera in Masaka. He lost his father when he was 10 and his mother died when he was in high school.

Panda went to St. Jude Nursery and Primary School, Najjanankumbi and his school fees was paid by celebrated actor and media personality Charles James Senkubuge.

Senkubuge later joined politics as Panda was entering secondary education and he couldn't support him anymore, so he connected him to a non-profit that supported his education through high school. He went to different schools, including St. Monica High School, Bukunda and St John's S. S. Kabuwoko.

With support from MP Medard Segona, he joined Datamine Technical Business School Makerere to do a diploma in IT but he had to apply for a dead year shortly because he couldn't afford fees and Segona had a lot of things he was pursuing to offer him the support he needed.

After taking a break from school, he started visiting a studio where one day he met a pastor who would introduce him to Prophet Samuel Kakande who started offering some financial support.

Panda also started frequenting the screening of NBS TV's Youth Voice where he would contribute from the audience. At the time the show was hosted by Humphrey Nabimanya.

He later talked to Senkubuge who invited him to join Bakiyimbira Dramactors where he learnt video editing. Here, he met someone who was producing a show he would later host at WBS TV.

He also started doing screen and voice tests at NTV and it took about three years before Edris Matu Segawa, the producer who took a flyer on him in 2015 to co-host T-Nation.

He was on probation for a year and got a contract in April 2016 that offered him Shs700k per month. The money helped him to return to Datamine to complete his diploma but this time he did journalism and the school offered him half bursary.

Then in 2016, while at Nessim's studio, he played a beat and sang over it with Da Agent. The song is called Sagala Manya. Panda had gone to interview Nessim.

His breakthrough was Kyoyina Omanya after a remix with Sheebah Karungi.