{UAH} Happy anniversary to The Citizen newspaper - Comment - www.theeastafrican.co.ke
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Happy anniversary to The Citizen newspaper - Comment
I like Tanzania and Uganda because they are both so predictable at the highest leadership level. In Tanzania, you can tell exactly when the president will leave office and in Uganda, you can also tell when he will not leave.
Last weekend, Ugandan anti-cancer activists wanted a chief runner for their grand fundraising and only a president would do for the magnitude of the event.
Since there exists no such a person as a former president of Uganda (they are all dead), the organisers went to Tanzania and got Mzee Ali Hassan Mwinyi, who graciously accepted.
The serving Ugandan president is overworked because of presiding over all the events that require a fountain of honour as chief guest, in addition to his duties as current head of state.
So when you need a chief viewer for the eclipse or the season's circumcision ceremony, chief mourner when a prominent person dies, you invite the president.
These comparisons come to mind this weekend as I recall with pride the launching of The Citizen newspaper in Tanzania exactly 10 years ago.
Four months earlier, top management of the Kenya-based giant Nation Media Group had sent me to Dar es Salaam where I landed for the first time in my life to set upThe Citizen as founding editor.
It was a tough task, but as my ancestors said, when you have already undressed for a ritual you don't chicken out because of the size of the ritual performer's instrument.
With the great support of Kenyan general manager David Waweru who had preceded us to Dar es Salaam, a young Tanzanian news editor, Usiah Mkhoma, Ugandan features editor Loy Nabeta, plus 64 young Tanzanian reporters, sub editors and graphic designers, all of whom I had personally interviewed and recruited, we rolled up our sleeves and entered labour to produce The Citizen baby.
Editors those days were real cooks in the kitchen and so I could not attend The Citizen's launch cocktail because I was in the kitchen producing the paper that was being launched.
And here comes the Tanzanian predictability. The president of the republic was Benjamin William Mkapa. He wrote to us a nice welcome message that I published on page one of the maiden issue of The Citizen.
The following year, Mkapa, who took over from Mwinyi 10 years earlier, handed over to Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete. And next year, President Kikwete will hand over to his successor.
So in just 11 years of operation, The Citizenwill have covered three sitting presidents at Ikulu.
And in addition to the new president, Tanzanians will have three energetic retired presidents around to preside over big ceremonies that require the presence of a fountain of honour.
But we Ugandans can also boast of predictability at presidential level. Ever since our MPs so kindly removed the cumbersome presidential term limits from our constitution after getting a consultation facilitation of only $3,000 each, Ugandans have also been able to predict who will succeed the president — himself.
Back in Tanzania, it is wonderful to see that The Citizen has been accepted as a Tanzanian corporate citizen. And it is far smarter and bigger than when I produced it in September 2004. So to The Citizen, happy anniversary from your founding editor!
Joachim Buwembo is a Knight International Fellow for development journalism. E-mail: buwembo@gmail.com
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