Veteran Zanzibar journalist Charles Hillary Nkwanga dies at 66
Nkwanga played a key role in shaping the public communication strategies of the government of Zanzibar, ensuring that the media remained an integral part of the political process.
Charles Hillary Nkwanga, the director of the communications department at the Zanzibar State House, is dead.
Nkwanga, a veteran journalist who had stints at the BCC and Deutsche Welle as a news presenter, passed away on Sunday, May 11, aged 66.
According to the Zambia Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), Nkwanga died while being rushed to Muhimbili National Hospital after suddenly falling ill.
Nkwanga, who was born in 1959 in Jang'ombe ward of Zanzibar, moved to Dar es Salaam with his family in 1962 and has lived there ever since.
He attended Ilala Mchikichini Primary School and began his broadcasting career in 1981 at Radio Tanzania Dar-es-Salaam (RTD), where he worked for 13 years.
In 1994, businessman Reginald Mengi launched Dar-es-Salaam's first television station under IPP Media and recruited several broadcasters from RTD, including Nkwanga.
In 2003, nine years after leaving RTD, Nkwanga joined Deutsche Welle (DW) Radio in Germany. Three years later, in 2006, he moved to London to work for the BBC Swahili service.
In 2015, he returned to Tanzania and became the head of Uhai Radio at Azam Media.
He held that position until 2023, when he was appointed head of the communications directorate at the State House in Zanzibar, his birthplace.
Throughout his career, Nkwanga was committed to fostering journalism education and improving the media landscape.
He was known for his efforts to mentor young broadcasters and for his advocacy for media freedom and reforms in Tanzania.
Nkwanga also played a key role in shaping the public communication strategies of the government of Zanzibar, ensuring that the media remained an integral part of the political process.
His tenure was marked by efforts to enhance public communication and transparency within the government of Zanzibar.
He will be remembered for his dedication, professionalism and influence in shaping modern media in Tanzania.
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