For years, there has been debate as to why there is a high turnover of journalists in local media organizations. On average, journalists don’t last more than three years in a single organization. Many of the journalists who leave newsrooms end doing public relations and communications work in NGOs, government agencies and the private sector. The high turnover in newsrooms is usually blamed on low pay and poor working conditions.
Yet amid this grim picture, there are journalists that have dedicated almost their entire working lives to one organization. Many of these started off as freelance reporters but today they occupy senior management positions in the newsroom. Here are 10 journalists who have worked at New Vision and Daily Monitor for more than 20 years. The list is not exhaustive.
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THE NEW VISION
Barbara Kaija
Kaija is the Editor in Chief of The New Vision, the highest-ranking position in the newsroom. She joined New Vision in the early 90s and has been sub editor and Features Editor. She is a no-nonsense manager and her decisions are usually not contested. Politicians in government are known to defer to her.
Felix Osike
Osike joined New Vision in the early 90s as a reporter. He covered the dying days of the National Resistance Council, the Constituent Assembly and the 6th, 7th and part of the 8th Parliaments. He later become Parliamentary Editor but is currently Kaija’s deputy. He lives and breathes New Vision.
Hellen Mukiibi
She is the News Editor at New Vision. Mukiibi is said to have joined New Vision in the late 1980s when James Tumusiime, the managing director of Fountain Publishers, was still William Pike’s deputy. She worked in in different roles as a reporter, sub-editor to news editor. Although she has hit official retirement age (60), she is said to be ‘untouchable’ because of the special relationship she has with some members of the First Family from which she derives herinfluence.
John Eremu
Eremu is the Editor of New Vision having replaced John Kakande who departed in 2022. Eremu joined New Vision in the mid-1990s and has served as Features Editor and Education Editor. He is a news veteran and a survival of many intrigues within the newsroom. He prefers to work quietly
Eddie Sejjoba
Sejjoba started out as a New Vision correspondent in Masaka in the mid-1990s. He is a photojournalist and a writer. Even today you will see him in the field flexing muscles with young reporters. There is little doubt that Sejjoba enjoys what he does and still loves it at The New Vision.
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DAILY MONITOR
Daniel Kalinaki
Kalinaki formally joined The Monitor in the late 1990s while still a student at Makerere University. But he had contributed stories for the Monitor Kids section while still a pupil at Kamuli Boys Primary School in the early 90s. From Cab Reporter to News Editor to Bureau Chief at The East African to Managing Editor to now General Manager Editorial, Kalinaki has moved through the ranks. Spending more than 20 years in one organisation underlines the love and loyalty he attaches to it.
Charles Odoobo Bichachi
Bichachi joined Daily Monitor in the mid-1990s. He has had an on and off affair with Nation Media and has spent spells outside the organisation. But collectively, he has spent more than 25 years at the Namuwongo based media organisation. Bichaachi currently serves as Public Editor but he is best remembered for revitalising Sunday Monitor in the early 2000s.
Tabu Butagira
You may believe it or not by Butagira’s by-line first appeared in Daily Monitor in the early 2000s. Then he was the Monitor correspondent based in Arua. He even covered Dr Kizza Besigye’s campaign rally in Arua in 2001. In the late 2000s, he was transferred to the headquarters as senior staff reporter. Since then he has climbed the ranks to become managing editor of Daily Monitor.
Lominda Afedraru
Lominda Afedraru cut his teeth at Daily Monitor as a court reporter in the early 2000s. He famously broke the story in 2005 of one of the witnesses in the Dr Kizza Besigye treason who had ear piece through which she was being coached on what to say. But those days are long gone. Today Afedraru covers agriculture, science reporting and climate change for Daily Monitor. She has seen the sunny and rainy days at the organisation.
Andrew Bagala
Andrew Bagala joined Daily Monitor in 2004 as a general news reporter. Young and bursting with energy, editors quickly recognized his potential. Later he started covering the police beat which had been the domain of veteran reporter, Tom Malaba. Bagala made his mark and today he is a moving encyclopedia on anything police thanks to his experience.
