TEN YEARS OF SILENCE AND DR AYUB RYOBA'S VOICE TODAY

 

Adeladius Makwega – Mbagala

 

Dr Ayub Ryoba, who served as Director General of the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) from 2016 until early 2026, has recently become active once again on social media, just as he was before being entrusted with the responsibility of leading the national broadcaster that serves nearly 72 million Tanzanians.

 

Dr Ryoba's sudden return to public commentary on social media did not surprise Mwanakwetu, because this is the Ayub Ryoba he has always known. What has, however, left Mwanakwetu with many questions is Dr Ryoba's silence throughout the ten years he led the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation. One cannot help but ask: what changed? What caused him to project a completely different image of himself during his years in office?

 

As Mwanakwetu writes this article, many memories come flooding back regarding Dr Ayub Ryoba's early days at TBC.

 

Initially, he was appointed by the then Minister for Information as a member of the TBC Board. At that time, I was Chairman of the TBC Workers' Union. Together with Malima Ndelema, who was among the officials of the Research, Academic and Allied Workers Union (RAAWU), TBC Headquarters Branch, I travelled to the university where Dr Ryoba was lecturing. We explained to him the situation facing TBC at that time.

When we arrived, a lady informed him that we had come. Dr Ryoba emerged from his lecture wearing makubadhi and holding a cigarette. He received us warmly, listened carefully to everything we had to say, and assured us that he would consult the Chairman of the TBC Board at the time, a retired ambassador.

 

On our journey back, Malima Ndelema was full of optimism about Dr Ryoba. He told me that Dr Ryoba had once been his lecturer at the School of Journalism.

 

That is the first image that comes to my mind.

 

I also remember that the very first letter signed by Dr Ayub Ryoba was one dismissing Mwanakwetu from employment over two allegations of insubordination. The accusations arose from statements made during a staff meeting and another meeting with the Minister for Information, where, as Chairman of the Workers' Union, I had raised issues concerning employees' welfare before senior leaders.

 

That dismissal letter, issued in April 2016, effectively ended my professional relationship with Dr Ryoba. Ironically, many employees had initially believed that he would become their strongest ally.

 

Indeed, while serving at TBC, Dr Ryoba worked closely with many of his former journalism students, many of whom continue to serve the corporation today. He remains one of Tanzania's pioneering scholars in journalism to attain a doctoral degree.

 

When veteran Radio Tanzania Dar es Salaam (RTD) staff learned that Dr Ryoba had signed the dismissal letter against the workers' leader, they remarked:

 

"This man will not lead this organisation successfully. Chairman Makwega raised those issues before Dr Ryoba was even present. The matter should have been handled with wisdom and respect for the workers' union. Instead, it has been used as a weapon to intimidate other employees. Let us wait and see."

 

That is the second memory that comes to Mwanakwetu's mind regarding Dr Ayub Ryoba, a Tanzanian originally from Mara Region and a Seventh-day Adventist Christian.

 

Mwanakwetu fully supports Dr Ryoba's decision to be active on social media and in public debate. However, what is disappointing is that this openness did not characterise his ten years in office, from April 2016 to April 2026. Had he demonstrated the same enthusiasm while leading TBC by introducing more engaging, creative and socially relevant programmes, the benefits would have been far greater for both the corporation and the people of Tanzania than his current commentaries.

This article is not intended to silence, ridicule or attack Dr Ryoba. Rather, it seeks to reflect on what happened, the hopes that Tanzanians placed in him, especially those of us who knew him personally before he joined TBC, and the lessons that future leaders may draw.

 

To be fair, the transformation of TBC began under its first Director General, Tido Mhando. He successfully merged Television Tanzania (TVT) and Radio Tanzania to establish TBC and introduced innovative, high-quality programming. His successors, Clement Mshana and later Dr Ryoba, inherited that strong foundation. Unfortunately, over the sixteen years following Tido Mhando's departure, that bright star gradually lost much of its brilliance.

 

Mwanakwetu believes that Dr Ryoba's responsibility was to make TBC's light shine even brighter. Instead, in his view, his ten years resembled someone removing firewood from beneath a cooking pot until the fire died out and the food was served half-cooked.

 

Today, Dr Ryoba appears to be putting the firewood back into the fireplace after the owner has already taken the stove away. The fire cannot burn properly. Where he now stands, rain has soaked the wood, and wet firewood cannot produce a strong flame.

 

Mwanakwetu compares this to a genie that was outside the bottle, given the opportunity to enter, yet failed to perform once inside. Now that it is outside again, can it accomplish anything? Certainly not. After ten years of serving undercooked ugali, why raise arguments today about properly cooked ugali?

 

Likewise, it is like a giant that lived outside the baobab tree but was invited inside, only to fail while there. Can it now succeed outside the young baobab?

 

Mwanakwetu therefore asks whether Dr Ryoba should now simply remain calm. Freedom of expression is undoubtedly his constitutional right. Nevertheless, he did not exercise that freedom while inside the "genie's bottle" or within the "great baobab". In Mwanakwetu's view, this remains a debt that still awaits repayment. If anyone knows how such a debt can be settled, I would welcome their advice.

 

These observations are not motivated by the dismissal letter of April 2016. That chapter was closed by the late President Dr John Pombe Magufuli. Even today, whenever Dr Ryoba and I meet, we speak cordially as colleagues and as brothers in our profession.

 

The real issue is the silence of those ten years. It raises important questions. Should public officials remain silent while in office? What lesson does this teach the journalism students you trained, many of whom now work at TBC? Should they follow the same example?

 

What, then, does Mwanakwetu say today?

 

Dr Ryoba, your experience in journalism, academia and public leadership remains a valuable national asset. Now that you are no longer responsible for leading TBC, continue using your freedom of expression to strengthen journalism by sharing ideas, conducting research, writing articles and mentoring the next generation of journalists and leaders.

 

At the same time, it is equally important to reflect honestly upon your years in office. Every leader leaves behind achievements as well as lessons. Openly discussing what happened, the challenges encountered and the decisions made is part of accountable leadership and creates a valuable legacy for future generations.

 

Many Tanzanians placed enormous expectations upon you because of your academic reputation. Consequently, your voice today will carry greater weight if it is accompanied by honest reflection on your years of leadership and the lessons you learned. Such openness would help present and future leaders appreciate that leadership is a public trust, an opportunity to learn, and a responsibility to leave an institution stronger than it was found.

 

I wish you every success in this new chapter of your life, and I sincerely hope that you will continue serving journalism and the nation with wisdom, integrity and openness, without growing weary, until your final breath.

Mwanakwetu, are you there? Remember:

"Ten Years of Silence and Dr Ayub Ryoba's Voice Today."

Have a pleasant day.

Email: makwadeladius@gmail.com

Mobile: 0717649257