Why senior journalists are leaving newsrooms for government jobs

“Many of us are in the departure lounge waiting for our flight [from the newsroom]”.

This is what a senior reporter at Daily Monitor told me in a telephone interview. The journalist, who requested to remain anonymous so as to speak frankly, said many of his colleagues are looking out for better job opportunities because, in their view, they have failed to make ends meet in their current jobs.

“Honestly, your work is from Monday to Monday, literally. The job is very demanding and risky, but the pay is low,” said the male journalist who has worked at the Namuwongo-based news organisation for more than 15 years now.

Speak to any young journalist who has spent a year in a busy newsroom. They will tell you they are passionate about the trade because it creates real impact in society and gives the voiceless a voice. They are buzzing with energy and zeal.

He or she will forego a weekend with the family to be able to bring you that story of an elderly woman who is being evicted by a businessman to make way for a factory. The satisfaction for the journalist is when somehow the public gangs up against the businessman and the authorities step in. Nothing beats that satisfaction.

However, three years into the profession, personal responsibilities become bigger, but the pay cheque does not change much. Self-doubts creep in, and before long, some realise that the grass may actually be greener on the other side.

Mildred Tuhaise and Joseph Sabiti joined WBS TV around the same time. Seniors like Peter Ntimba had been promoted to the desk. For many of us who observed that ‘motley crew’ of Tuhaise and Sabiti at Parliament, we knew that they were headed for bigger things. And they scaled the heights.

Sabiti went on to cement his position as one of the best news reporters and later hosts, while Tuhaise excelled as a news anchor and TV host.

Today, both are no longer active journalists.

Last week, Tuhaise joined the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) as manager, public engagement and brand ambassadorship, joining Sabiti, who left NBS TV in 2021 to become press secretary to the former speaker, Anita Among.

Over the past decade, a steady line of senior journalists has moved from newsrooms to government payrolls, and the pace has picked up.

The list is long. Chris Obore, the take-no-prisoners journalist who used to ask tough questions of government officials as a reporter at Daily Monitor, later host at KFM, joined Parliament in 2015.

His rabid nature served the institution well but alienated him from his adoring fans who felt he had sold out. The rest is history.

In March 2024, Ali Mivule left NTV to work as a press assistant to Joel Ssenyonyi. A month later, his colleague Francis Jjingo left the Serena Hotel-based TV station and joined the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) as a Communications Advisor.

Yet two years earlier, their colleague Herbert Zziwa had left NTV for the National Building Review Board, where he works as spokesperson.

Zahra Namuli, the former NBS TV senior health reporter joined the Lung Institute at Makerere University in 2023.

Sadab Kitatta, a senior political reporter who used to make MPs curse, left The Observer for Parliament after the 2021 elections.

Alex Bukumunhe, a former court reporter at Daily Monitor, left for the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC), where he serves as public relations officer.

His former newsroom colleague, Emmanuel Ainebyoona, moved to the Ministry of Health in 2019. Last month, he was transferred to the Ministry of Works.

Lest we forget, there is a group of journalists who joined the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) almost in one go.

These include Faridah Kulabako and Mariam Nalunkuuma, who both worked at The New Vision, and Sam Paul Nakhaima, who was a business reporter at NBS TV.

After she earned her master’s degree at Cardiff University, Sheila Nduhukire left NBS TV for National Medical Stores (NMS).

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And just last week, Raymond Mujuni, a former head of current affairs at Nation Media Group, who also had a stint at NBS TV, joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a policy analyst.

The question many in the industry now ask is simple. Why are all these people leaving?

The biggest issue is definitely pay. A senior reporter like Tuhaise or Obore would not earn more than Shs 5 million in any newsroom today. The money may seem a lot to some, but it is peanuts to someone with 20 or more years of experience.

An entry-level journalist at NBS TV, New Vision or Daily Monitor will earn about Shs 700,000, which is much less than what a receptionist at the Uganda Revenue Authority or National Social Security Fund (NSSF) earns. Remember, the receptionist signs out at 5.00 PM and spends more time on TikTok than on their actual duties. A journalist will leave at about 8.00 PM and hope that the bosses do not call him pr her in when a big story breaks at 11: 00 PM.

In addition, pay in media institutions is also unstable. In 2020, after COVID-19 hit, The New Vision announced pay cuts of up to 60% for some staff, and the Daily Monitor and NTV reduced salaries by up to 35%.

A senior journalist like Sabiti with a decade of experience may therefore earn only a modest salary, and one that can be cut. A job in an institution like Parliament or a government agency usually comes with a fixed scale and, for some, an attractive pension.

One way of looking at this is by asking the question: If Kitatta or Obore had stayed in their jobs at The Observer or Daily Monitor, respectively, what positions would they hold now?

Principal Senior Reporter? Managing Editor? Chief Investigations Reporter? Assistant News Manager?

Our newsrooms are small, and given our struggling economy, the structure of many media organisations has shrunk further as owners merge roles to save money.

This means that at some point, senior journalists will hit the proverbial ‘glass ceiling’ and not shatter it. To put it crudely, even if someone like Mivule worked for NTV for 25 years, chances are that he will stop at being a senior reporter or, at best, a news producer (which, to be honest, is not a big promotion).

When Ongom left NBS TV for Atiak Sugar in 2023, he was the Gulu bureau chief. When he returned in 2024, he was made regional bureau chief for Northern Uganda. For those who are not obsessed with job titles, they will know that the needle did not move by much.

Several journalists have gone back to school and earned master’s degrees.

For instance, when Nduhukire left NBS TV to pursue her master’s in the UK, it was all but certain that she would not return to Naguru as an anchor. Remember, she was already completing her MBA at ESAMI. So she felt that she should earn more and ended up being snapped up by the National Medical Stores (NMS).

There are exceptions. Dr Sam Kazibwe works for CBS, but he also lectures at a university, so his income is not tied to the station alone. Few journalists have that kind of second anchor.

Behind all of this sits a media industry that is struggling. Advertising has shrunk, print sales have fallen, and owners are cautious about raising salaries.

When reports emerged that Tuhaise had joined NWSC, Timothy Kalyegira, a social and political commentator, opined that people are leaving the private sector for government jobs because the “economy no longer has real prospects [for the private sector] and government jobs are now the final step before retirement.”

He said the same applies to musicians running for political office.

No one will tell you this, but Daily Monitor and New Vision have not made a profit in years. That’s the truth. Most privately run media organisations (including Bbeg Media) are operating amidst losses.

Paying workers on time and well becomes hard in an economy where even big advertisers are struggling to stay afloat. When did you last see a newspaper advert of MTN or Airtel? Think hard.

Government jobs, on the other hand, are shielded from this economy because taxes have to be paid no matter what.

In addition, the jobs carry extras like an official vehicle, foreign travel, and flexible working times.

A typical journalist in Uganda still uses commuter taxis and will be beaten by rain in search of that big story.

To go back to the beginning, many journalists are still passionate about what they do. They will do anything to get that good story.

But passion alone does not pay rent or school fees. And I am not trying to reveal anything new here because a number of senior journalists have already proved this.

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