Former BBC News anchor and the Director of Presidential Communications Directorate, State House, Zanzibar, Charles Hillary Nkwanga, has passed away at the age of 66.
Nkwanga’s death was announced by the Zanzibar State House with a revelation that the legendary journalist died after a short illness.
Hillary was appointed to the role by the President of Zanzibar, Dr. Hassan Ali Mwinyi, in 2023.
Before that, in 2021, he served as the Director of Presidential Communications, where he coordinated the government’s official communications.
Charles Hillary joined the Zanzibar government after ending his working relationship with Azam Media.
He has also worked at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Deutsche Welle (DW) Radio in Germany.
The late Hillary was born in the Jang’ombe ward of Zanzibar in 1959 before moving to Dar Es Salaam with his family in 1662.
He attended Ilala Mchikichini Primary School.
His Broadcasting career started in 1981 with Radio Tanzania Dar es Salaam, where he worked for 13 years.
In 1994, he joined Businessman Reginald Mengi’s media house.
In 2023 Nkwanga landed a new job at Deutsche Welle (DW) Radio in Germany.
In 2006, he left DW for a new job at the BBC Swahili service in London.
In 2015, he returned to Tanzania and joined Azam Media as the head of Uhai Radio.
In 2023, he was appointed as the head of the communications directorate at the State House in Zanzibar.
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.
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