Shaka ssali biography template

Who is Shaka Ssali? Flash Uganda Media looks at his biography, early life, education, Awards and Recognitions, Work and Experience of the former host of the popular weekly shows Straight Talk Africa.

Shaka Ssali aka Kabale Kid who sometimes describes himself as the Kabale heart is a Ugandan born US-based Journalist, who has been working with Voice of America (VOA), for over 20years, hosting popular weekly shows Straight Talk Africa and Editor in Chief of Voice of America Television and Radio show, Straight Talk Africa based in Washington DC, United States of America (USA). 

The veteran journalist retired from active journalism on 19th May 20, , after hosting his last show on VOA interviewed by Peter Clottey a host also on VOA. 

The Kabale Heart will be succeeded by Hayde’ Adams from Cape Town, South Africa who has been a co-host of VOA’s Our Voices and a reporter.

Kabale Kid retired but not tired is expected to focus on motivational speaking and inspire young people across Africa to keep the African hope, alive. 

VOA airs every Wednesday at GMT broadcasting to millions of viewers on television and listeners on radios and the internet. 

VOA is an English first Africa service and one of the most successful broadcasts operations in Africa providing dynamic multimedia programming and timely news and information.  

On his show, Shaka and his guests discuss topics of interest to Africans and the African diaspora including politics, good governance and rule of law, economic development, press freedom, social issues and conflict resolution.

Kabale Kid is described as a living proof of the transformational power of knowledge.

Through his career path, Shaka has become a positive role model to many people. 

He describes himself as a Kabale Kid and sometimes Kabale heart who’s a servant of truth, listening, interacts with fellow journalists, completing assignments and homework for successful service delivery, confident, believing in his abilities, and had a burning desire for knowledge right from his childhood.

Shaka is so passionate about Africa and its development, having lived through some of the hardest times in Ugandan history. 

His colleagues from VOA describe him as an intelligent, humble, down to earth, awesome, trusted and empathetic person. 

Early Life and Education

Shaka Ssali born in Kabale District South Western Uganda attended Butobere College in Kabale District and Kololo SS in Kampala. 

He dropped out of school in senior three in , with no O-Level certificate. 

Later, when he relocated to America, Shaka returned to school and earned a bachelor’s degree and now holds a Master’s and a doctorate in cross-cultural communication and history from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in California USA and is former Ford Foundation member.

Awards and Recognitions

He is a former Ford Foundation Fellow and has received numerous honours, including a United Nations Peacekeeping Special Achievement Award in International Journalism. 

VOA’s Best Journalist Award.

Kigezi College Butobere’s first ever Highest Achievement Award in International Human Communication.

Shaka ssali biography template free Unknown 17 March at Kibazo left and Shaka Ssali in Kampala. We really thank God for Dr Shaka Ssali and for all his achievements and for his good focus. Unknown 9 April at

Butobere is located in Kabale, southwestern Uganda, and is Shaka’s alma mater.

Work and Experience

Shaka Ssali’s journalism career path has been a series of events. As a child growing up in Kabale, his father used to listen to Pai Radio and Shaka could often join him at the fireplace in the evening in their living room, and listen to the beautiful voices airing.

And one thing led to another, during his primary school at the age of 8, Shaka began interacting with cinema, and movies characters like; John Wayne, Gene Autry, Clint Eastwood.

He wanted to become a cowboy and journalism was never his thing.

However, Shaka ended up in the Ugandan military at only 16 years of age (Shaka the child soldier) as a cadet officer who later became a Lieutenant in only five years, he got the inspiration to join the military from the cinemas he watched. 

He admired the smartly donned soldiers in military uniforms he watched in movies, the pistols they possessed Shaka liked them so much and it was a source of pride to him, a tool of power, something that would give him the sort of independence, the sort of clout that would help him to somehow look at himself as someone who has made it in life. 

The discipline and the parade in the army were incredible to Shaka.

Secondly, Shaka was a member of the boys’ brigade in his secondary school and they carried out activities related to those in the military.

That’s how he was motivated into joining military service. 

Shaka enjoyed military service until the military coup that happened at the time. He started seeing people in power abusing it, and it was from its consequences that he probably derived passion to become a journalist and address the issues linked to abuse of power in Africa. 

Including inspiration from his military trainers from Israel who had attended school in California, and in their interactions they talked about education.

At the time, Shaka was reading extensively particularly the daily newspaper, The Uganda August by then, The Drum Magazine South Africa and then later the American magazines; The Ebony, Time Magazine, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and sometimes he watched people working in broadcast which helped him widen his knowledge throughout the African Continent and to some less extent, the diaspora, fall in love with readers digest which activated his passion for journalism. 

In his narration, Shaka saw this as an opportunity for him to become an advocate of what he considered to be social justice for African societies particularly having seen, observed and experienced the abuse of power the time he served as a Lieutenant in the Ugandan army.

The Uganda August helped him build and strengthen his vocabulary.

“In P.6 I remember we would be given assignments to write composition and because of reading the Ugandan August, I enriched my vocabulary. I would lift some of the adjectives in the Uganda August and insert them in my composition.”

So, when Shaka left the army the first thing he did was to return to school and become a journalist so that he can use it as a tool for making people informed and raising issues of social, economic, cultural, political justice for Africa.    

He joined the army in , went through cadet training and in , his name was linked to a failed coup attempt against Idi Amin Dada.

The Kabale Heart ventured into business which was short-lived and in went to Europe then later relocated to the United States of America and returned to school.

Shaka Ssali in his career path has interviewed and hosted many presidents and prime ministers in Africa and across the world.

Biography template free World leaders and local newsmakers alike regularly appear on the program. Since the first broadcast of Straight Talk Africa in , Ssali has interviewed leaders from around the world across the political divide. Unknown 1 November at Not a member?

Among them include; 

• General Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President, Nigeria
• Levy Patrick Mwanawasa; Former President, Zambia 
• Tony Blair, Former Prime Minister, United Kingdom 
• Botswana President Seretse Khama Ian Khama
• Ghana President John Evans Atta Mills
• Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete
• Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President, Liberia
• Hifikepunye Pohamba, President, Namibia
• Uganda President Yoweri Tibuhaburwa Kaguta Museveni
• Joseph Kabila, President, DRC
• Rwanda President Paul Kagame
• General Salva Kiir Mayadit, First Vice President, and President of the Republic of South Sudan

Shaka has also hosted newsmakers and policymakers who interact with Africa, including; 

• Norbert Mao, President, Democratic Party (DP) Uganda 
• Johnnie Carson, US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
• Donald Yamamoto, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
• Donald Kaberuka, President African Development Bank
• South African jazz legend Hugh Masekela
• Nobel Peace Prize, Laureate Wangari Maathai
• Luis Moreno-Ocampo, Chief Prosecutor International Criminal Court
• Mo Ibrahim, Chairman Mo Ibrahim Foundation
• Nobel Literature, laureate Wole Soyinka
• Professor Muna Ndulo, Cornell Law School 
• Professor Ali Mazrui, SUNY 
• Professor George Ayittey, American University
• Professor Sulayman Nyang, Howard University
• Uganda Supreme Court Justice George Kanyeihamba
• Dr Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior, a South Sudan government official and a widow of former SPLA leader Dr John Garang
• Jeff Sharlet, author, The Family
• Bob Hunter, Associate, Fellowship Foundation
• Mbulelo Rakwena, former South African Ambassador to Brazil
• Baffour Ankomah, Editor, New African Magazine.

Inspiration

The veteran Journalist is a servant of the truth.

He so often says that information is the oxygen of democracy. 

“When I left my country in , I left behind a corrupt regime. Information was manipulated, human rights were abused, and justice did not exist. Fast forward, a few decades later and I find myself in a leading role in shaping the future of the African continent. But I also open the microphone to concerned African citizens who also want to ask questions and get answers that affect their lives directly.”

Ssali urges journalists to uphold integrity in the course of their work to earn respect from society.

A journalist’s integrity is based on his or her credibility says Shaka. “Your credibility comes from truthfulness.

Shaka ssali biography template pdf Your email address will not be published. Muniini says Shaka was a very famous athlete and most people who grew up in Kabale in the s knew him as one of those athletically gifted boys on the soccer and track fields. Have an existing account? I think this is an informative post and it is very beneficial and knowledgeable.

All these come from you submitting yourself as a servant of the truth, a servant of issues.”

Shaka says in the course of his career he learnt that people can bring about change, and one shouldn’t be afraid to push the limits, to ask probing questions, even in instances where you may not be welcomed. Shaka then urged the current generation to make use of the tools of inquiry to question the status quo.

“In the s, Marshall McLuhan coined the famous phrase “the medium is the message.” This is truer now than ever before.

Digital technologies and social media have broken the barriers of access to information.” 

According to Shaka, one can mobilize large groups of people towards pursuing certain goals. In his view, the term “citizen journalist” belongs to the current generation and change comes when the people press for change.

Challenges

Shaka Ssali has encountered a series of challenges in his career path over the years including being pressured to sound like a European in his broadcasts, something he refused. 

He wanted to be and sound that Kabale kid he was.