Meet Hannington Tumuhimbise from Radio West, Uganda

| April 26, 2021

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Hannington Tumuhimbise has worked in radio for five years and his desire is to see more people appreciate broadcasters’ work—and for more women to become broadcasters. Mr. Tumuhimbise’s brother was the first broadcaster in the family, and he was inspired to follow in his footsteps.

Mr. Tumuhimbise graduated with an honours degree in mass communication and is currently program producer at Radio West in Mbarara, Uganda. Mr. Tumuhimbise previously worked as an editor for agricultural news, and currently produces agricultural and community programs. This year, he was a runner-up for the George Atkins Communications Award.

Away from Radio West, Mr. Tumuhimbise heads the journalism department at Kakoba Institute of Commercial and Technical Studies in Mbarara, where he uses this platform to make motivational speeches.

When Mr. Tumuhimbise started producing his agricultural program—called Akazindaaro K’omuriisa or “Farmers’ voice”—it was only a 15-minute feature. But, seeing the positive impact of the program under his guidance, Radio West expanded the program to a half-hour. To produce the show, Mr. Tumuhimbise and his team regularly travel to the field to visit farmers, record their voices, and play them on air.

Mr. Tumuhimbise also produces a weekly program for livestock farmers, weekly documentaries on agricultural innovations and challenges affecting farmers, and a program that documents the effects of COVID-19 on farmers in western Uganda. Many farmers are considering abandoning farming during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the program looks at how the government can help these farmers get back on their feet.

Mr. Tumuhimbise invites women to share their farming experiences on air to motivate and encourage other women to participate in agriculture. His programs also address the negative and false stereotypes which maintain that women and girls are inferior and cannot succeed in agricultural ventures without their spouses’ help.

Listeners regularly provide feedback on Mr. Tumuhimbise’s work, especially the farmers he visits in the field. They often reach out to him for advice before venturing into agricultural businesses.

Mr. Tumuhimbise is an active member in FRI’s WhatsApp group for broadcasting partners in Uganda. He has been involved in discussions on various topics in the group, especially related to COVID-19.

Mr. Tumuhimbise says, “I am committed to serving people—especially small-scale farmers—as long as I am a broadcaster.”

Hannington Tumuhimbise was one of five runners-up for the 2021 George Atkins Communications Award. The George Atkins Communications Award recognizes radio broadcasters for their excellence in serving their rural audience and commitment to Farm Radio International. Read the profiles of winners and other runners-up in the Spotlight section.