Mwananchi Communications Limited

According to the Director of Tanzania Information Services who also serves as the Registrar of Newspapers in the country, Mwananchi Commmunications Company is owned by Nation Media Group of Kenya (49%) and Bhalo Jehangir Kermali Bhaloo (51%). Until recently, based on a questionnaire filled by the company itself, Nation Media Group has held 99% shares and Linus Githai owns 1% shares. The foreign ownership exceeded the legal threshold of 49% which has led to the recent change in ownership.

The Managing Director of MCL is Francis Majige Nanai and the Editor-in-Chief is Bakari Machumu.

The Company publishes MWANANCHI, a Kiswahili-language leading daily in Tanzania and its Sunday edition MWANANCHI JUMAPILI, and MWANASPOTI, a bi-weekly sports and entertainment newspaper that was launched on February 12, 2001. The English-language newspapers are THE CITIZEN and its Sunday edition, THE SUNDAY CITIZEN. The Company also publishes several magazines in both English and Kiswahili languages. The Company publications were printed by contract until 2005, when it acquired a second hand printing press from Australia.

The history of Mwananchi Communications Limited can be traced back to 1999 when Ambassador Ferdnand Ruhinda established a communication company, Media Communication Limited and in April 2001 established a new company named Advertising Agency & Public Relations. However, the same year (2001), the role of publishing was shifted from Media Comminication Limited to a newly registered publishing company, Mwananchi Communications Limited that Ambassador Ruhinda established in partnership with Rostam Aziz. The National Media Group of Kenya purched the controlling shares In December 2002 and MCL became in subsidiary in Tanzania.