Ferdinand K. Ruhinda

Ambassador Ferdnand Kamuntu Ruhinda, in partnership with Rostam Azizi, is credited for establishing the current Mwananchi Communication Limited. He first established Media Communication Limited in May 1999 and in April 2001, he established a new company, Advertising Agency & Public Relations. The same year (2001), the role of publishing was shifted from Media Communication Limited to a newly formed company, Mwananchi Communications Limited which now publishes the Kiswahili daily Mwananchi and its Sunday edition Mwananchi Jumapili and Mwanaspoti, a Kiswahili sports newspaper.

The Nation Media Group of Kenya purchased Mwananchi Communications Limited in December 2002, making it a subsidiary. However, according to Section 4 of the Application for Licence Fee issued by Tanzania Information Services, Nation Media group now holds 49% shares while the remaining 51% shares are held by a Tanzanian, Jehangir Kermali Bhaloo.

Ferdnand Ruhinda is a Tanzanian journalist, diplomat and businessman. He studied journalism at Nairobi University and took short courses with the American Associated Press and in China. He worked with Radio Tanzania Dar es Salaam before joining UHURU and later Daily News to become Managing Editor of the Party and Government newspapers respectively in the 1970s.

In early 1980s, he joined the Diplomatic Services as Director of Information and Research in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. He later became Minister Counselor at the Tanzania’s mission in Sweden before becoming Tanzania’s High Commission in Canada and later Tanzania’s Ambassador in China, just before retiring from public service.

After retirement from public service, he established the private company, Media Communication Limited, after kick-starting The Business Times newspaper and the Kiswahili daily Majira, in the company of Business Times Limited. Later , in partnership with Rostam Aziz established Mwananchi Communication Limited. They later joined hands with the Nation Media Group of Kenya to run Mwananchi Communication Limited with the Nation Media Group hodling the controlling shares. They established launched Mwananchi and Mwanaspoti before launching the English newspaper The Citizen.

However, Ruhinda and Rostam disagreed with the Group on the coverage of the 1995 presidential campaign of the CCM aspirant Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete. Rostan Aziz went to buy controlling shares in Habari Corporation Limited while Ferdnand Ruhinda went on retirement from the private sector.