All Hail The Top Five Swahili Radio Talk Show Hosts Of All Time

Ask anyone the top radio kings and queens and you will hear a list of the top English radio hosts and nothing about their Swahili counterparts who command a bigger following and audience.

This is not an attempt to give them their deserved due (they get it everyday from adoring fans) neither is it an attempt to paint the right picture, nope, this is me pointing you to the right picture. This is a celebration of the top five Swahili radio hosts of all time and to start are the undoubtedly best two ever.

Vincent Ateya

Vincent is the ultimate master of radio given his proven success at two shows at different stations and getting them to the top rated shows in the country. His start at Radio Citizen did not point to someone who would come and dominate radio. Yet he created the show got the following and like the master he is, walked away from it to start from scratch albeit with a name this time round. He was successful at Milele getting it from pretty backend to the second most popular radio station, so happy was Milele when they got him on their Facebook page it was updated as BREAKING NEWS. That he is unattached right now is a loss to radio listeners and the next station that hires his services will be signing on a sure winner.

Titi Nagwalla

Citizen, Radio Jambo and Milele FM have all been beneficiaries of his immense talent and crowd pulling ability. His immense knowledge on everything Rhumba aside, he merits the position on this list not just for the popularity of his shows but also for the number of times, he has proved himself when undertaking new projects. His most popular shows have also come when he was working with radio stations that did not boast overall wide listenership in the country but somehow got in the best ratings for his show and as a result for his station as well.

Willy M Tuva

Willy M Tuva is indubitably East Africa’s most popular radio host leave alone Swahili. Sure, he may not have swapped several stations but his building up of the Mambo Mseto East Africa to the show it is now airing on both TV and radio is phenomenal. He is one of the best at what he does and his ability to connect to the masses the urban and the rural and year in year out get better and expand the boundaries is unmatched.

Fred Obach Machokaa

Since stepping into the game officially back in 1976, Fred Obach Machokaa is still be grinding it out with the same charm and enthusiasm. He still has the numbers and following and lots of experience and respect. He is a legend of the industry and a definite all time great and his current show Roga Roga allows us to enjoy the brilliance of the man even this later on.

June Dezina Vel

The only female in the list and also another person who built her reputation while at Radio Citizen over the years. When she moved to the newer and younger in terms of audience Q FM it appeared she had made a wrong decision. Listening to her host Mazagazaga Show Mlipuko wa Taarab from one to five in the evening and the number of fans she attracts and keeps glued for the 4 hrs you realize for some people it matters not the place. She is an undisputed queen of Swahili radio.