Shaka Ssali: The inspiring journey of a celebrated international journalist

Shaka Ssali, fondly known as “The Kabale Kid,” passed away on Thursday, 27th March 2025, at the age of 71. His journey from a small town in Western Uganda to becoming a celebrated international journalist is a story of resilience, passion, and inspiration.

For more than 20 years, Ssali hosted Straight Talk Africa, a flagship talk show on Voice of America (VoA), where he served as the managing editor and editor-in-chief of VoA television.

He retired in May 2021 after 29 years with the broadcaster, leaving behind a legacy as one of Africa’s most influential journalistic voices.

Born in Kabale District, Ssali’s early life was marked by unexpected twists. He often recalled how he dropped out of secondary school in the 1960s and joined the Uganda Army as a paratrooper.

However, his military career was cut short when he fled Uganda in 1976 to escape the brutality of Idi Amin’s regime. His escape led him to the United States, where he would reinvent himself and find his true calling in journalism.

Ssali earned a doctorate in cross-cultural communication from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), a qualification that later underpinned his career as a broadcaster. Through Straight Talk Africa, he mentored many young journalists in Uganda and across the continent.

In a 2015 interview, Ssali reflected on the experiences that shaped his career path. As a child, he was inspired by his father’s habit of listening to the radio every evening.

I would join him at the fireplace to listen to those voices.

His early fascination with media, combined with a love for cinema, initially led him to dream of becoming a cowboy like his childhood idols John Wayne, Gene Autry, and Clint Eastwood.

However, it was his time in the military that ultimately shaped his journalistic mission. He admired the discipline and order of the soldiers but grew disillusioned by the abuse of power he witnessed.

This experience drove him to pursue journalism, which he saw as a way to hold power accountable and advocate for social, economic, and political justice.

When I left the army, the first thing that came to mind was to learn and become a journalist so that I could use it, not only as a tool for making people informed but also as a weapon for addressing issues of justice for all of us.

Shaka Ssali’s career was decorated with numerous accolades. He won VoA’s Best Journalist Award, the Uganda Diaspora Award in 2011, and the maiden Highest Achievement Award in International Human Communication from his alma mater, Kigezi College Butobere.

Shaka Ssali’s life was one of transformation—from soldier to journalist, from exile to international media figure.

May his soul rest in peace!

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