Former Kawempe MP Bashir Mbaziira makes radio comeback

Former Kawempe South MP Bashir Kazibwe Mbaziira has returned to radio, six years after leaving active broadcasting to pursue a career in politics.

Mbaziira made his comeback on September 6, joining Beat FM as the host of a new current affairs programme.

“Six years since putting the mic down, we are back bigger and better,” Mbaziira announced as he marked his return to the studio.

He will host Alipoota Olutagajjo, a Sunday programme that runs from midday to 2pm. 

The show will feature panel discussions on national affairs, including politics, the economy and other issues affecting Ugandans.

The appointment takes Mbaziira back to an industry that built his public profile before he entered Parliament.

Mbaziira has worked for several radio and television stations during a career spanning more than a decade. His previous stations include Voice of Africa Radio, Pearl FM, Suubi FM and Bukedde FM before he moved into television. 

At NBS Television, he established himself as a current affairs presenter through programmes including One on One with Tamale Mirundi, Ensi n’Ebayo and The Eagle. His work largely centred on politics and issues affecting ordinary Ugandans.

Mbaziira also rose through the ranks of the journalism fraternity. In September 2018, journalists elected him president of the Uganda Journalists Association (UJA), defeating Daily Monitor photojournalist Abubaker Lubowa. UJA records show that he led the association during the 2018-2020 term. 

He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the Islamic University in Uganda and later pursued postgraduate studies in investigative journalism in Turkey. 

His media career also provided the platform for his eventual move into politics. Mbaziira acknowledged after the 2021 election that his years on radio and television had helped him build a following and establish a connection with residents of Kawempe.

He left NBS Television in July 2020 as he prepared to contest for the Kawempe South parliamentary seat. He subsequently stood on the National Unity Platform (NUP) ticket and defeated then-incumbent Mubarak Munyagwa of the Forum for Democratic Change in the 2021 general election. 

Mbaziira later parted ways with NUP and joined Mathias Mpuuga's Democratic Front in 2025. He did not seek another parliamentary term in the 2026 general election, ending his five-year stint in the House