KAMPALA: Kampala International University (KIU) on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, held a public lecture dubbed, ‘A Career of Excellence in Broadcasting’. The lecture was held to honor the memory of fallen media guru Alex Ndawula whose death was announced by Capital FM on June 6, 2022.
Dating back to the 1990s, Ndawula became an outstanding face of radio in Uganda. He came to light as the host of the Dance Force show on Capital FM. Ndawula first worked at Sanyu FM in 1993 and months after he was fired, he joined Capital FM on December 31, 1994.
Speaking about the impactful 59-year journey of the late Ndawula, Communications and Media Consultant- Dr. Joel Isabirye, who also doubles as a lecturer at KIU said in a world where employees easily quit jobs, the late worked at Capital FM for 23 years.
“He would get job offers elsewhere but he wouldn’t leave. He had so much consistency,” added Isabirye Ndawula’s former boss and supervisor.
Ndawula’s sole surviving sibling Ms. Maureen Ndawula described her late big brother as a walking encyclopedia. “Alex was just so smart. He was talented. He would play tennis, a piano, and do painting, portraits,” revealed a tearful Ms. Ndawula, adding that her late brother used to love music, and just by listening, he would tell who the artist and instruments were.
She also noted that lather e brother was generous, a character trait that he inherited from their mother. All this groomed the late Alex Ndawula into the good DJ and radio presenter that he was.
Urging students to follow suit in the late Ndawula’s footsteps by absorbing his positive traits characterized by patience and consistency, KIU Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof. Janice D. Busigye called upon young people to look back at the background of the legend and draw lessons to learn from.
“Also, we need to focus on mental health. We are happy people on social media but sad in real life,” she noted in her final remarks.
Presenting Ndawula’s social media tributes, Isaac Akugizibwe, a Mass Communication student summed up the late radio presenter as a wonder.
“Based on the analysis of the different tributes, it can be concluded that the radio industry and the broader society considered him as a legend, a veteran, and an inspirational/influential and impactful figure,” he said, adding that Ndawula’s legendary status which is unanimously stated suggests that he made a fundamental contribution to the radio industry, probably unmatched by any other presenter/radio broadcaster in the history of commercial radio in Uganda.
The public lecture held in the loving memory of Alex Ndawula was attended by Ndawula’s friends, one being Senior journalist Timothy Kalyegira, and KIU students and lecturers plus a representative from the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology.
