Voice-over artist, news anchor, and former radio host Simon Chris Makanga revealed that he discovered his Luganda News Anchoring skills at SEE TV.
"I used to anchor English news, until one time when I voiced a story in Luganda that my boss noticed that I could make a good Luganda news anchor," he recalled.
"I thought it was a joke so I let it slide. But after two weeks, my immediate supervisor called me and re-stated that I'd have to train for news anchoring in Luganda. It didn't sit well with me because I'd never imagined myself being a Luganda news anchor. I felt like I was losing track of my journey," he said.
However, with the advice and encouragement of friends, he considered taking a shot at a new language. Eventually, he became one of the most amazing Luganda news anchors of 'Enjuba Egoloobye' at SEE TV.
Growing up, Makanga always wanted to be a journalist. To his advantage, his father informally trained him, asking the boy he was to comprehend the news such that he could report it to his dad after he came home from work.
At school, he could anchor news for his mates on the assembly. He said Joseph Kafaaya, a presenter on East African Radio was his inspiration.
At University, he pursued a mass communication course and In 2013, a week after his final paper, he got an opportunity to go and anchor the news at a newly opened radio station in Juba, South Sudan.
By 2015, he was recognized as the best radio presenter in Juba, hosting the Heart & Soul, a late-night show. The radio had garnered a handsome audience to be the best in business then.
"I mended people's hearts, connected lovers. I remember receiving my first car as a gift. I never bought it. There's a lady who had two partners she wanted to choose from, a South Sudanese and an Ethiopian. But she said the Ethiopian guy had shown much interest and willingness to marry her, so the listeners and I advised her to choose the Ethiopian since he seemed more earnest," he recalled.
After assisting the lady to start a journey of marriage with her new husband, he was awarded his first car in Juba. However, with the insecurity in the region, Makanga was prompted to return to his home country when he almost lost his life in the wee hours of the morning after hosting the Amarula hit singer Roberto’s concert in Juba.
He returned to Uganda in 2015 and stuck to the media, taking up roles at different stations such as being a salesperson at Sanyu FM, a news anchor at STV, and finally at SEE TV where he has been since 2021.
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