Ugandan journalist Frank Walusimbi built his career in print and television journalism before joining the United Nations refugee agency in 2022, following more than 15 years at NTV Uganda.
Frank Walusimbi is a Ugandan journalist and communications professional whose career has spanned newspaper reporting, television news and humanitarian communications.
He joined NTV Uganda in 2006, shortly after the station began broadcasting, and became a familiar face on its Luganda-language evening bulletin, NTV Akawungeezi. His work also included presenting programmes such as Tuwaye and Ebigambo Tebitta.
Walusimbi left the television station in April 2022 and took up a position as Associate Communications Officer with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Uganda the following month. The move marked a transition from newsroom reporting and broadcasting to communications work focused on humanitarian issues.
His career began in print journalism while he was studying at university, with contributions to Sunday Vision Magazine in 2004. He joined Daily Monitor in 2005 before moving to NTV Uganda the following year.
Early life and education
Walusimbi was born on August 29, 1981, at Kilembe Mines Hospital in Kasese, western Uganda.
He attended Busega Preparatory Primary School before proceeding to Uganda Martyrs’ Secondary School in Rubaga, Kampala, where he completed his Ordinary and Advanced Level education.
He studied for a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication at Uganda Christian University, graduating in 2005. He later earned a Master of Arts in Development Studies from Uganda Martyrs University.
He also obtained a Diploma in Public Relations from the University of Nairobi. The qualification and its award date were not independently confirmed in the sources reviewed.
Walusimbi’s academic background in communication and development studies preceded his work across journalism and humanitarian communications.
From newspaper reporting to television
Walusimbi began contributing to Sunday Vision Magazine in 2004 while in his final year at Uganda Christian University. He joined Daily Monitor in 2005 as a features writer and reporter.
In 2006, he moved to NTV Uganda, joining the station during its early years. He became a presenter of NTV Akawungeezi, the station’s Luganda evening news bulletin, and worked as a reporter and programme host.
His television work included Tuwaye and Ebigambo Tebitta. The programmes formed part of his work beyond the evening news desk, covering public affairs and conversations with people from different backgrounds.
NTV announced his departure on April 28, 2022, after more than 15 years at the station. Walusimbi presented his final Akawungeezi bulletin that evening.
The station acknowledged his work on the bulletin and programmes including Tuwaye and Ebigambo Tebitta in its farewell message.
Journalism awards and reporting
Walusimbi’s work has received recognition through Uganda’s journalism awards.
Available biographical records list awards for features reporting in 2015 and arts reporting in 2020 and 2021. The awards are associated with reporting on cultural issues and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the arts.
However, the supplied material does not identify the individual stories, award categories or awarding organisations in sufficient detail to establish the full record independently. Those distinctions should be confirmed before the awards are presented as a definitive list.
His work at NTV also included reporting on development and public affairs, alongside his responsibilities as a news anchor and programme host.
Move to humanitarian communications
Walusimbi announced his appointment as Associate Communications Officer at UNHCR Uganda in May 2022, after leaving NTV the previous month.
In announcing the move, he said his new role involved humanitarian work and invited people with questions about refugee matters to contact the agency.
The appointment brought his experience in journalism and storytelling into an organisation working with refugees and people displaced by conflict and persecution.
UNHCR’s Uganda operational reporting has also listed Walusimbi as an Associate Communications Officer, providing independent institutional confirmation of his position.
The transition followed a career that began in newspaper features and reporting, developed through television news and programme hosting, and moved into communications work with a humanitarian agency.
A career across media and communications
Walusimbi’s professional history reflects three stages: print journalism, television broadcasting and humanitarian communications.
His early work at Sunday Vision Magazine and Daily Monitor established his reporting background. At NTV Uganda, he worked in Luganda-language news and presented programmes beyond the evening bulletin. His departure in 2022 marked the end of a television career that had lasted more than 15 years.
At UNHCR Uganda, he took on communications responsibilities connected to refugee issues, extending his work from news reporting to humanitarian communication.
His education in mass communication and development studies provides the academic background to that progression, while his public career has included both journalism and communications work.
