Canary Mugume, 23 is turning out to be an influential reporter and news anchor on NBS Television. His transformation to the television screens is he has taken on, despite being a student of computer engineering. Why would he make such a career decision? In an interview with MTN Pulse, Mugume reveals that it was because of his passion for storytelling that led him to the journalism.

“Journalism chose me. I didn’t choose it. I am sure everyone is familiar with passion and profession. I am naturally passionate about story telling. How do I shape the world from how we understand it? That’s a question that rebounded through my mind as I grew up,” he says.

Adding, “Without news, maybe we would be ignorant and biased in our own bubble worlds, oblivious to world events. Without the news I would find life a little less meaningless, and quite frankly dull. I wanted to be a reporter to ignite fire into the minds of people when their stories are told.”

It is his energy, passion and drive that has led him to rise through the ranks pretty fast at one of Uganda’s top television stations. He did overcome worries that he was too young to join a media house and become influential.

“My biggest fear before I joined media, was age. I had stereotypes about the kind of people permitted to be on television. I was sure I would be rejected because I was young. I also feared they would question my experience in the profession. I had none.

I was shocked that NBS TV took me on, trained me and in less than a year, I had been posted to report from parliament, permitted to do live reporting, which is always the last task to take on and more so, anchor news,” Mugume narrates.