Dar es Salaam. President Samia Suluhu Hassan has appointed Asha Dachi Mbaruk as the new director general of the state-owned Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC).
The significant leadership transition at the national broadcaster was officially announced on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, by the Director of Presidential Communications at State House, Bakari S Machumu.
Prior to this landmark appointment, Ms Mbaruk served as the managing director of Tanzania Standard Newspapers (TSN) Limited, the government-owned publisher of major national titles including the Daily News and HabariLeo.
She initially assumed leadership at TSN in an acting capacity before being formally appointed as the substantial managing director in October 2024.
Her tenure at TSN was widely recognised for fostering operational discipline and enhancing service delivery across the state’s print media portfolio.
Ms Mbaruk succeeds Dr Ayub Rioba Chacha, whose decade-long tenure at the helm of TBC has come to a formal end.
Dr Rioba, a seasoned academic and veteran journalist, steered the national broadcaster through key modernisation phases, including broadcasting capacity-building partnerships and the expansion of TBC’s digital infrastructure.
With her extensive experience in managing state media operations, Ms Mbaruk’s appointment is seen as a strategic step by the government to further modernise the national broadcaster’s reach and media influence.
Her transition from leading the country’s premier state print media house to heading the national public broadcaster highlights President Samia’s continued trust in her leadership within the media sector.
