By Arnold Tutu
Finance and National Planning Minister SITUMBEKO MUSOKOTWANE has paid tribute to veteran broadcaster KENNETH MADUMA, who has died after serving the nation through Zambia’s airwaves for several decades.
In a statement issued to ZNBC News, Dr. MUSOKOTWANE said he had learnt of Mr. MADUMA’s passing with deep sorrow, describing him as a distinguished broadcaster whose voice faithfully served the country.
The minister said he had joined President HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, the bereaved family, colleagues and the nation in mourning Mr. MADUMA, paying tribute on his own behalf and on behalf of the management and staff of the Ministry of Finance and National Planning.
Dr. MUSOKOTWANE described Mr. MADUMA as one of the country’s quiet yet influential public servants, whose contribution was carried daily through radio and television, often taken for granted until his voice fell silent.
Mr. MADUMA’s broadcasting career spanned several institutions.
He served at Zambia Broadcasting Services, remained through its transformation into the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation -ZNBC, later worked at Radio Phoenix, and eventually returned to ZNBC, where he retired.
According to the statement, Mr. MADUMA was more than a news reader; he was a steward of public trust whose calm and steady voice accompanied the nation through both ordinary days and defining moments.
Dr. MUSOKOTWANE said Mr. MADUMA possessed a rare ability to convey development policy statements with clarity and professionalism, ensuring that messages delivered at public events reached audiences across the country with their meaning intact.
“When he read the news, Mr. MADUMA did not dramatise it; he dignified it,” the minister said, adding that the veteran broadcaster embodied integrity, precision and consistency.
The statement described Mr. MADUMA as part of a generation of broadcasters who upheld national institutions through discipline and service rather than public acclaim.
As Zambia mourns his passing, the nation also gives thanks for his decades of faithful service and for demonstrating that quiet excellence is a form of patriotism.
Mr. MADUMA is remembered as a broadcaster who served Zambia with distinction.
“May his soul rest in eternal peace,” the statement concluded.
