Outgoing MCL boss highlights the importance of an inclusive succession plan

Dar es Salaam. The outgoing Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL), Managing Director Bakari Machumu has stated that as a leader, it is crucial to plan for a smooth transition, ensuring that continuity is maintained while paving the way for new leadership.

This involves carefully preparing and mentoring potential successors, clearly defining roles and responsibilities, and setting up systems that will support the ongoing success of the organisation.

Speaking in a special session with members of the Kumekucha Club, a crowd-sourced breakfast conversation, Machumu took the time to answer questions from the public in diverse sectors on different issues pertaining to the media landscape in Tanzania, how he set in motion and navigated his succession plan, as well as what the future held as he exits MCL.

As a veteran in the space, with well over 20 years of experience under his belt, Machumu explained that proactive transition planning not only safeguards the organisation’s future but also fosters a culture of resilience and adaptability, which is something that MCL has done well in, as well as the parent company, Nation Media Group (NMG).

“The most effective succession plan involves everyone from the get-go. Succession has not been much of a problem for me because I believe that everyone is capable of doing it,” Machumu said.

“I came in knowing that I have to leave some day, so I had to be intentional in preparing a succession plan,” he added.

When he was confirmed as MCL’s Managing Director in May 2021, Machumu said that he was very deliberate in his planning and had in place five objectives, of which succession and people development was at number two. This kept him in the mindset of being intentional about grooming individuals he observed to be capable of stepping up.

“As Managing Director, I had identified four people who I believed would be capable of stepping up once I decided to leave. I took the time to observe and coach, giving them tasks and in the process, evaluating them,” he said.

In the process, Machumu shares that it is important for any leader to understand that the wins and failures that the public may perceive are theirs to shoulder. In the long-run, the environment that a leader fosters is what keeps any organisation strong during a leadership transition.

His years of leadership, together with the changing dynamics of information sharing and the dominance that digital media has brought, have been mile markers for Machumu and among the guiding factors to his decision to retire as MCL’s captain.

“We have gone through a digital transition and MCL has a team of young people who are ready to take on the mantle. While news is never going to become irrelevant, how it is shared and presented needs to change, so as a leader, I recognised that it was time to step aside and let others step up,” he shared.

When someone announces an early retirement from a position they’ve excelled in for some time, many tend to speculate over the reasons for such a decision. Machumu was not immune to these speculations, because his retirement announcement coincided with the departure of the former director of presidential communications at the State House, Ms Zuhura Yunus.

This led to rumours that Machumu could be her successor, but during the conversation with Kumekucha, he clarified that it was not the reason for his retirement, rather, that he wanted to take time to rest after many years of working.

“I had a couple of options that I was considering, but ever since I announced my departure, I have received many more ideas. After August 31, I'll take a short break to process my thoughts and then decide what I need to do next,” said Machumu.

When you make a decision to leave, Machumu shares that it is important to leave with a better reputation and leave behind a legacy.

He expresses his happiness and pride in all he has achieved with the team of people that he led during difficult times like the at the height of Covid-19.

Before becoming the managing director, Machumu served in various leadership roles within the company.

He joined MCL in July 2004 as the first business editor of The Citizen newspaper before he was appointed the paper’s Managing Editor in May 2006.

He was later appointed the company’s Executive Editor in 2013, a position he held until 2021 when he became the company’s Managing Director, succeeding Francis Nanai, who left in 2020.