TAKEAWAYS

• Zahara Totto says her Sanyuka TV presentation style changed entertainment reporting in Uganda.
• She believes some presenters fail because they try to copy her instead of creating their own style.
• Zahara also praised Sanyuka TV for building careers as the station marks 18 years.

Media personality Zahara Totto has spoken proudly about the impact she believes she left on Ugandan television, saying the presentation style she introduced during her time at Sanyuka TV still lives on years after she left the station.

Zahara, who returned to co-host Uncut Kalakata on Sanyuka TV alongside Anna Talia Oze, said she is proud of the standard she set while presenting entertainment breaking news on NBS TV.

According to Zahara, the style she used on air was unique and memorable, and that is why people still talk about it today.

“There is no presenter in Uganda who will ever fill my shoes because what I did was memorable,” Zahara said.

She argued that some presenters fail to last because they try to imitate her approach instead of building their own identity. Zahara described her on-air delivery as a natural gift that cannot simply be copied.

“It was a God-given talent. I changed the way entertainment news is broken in Uganda, and that is why even today you see people on TikTok trying to do it the same way,” she added.

The presenter said she is proud of having “changed the game” in entertainment television and believes her contribution helped shape how celebrity stories are now delivered both on TV and online.

Zahara also took time to appreciate NBS TV as it marks 18 years, saying the station has built many careers and continues to be an important platform in Uganda’s media industry. She noted that many presenters still benefit from the name and exposure they earned while working there.

Away from television, Zahara said balancing her busy life as a DJ, mother and media personality comes down to proper planning and knowing how to position herself in different spaces.