Dar es Salaam – Denis Busulwa, popularly known as Ssebo, the Director of Operations and Business at EFM Radio and TVE, died in the early hours of Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at the Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) in Dar es Salaam, where he had been receiving treatment.
The news of his death was confirmed by Antony Ciza Majey, widely known as Majizzo, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of EFM and TVE, through a post on his personal Instagram account. In an emotional statement, Majizzo described the loss as one he could not put into words.
“With a heavy heart and many tears, I am saddened to announce the death of my friend, my brother, the man who was my best man, and my colleague who served EFM and TVE with all his strength — my brother Ssebo,” Majizzo wrote.
Majizzo added that funeral arrangements were underway and that further details would be communicated in due course.
Busulwa joined EFM in 2014, described at the time as a well-known radio and television broadcaster who brought considerable experience to the then-nascent station.
He would go on to rise through the ranks, eventually serving as the station’s Director of Operations and Business — a role that placed him at the very centre of EFM’s growth into one of Tanzania’s most prominent media houses.
Singeli and ambition
EFM Radio, which broadcasts on 93.7 FM in Dar es Salaam, was established in 2014 and has since expanded to operate alongside its television arm, TVE. The station has built a particularly strong identity around Singeli — a fast-paced, percussive genre of music that originated in the streets of Dar es Salaam and has become one of the most distinctive sounds in East African popular culture.
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Ssebo was instrumental in EFM’s expansion beyond the capital. In 2017, he spearheaded the station’s Mziki Mnene six-region tour, which kicked off at Mkwakwani Stadium in Tanga before visiting Mtwara, Pwani, Morogoro, Dodoma, and culminating in Dar es Salaam.
Speaking to The Citizen at the time, Ssebo described the tour as “more of a meet the fans tour which is packed with several activities,” including a Singeli talent search that he said “has produced some amazing results in the past.”
The tour also featured football matches and community-based activities, all of which were broadcast live on television — a reflection of Ssebo’s belief in using media as a tool for both entertainment and community engagement.
A year later, in 2018, Ssebo presided over the launch of the Shika Ndinga competition, in which EFM invested over 300 million Tanzanian Shillings. The competition ran for seven weeks across six regions — Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Mwanza, Mtwara, Mbeya, and Pwani — with prizes that included 14 motorcycles and two vehicles.
At the press conference announcing the competition, Ssebo also used the occasion to celebrate EFM’s fourth anniversary, noting that the station had become the number one listened-to radio station in Dar es Salaam and Pwani regions, and ranked second across mainland Tanzania.
Voice for social causes
Beyond entertainment, Ssebo demonstrated a commitment to social causes. In 2024, he represented EFM as the station partnered with Muhimbili National Hospital and the event company Toto Day Out to launch a fundraising campaign aimed at treating children born with gastroschisis and anorectal malformations — rare and often fatal birth defects.
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The campaign sought to raise Sh200 million through a charity marathon, and Ssebo, who was then serving as Director of Marketing at EFM, described it as “unprecedented,” emphasising the need to raise awareness about proper prenatal care.
Colleagues and industry peers who worked with Ssebo have consistently described him as a man of exceptional dedication. A LinkedIn post from a former colleague noted that Ssebo, as Director of Sales and Marketing, was central to the commercial engine that powered EFM’s growth.
His ability to move between roles — from general management to marketing to operations — spoke to a versatility that made him indispensable to the organisation.
For Majizzo, the loss is deeply personal. Ssebo was not merely a colleague but a close friend and the man who stood beside him on his wedding day as his best man.
In his announcement, Majizzo asked for time and space to make the necessary arrangements, signing off with the words: “The Lord gave, the Lord has taken, blessed be the name of the Lord.”
One Response
We have lost a friend, father and to me from brotherhood he became my father. So many things he has done to dis world. A person who listens n advice u accordingly. May your soul rest in internal peace brother.