Sacked Daily Nation Cartoonist Gado Gets International Job

Popular cartoonist Godfrey Mwapembwa commonly known as Gado has landed a job in an international media company months after he was sacked at the Nation Media Group (NMG).

On Wednesday, Gado published his first caricature with the Deutsche Welle (DW) Swahili, Germany's international media company, as his first piece where he put in drawing the recent presidential elections in Zanzibar.

Gado indicated that the opportunity to work with DW was among other platforms he contributes his drawings to.

The bold cartoonist had worked with NMG for 23 years before being kicked out of the company after reportedly drawing cartoons that displeased prominent individuals.

Mr Mwapembwa reportedly got fired after doing a cartoon that annoyed former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, leading to the banning of the East African newspaper in the neighbouring country.

In the caricature, Gado sketched Kikwete half naked, eating grapes from the hand of one of seven well-endowed ladies. Each of these women represented seven weaknesses in Kikwete’s government.

Some of Gado's drawings are said to have also made the Jubilee top leaders uncomfortable, something that has been reported as another reason behind his sacking.

After his dismissal, Gado expressed disappointment in the manner in which NMG sent him away stating: “It wasn’t that it happened – rather, how it all happened that I am disappointed in”.

NMG has been on the spot for months now after firing Special Projects Editor Denis Galava owing to an editorial he authored, that deeply criticised President Uhuru Kenyatta and his government.

Here is his first cartoon at DW Kiswahili:

Msanii #Gado sasa atakuwa akichora kwa ajili ya DW. Hii hapa kazi yake ya kwanza kuhusu #UchaguziZanzibar. pic.twitter.com/UzSA9sFUNM

— DW (Kiswahili) (@dw_kiswahili) March 23, 2016