Well-known Rwandan journalist Angeli Mutabaruka has returned to the airwaves after a long absence caused by a severe eye illness, which was later diagnosed as cataract.
In his first interview after a challenging medical journey, Mutabaruka shared how the illness developed gradually. At first, he underestimated its seriousness, until it affected his ability to perform daily tasks, including his job.
Surprisingly, he recalls that the symptoms began near the end of the Rwandan football league season. He missed the final five matches—not because he wasn’t at the stadium, but because he couldn’t clearly see who scored the goals. That’s when he started following matches on the radio instead.
He also experienced vision problems while driving, unable to read car license plates ahead of him. Oddly enough, he saw better at night than during the day.
Realizing it was getting worse, he visited a hospital in Kigali, where doctors diagnosed him with cataract, an eye condition not treatable by glasses or medication, but only through surgery.
Cataract is a condition caused by the clouding of the eye’s lens, leading to blurred or foggy vision. It can result from aging, diabetes, eye injuries, long-term cortisone use, or genetic factors.
Mutabaruka credits his boss, KNC (Kakooza Nkuliza Charles), owner of Radio & TV1, for discovering the issue and standing by him. Mutabaruka had kept the illness a secret.
He said, “Working with a real man sometimes helps. KNC looked at me and said: ‘Mutabaruka, you can’t see.’ I kept quiet and pushed through, leaving my car behind.”
After KNC insisted, Mutabaruka consulted an eye specialist, who confirmed the diagnosis. Though he was afraid of the surgery and delayed it several times, KNC pushed him to go ahead, and the operation was successful.
Mutabaruka and KNC now urge people with diabetes and the elderly to regularly check their eyes, as cataract can creep in silently and cause permanent blindness.
They both emphasized that early diagnosis increases the chances of full recovery.
