Nation Media Group has announced one of its major newsroom shake-ups in many years, moving the multi-media company’s editor-in-chief Joe Ageyo from Nairobi to Uganda in what analysts read as a demotion.
Dr Ageyo has been moved to NMG Uganda as the editor-in-chief. Also moved to the Kampala office in Acting capacity is Washington Gikunju, who was Publishing managing editor while his Broadcast and New Media counterpart James Smart is moving to Tanzania.
Why Dr Ageyo and the two MEs have been moved away from the head office is still not clear, but it is expected that the recent ownership and board changes will occasion a reshuffle and the Acting roles were a warning that deeper changes were on the way.
Under such circumstances, analysts told A Plain, the affected executives either resign or eat humble pie and settle in their new stations, assuming the expected wave of “real changes” did not declare them redundant.
The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development sold its controlling shareholding in NMG to Taarifa Ltd owned by Tanzanian Rostam Azizi, ending an investment era that was birthed in 1959.
The deal was announced in March and the new ownership announced board changes in August, bringing in Julie Gichuru, Julius Kipng’etich, Bharat Thakrar, Wilfred Musau, Juliana Rotich, and Georgia Mutagahywa.
Dr Ageyo joined NMG in March 2022 from Royal Media Services, the owners of top-rated Citizen TV, where he was the editorial director. He joined NMG as director of broadcast and rose to the helm as editor-in-chief in September 2023, succeeding Mutuma Mathiu.
In the 11 changes that Geoffrey Odundo, the Nation Media CEO, announced on Wednesday, nine positions are Acting roles, a development that “shocked” employees at Nation Centre, the NMG nerve centre in Nairobi.
Apart from the avalanche of Acting roles, the changes revealed that there was no woman among the top editors, causing a furore on social media. Women journalists said it’s a man’s world in the NMG newsrooms.
Harry Misiko, who has been the managing editor in charge of content strategy, will be the Acting editor-in-chief responsible for Kenyan operations, revealing a watered-down role compared to what Dr Ageyo was overseeing.
Mr Misiko joined the NMG under the company’s then Media Lab training plan and has risen fast to be the boss of some editors who guided him on the nuts and bolts of newsroom as a trainee and a rookie reporter.
Whether or not he will rise to the helm as the substantive editorial boss at NMG will closely be watched in the remaining months to end of year before newsrooms start a challenging year of electioneering ahead of the polls.
“Following a review of the Group’s editorial structure and evolving business requirements across the region, we wish to inform you of the following changes, effective immediately,” the CEO told employees.
John Kiplagat becomes the Acting ME for Publishing, rising from head of production. At one time, Mr Kiplagat was the lead editor for Daily Nation, a role that will be handled by Mike Owuor, who was the head of the weekend papers, Saturday and Sunday Nation.
Replacing Owuor is Justus Wanga, who until the changes was the Politics editor. Mr Wanga had a brief sojourn in Kisumu as regional editor before returning to Nairobi.
Michael Omondi, the current Business Hub editor is being moved to Acting lead editor of Business Daily (BD), the niche publication he has worked for since launch in 2006.
Nick Wachira was Business Daily’s inaugural ME before being replaced by Ochieng’ Rapuro. Other BD managing editors have been Ng’ang’a Mbugua and Paul Wafula, who is now working for Defrontera, an online publication covering health in Kenya.
In the NMG changes, Dann Mwangi, who has been Broadcast and New Media lead editor will now be the ME of the section but in an Acting capacity.
Mr Mwangi has been replaced by Ben Kitili, the current video hub editor and news anchor of many years.
Alex Ndegwa is moving from Daily Nation lead editor to head the company’s content hub.
