The
chilling revelation that over 10 journalists from different media houses have
been sacked over flimsy reasons in just under 90 days since the beginning of
the year has elicited sharp reactions from across section of different stakeholders within and outside the media industry.
The
Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) the body charged with responsibility of looking into the welfare of journalists has threatened to seek legal redress if Nation
Media Group and other giant media houses do not give valid reasons to why Mugumo Munene and Andrew Teyie
were sacked last week under unclear circumstances.
The
dismissal of Teyie and Munene came within 72 hours after Royal Media Services parted
ways with four of their senior reporters, Kendagor Obadiah, Evelyne Wambui,
Pheona Kenga and Patrick Injendi over what they termed as huge wage bill
following the introduction of digital platform even as others think otherwise.
The
laying off of the two comes at a time when there is still an uproar over unfair
dismissal of scribes bearing in mind that NMG sent packing its special projects
editor Denis Galava for penning an article that put on the spot Uhuru Kenyatta’s
leadership style.
Galava
was sacked by Nation for an editorial content of January 2nd 2016
that was perceived to be critical of Uhuru Kenyatta titled “Mr. President get
your act together this year”
Some
of the hard hitting punch lines in Galava’s piece that rubbed the jubilee
administration the wrong way were;
“We
reject the almost criminal resignation and negligence with which your
government has responded to our national crisis this past year’’
"With
the exception of a few family businesses and tenderpreneurs who raked in
billions of shillings thanks to largely political patronage, but everyone else
is losing money in this country’’
The
NMG through its Editor in Chief Tom Mshindi responded to Galava’s sacking and
said,
“We asked Denis the Managing Editor special projects to take some time
off and allow us review the circumstances under which the piece found itself in
the press without following the due process. It also endangered our business
interests with our trusted partners”
That
statement indeed confirms our fears that media houses are more interested in
the revenues being generated from advertisements rather than keeping professionalism within
their editorial departments.
A
source privy to the happenings at these giant media houses but sort anonymity
for fear of being victimized confirmed to this blog that the government is keen
on working with only media houses that are considered to be ‘friendly’.
“The
Jubilee administration is dogged with a lot of scandals and is carefully
reviewing its survival tactics that includes going into the next general
election with an already ‘Compromised’ media in terms of business exchange”
said my source.
Denis
Onyango the spokesman for Cord leader posted on his facebook page after the
dismissal of Teyie and Munene and said,
“The
media purge at NMG has 3 dimensions; the company is determined to get rid of
reporters and editors who have written boldly and consistently on corruption
and bad governance in this country.
These two (Teyie and Munene) who were sacked an hour ago have
been in the past been labeled Raila Odinga’s sympathizers’’
My
sources at RMS intimated to this blog that the same fate of business interest
versus professionalism could have befell Patrick Injendi who hails from western
Kenya and Kendagor Obadiah who is a Masaai as we head to the general elections.
Andrew Teyie sacked last week by NMG under unclear circumstances.
ENDS.
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Asante sana, this is lovely.