Nation media group purge kicks off as senior editors are axed in the latest shake-up

Hardly a day passes without more bad news of the difficult times facing the media industry in the country. Having announced its intention to lay off employees in what it refers to reengineering of NMG to accelerate the Groups digital transformation, Nation Media Group has gone ahead and began sending staff hope on redundancy claims.

Nation Media Group has gone ahead to send home 40 staff in its first round of staff restructuring. According to reports, the media house has started with senior editors and managers as the first casualties.

Reports indicate that the newspaper division has been the first stop with Nation Newspaper Division Managing Director Francis Munywoki, partnerships & projects manager and long-serving education editor David Aduda, Business Daily Managing Editor Ng’ang’a Mbugua and Daily Nation News Editor Francis Wanyonyi Wambilianga shown the exit door.

Also axed are editions editor Mark Agutu, agriculture editor Julius Sigei, Gabriel Chege of IT, Veronica Chirchir (HR), output editor Joe Mbuthia, Martin Mwangi (Deputy Chief Sub Editor) and Revise Editor Henry Gekonde. Nancy Ogutu, Peter Choge and Momanyi Maosa from the online department/ Nation Digital have also been shown the door.

Additionally, George Omondi (Business Daily, Section Editor), Eldoret regional editor (bureau chief) Jeremiah Kiplagat, Ng’ang’a Mbugua, Joe Mbuthia, Peter Choge (online sub-editor) and Momanyi Maosa (online sub-editor), have also been axed.

According to Nation Media Group  Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Gitagama, the media house has made special arrangements  for those affected to receive counselling support. He also affirmed that affected employees stationed out of Nairobi would be offered relocation assistance.

He also said that the affected staff would receive medical cover for two months to 31^st August 2020 after which the company has negotiated a medical insurance scheme through its current medical provider which the affected employees may opt to individually join.