Earlier today, Senior NTV anchor and reporter Ken Mijungu revealed that he had been fired from the station after a seven-year stint.
In a tweet, Mijungu detailed that he was among journalists in the NTV newsroom who were laid off by the Nation Media Group (NMG) that recently announced plans to let go some of its staff over dwindling fortunes.
“The axe fell NTV newsroom and I was on its way. 7 years in those corridors summed up in a two page letter of termination. We live to fight another day. Thanks to God, He remains the greatest, thank you @ntvkenya for the opportunity and thank you for always staying tuned, ” the journalist said.
This writer has reliably learnt that other 7 top journalists at the station received their termination letters today.
The axe fell on Debarl Inea, who has been hosting AM Live, a political morning show, for some years now.
Read: NTV Anchor Ken Mijungu Fired
Other renowned journalists retrenched alongside Debarl Inea and Mijungu are Brenda Wanga (reporter), Sharon Baranga (reporter) and Shaban Ulaya (Head of Swahili).
Harith Salim (Swahili Anchor), Lillian Kiarie (business reporter), Silas Apollo (political reporter) were also sacked.
NMG began the mass sacking yesterday by sending home top editors and managers. The axe fell on 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.
Sources in the know say more journalists are also set to receive their termination letters in the coming days.
In a media statement dated July 1, the company said it was going through hard times due to the effects of Covid-19 on the economy.
Read Also: TV Girl Doreen Majala Exits NTV
According to the company, the “new reality” necessitates the re-engineering of Nation Media Group to accelerate its digital transformation.
“In this journey, the Group seeks to be innovative, agile and adaptive with the objective to take up leadership in the mobile publishing landscape In Africa. This will include focusing on resourcing people in new areas critical for the Group as it moulds itself to win in the future. Regrettably, this will result in a reduction of our workforce. This Is an extremely difficult decision in view of the prevailing circumstances,” the statement read.
NMG becomes the third Media House to sack employees amid the Covid-19 pandemic after Royal Media Services (RMS) and Mediamax Network limited.
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