KUJ Expresses Concerns Over Mediamax Management Challenges

In a letter dated March 12, 2024, Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) Secretary General Erick Oduor expressed concerns to the management of Mediamax Ltd about unpaid wages owed to journalists. Oduor disclosed that some journalists had outstanding payments dating back over a year.

The letter expressed solidarity with journalists from The People Daily, a prestigious newspaper owned by the former first family.

These journalists stopped their work because they had yet to receive payments for over a year.

“We stand in solidarity with correspondents of The People Daily, a respected daily newspaper owned by former first family, who have withdrawn their labour over non-payment of their dues for over 12 months,” read part of the statement.

The letter highlighted the hardship faced by these correspondents, who, despite their daily efforts to provide news stories for the newspaper, were struggling to meet their financial responsibilities and maintain their dignity.

Consequently, journalists could not pay rent and were locked out of their homes. Oduor criticized the media organization for demanding top performance from its reporters while withholding their salaries for extended periods.

Oduor further noted that some correspondents had been evicted by their landlords due to accumulated rent debts, leaving them and their families with nowhere to go except spending nights in office premises or on the streets.

Consequently, he issued a 24-hour ultimatum to Mediamax Ltd to address the grievances and negotiate a resolution with the correspondents.

Failure to do so would result in escalated action, including organizing all correspondents to protest and close down Mediamax offices along Kijabe Street.

“In view of the above, we are giving Mediamax Ltd 24 hours to address the concerns and negotiate a return-to-work formula with the correspondents, failure to which we will escalate the matter, including mobilizing all correspondents to storm and shut the offices of Mediamax located along Kijabe Street,” stated Oduor.

Additionally, a source within the media house revealed that the issue of non-payment wasn't isolated to just The People Daily newspaper but also affected TV reporters from K24 TV and Kameme TV.

In recent years, the station has faced significant financial challenges, leading to the mass layoff of reporters. In December 2022, the station terminated the employment of numerous journalists, including eight presenters and anchors.

The layoffs occurred unpredictably, with employees uncertain about their last day in the office. Management personally delivered dismissal letters to those affected.

Mediamax underwent restructuring to adapt to the digital era a year earlier, resulting in job redundancies.