NMG Chairman Wilfred Kiboro Refutes Claims of Selling the Company

Nation Media Group (NMG) Chairman Wilfred Kiboro refuted claims that the company was on sale after reports emerged alleging that President Uhuru Kenyatta was angling to buy the Aga Khan-owned media house.

Kiboro who was speaking during the NMG investor briefing on Wednesday urged shareholders to ignore the rumours.

The NMG chair also addressed the exodus of eight columnists noting that it won't affect the circulation of the Daily Nation.

"The exit of eight columnists won’t affect circulation. They are not as important as they think they are. There’s a lot of talent out there," Kiboro remarked.

[caption caption="NMG Chairman Wilfred Kiboro"][/caption]

"What we can promise everybody here is we will report the truth," he added.

Kiboro further noted that the board will be investing a lot in the digital space as that is where the future of the business lies.

During the briefing, acting NMG CEO Stephen Gitagama cited delays in payment by government agencies as one of the challenges facing the company.

Reports had earlier alleged that the Kenyatta family could be interested in buying Aga Khan’s shares in NMG.

Last month, eight Columnists resigned accusing the firm of allowing the government to interfere with editorial decisions, a charge the publisher denied.

[caption caption="NMG columnists from left Fr. Gabriel Dolan, Maina Kiai, Rasna Warah, Kwamchetsi Makokha and George Kegoro"][/caption]

NMG stated that it regretted the columnists' position and affirmed it believed in "independence, fairness and balance".