3-Month Salary Delay Rattles KTN News, Standard Journalists [EXCLUSIVE]

_KTN News studios pictured in October 2021. .jpg
A photo of KTN News studios along Mombasa Road in October 2021.
Nicholas Wambua

Journalists working with the Standard Media Group, which owns The Standard Newspaper, KTN News, Radio Maisha and other brands, are considering an industrial action after the media house failed to pay their salaries for three months.

A highly-placed source from the Mombasa Road-based media house confirmed to Kenyans.co.ke on Wednesday, November 2, that some of the staff members are yet to get their pay dating back to August.

So dire is the situation that some staff, reportedly, spent a night at the station's I&M offices, located within the Nairobi Central Business District for lack of means.

As things stand, the Standard Group is grappling with a cash crunch, that could see hundreds of journalists let-go, like it happened exactly two years ago in November 2020, in the middle of the pandemic.

File image of Standard Group Plc's Mombasa Road Headquarters in Nairobi
File image of Standard Group Plc's Mombasa Road Headquarters in Nairobi
File

At some point, the company, owned by the late President Daniel Moi's family, settled its wage bill in batches, with workers who earned less than Ksh50,000 being given the first priority. The pay, which is normally dispensed on 26th of every month would delay up to the 10th or 15th of the following month.

"Guys have not been paid for like three months. The last time we were paid was for August which was remitted in September.

"They should pay on 26th of every month. There are those people who can't come to work naturally because they do not have money," our source stated.

Soon after, reports began swirling that some of the workers were on a go-slow at a company that employs slightly over 1,000 people.

Some popular TV anchors, like Ken Mijungu, have not been seen on the screen for weeks now and their whereabouts are not yet known, with some sources intimating that he could be on leave or protesting the manner in which Standard Group has handled the crisis.

The Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ), whose members are drawn from Standard Media Group's workforce and other outlets, however, is in talks with the listed firm to end the impasse.

In an interview with Kenyans.co.ke, KUJ Secretary General Eric Oduor confirmed that some of its members had not received their three-month pay while the company had remained mum over the matter.

"We are aware of what is happening at the Standard and the situation is bad. The last salaries were paid like three months ago so the Standard is in arrears.

"This is a company that seems confused and does not know what to do. They are not even talking to employees even as much as we are pushing them to pay and they keep making those promises but we are working on something. The company seems to be too broke," he stated.

Asked whether he was considering taking legal action, Oduor maintained that it was not the best move to end the impasse at Standard Media Group.

Instead, he noted that KUJ was exploring the possibility of advising its members at the media house to stage a go slow if the situation persists.

"I don't think the issue is about legal action, it is about them coming out with a way to get out of the situation. Even if you sue a company that has been using overdraft to pay salaries over the last few years and they don't have the money, that is an exercise in futility.

"We are trying to push them to get money from their shareholders which they have promised to do and clear the debt. If the matter persists, we will just mobilise KUJ members there to go on a go-slow or even a strike altogether," he concluded.

Anxiety kicked in after the media company announced its plan to retrench a number of its staff- a move necessitated by the struggling economy.

The station further explained that it was also adapting to the changing media space that is embracing technology, with a focus on digital journalism.

"I wish to notify all members of staff of the company's intention to declare redundancy across various departments. This has been necessitated for the following reasons.

"Disruption of our business in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the pandemic which continues to negatively impact the Group's revenues and the restructuring of the business to adopt a leaner, more efficient structure," read the memo. released at the end of September.

Several companies across the country have also been slimming their wage bills as the economy continues to take a beating  from a cluster of factors including the pandemic effect, Russia-Ukraine war, a three-year drought, and spiking fuel prices.

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