The Royal Media Services Limited (RMS) has sent home sports and business journalists in the radio broadcasting division as the company implements precautionary measures after Kenya confirmed three cases of the Coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
On Tuesday, March 17, Kenyans.co.ke spoke to several sports and business journalists who affirmed that they were directed to work from home after being issued with a notice. The decision by RMS editorial comes two days after President Uhuru Kenyatta called upon organisations to allow employees to work from home.
"Sports reporters and anchors will be required to work from home (unless assigned other roles in Programming). This, however, does not mean that you switch off your phones or become unreachable. We still have news sections to update," the communication to reporters reads.
"Let's all keep safe and live healthily. Should you feel unwell or suspect you may have exposed yourself to Covid-19 virus, feel free to contact the firm for urgent help," journalists were advised.
"We were asked to work from home and to constantly communicate with our heads of departments. I am at home right now and looking forward to adapting to this new strategy," one journalist disclosed.
RMS becomes among the first companies in Kenya to allow staff members to work from home. Google, Microsoft, Twitter, Hitachi, Apple, Amazon and Spotify are among some of the international companies that rolled out mandatory work-from-home policies amid the spread of the Covid-19.
Interns attached at the organisation were also directed to work from home as the firm resorted to communicating digitally through social media sites such as WhatsApp.
Sources at the broadcaster also revealed that RMS was planning a more comprehensive safety plan for all the reporters and anchors who will still be at work.
More companies are expected to allow employees to work from home, among questions raised were how Kenyans will work remotely given that home broadband is still considered a largely luxury service in most households and whether Kenya's installed broadband infrastructure would be able to handle the millions of people who would be working from home.
"Where possible, government offices, businesses and companies are encouraged to allow employees to work from home with the exception of employees working in critical or essential services," Kenyatta urged while addressing the nation on Sunday, March 15.
The covid-19 outbreak has affected different sectors in the world, socially and economically since January 2020. In Kenya, President Uhuru Kenyatta further ordered the closure of all learning institutions as a precautionary measure among several other directives.
Kenyans also went on panic buying in supermarkets as they stocked up commodities in case of lockdown as happened in the city of Wuhan, China and in Italy.
