This archive report was first published on 23 June 2020.
Kenyan media landscape has been shaken by the sudden departure of popular radio presenter Jalang'o from Milele FM, a station owned by Mediamax Network Limited.
On Monday night, Jalang'o announced his resignation on social media, citing a contractual dispute with his employer as the reason for his decision.
According to Jalang'o, the dispute centered around terms and conditions of employment, which the two parties failed to agree upon.
"I was not at work today because we had not agreed on a lot of things and terms, and even as we speak, my HR had me on hold still discussing terms of employment. Unfortunately, we didn't agree. So just like today, I won't be at work tomorrow or any other day," Jalang'o explained.
Despite his departure, Jalang'o expressed gratitude to his fans and the Mediamax management for the opportunity to work with them.
"I want to thank everyone who supported me and every fan who was with us to the point we became the most popular and number one radio station in the country. I want to thank the Mediamax management for the opportunity they gave me, and I will forever be grateful," he said.
As Jalang'o bid farewell to his fans and colleagues, he wished his co-host Alex Mwakideu well and expressed his love for all the employees at Mediamax.
"To my brother @alex_mwakideu, you know to the last blood I love you! Keep shining and being the best. To all my colleagues at Mediamax, both at Milele, K24, Kameme, Emoo, Maiyan, and Meru FM, I will forever love you. To my fans and every listener, thank you for tuning in! Like we say #ItambeMilele. For now, let us meet on YouTube," Jalang'o added.
His departure comes at a time when Mediamax Network Limited is effecting mass redundancy layoffs across multiple platforms within the media house.
One month ago, it was reported that Jalango led his colleagues in instituting legal proceedings against the company over a proposed 50% pay cut.
He becomes the second celebrity presenter, after TV news anchor Betty Kyalo, to quit the troubled media house.
Before joining Milele FM, Jalango had previously worked for Kiss 100, Radio Maisha, and Hot 96.
A respected comedian and emcee, Jalango did not announce his next move, only asking his followers to link up with him on YouTube.
