This archive report was first published on 23 June 2020.
As the country grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, Royal Media Services (RMS) has begun issuing redundancy notices to its employees, a move that has left many in the industry reeling.
According to sources, the first batch of employees to receive the notices includes those working in the radio department, with popular Hot 96 FM presenter Nancy Wanjiku Karanja, also known as Shix Kapienga, among those affected.
Other radio presenters, including Syombua Osiany, John Maloba, and Himenigilder Mugeni, have also been sent home, with early reports indicating that two TV presenters are facing the sack.
It is worth noting that RMS had previously announced plans to fire 300 staff members in February, but only 10 staff in the sales department were let go.
However, after a salary reduction measure was implemented, where staff had to part with between 20 and 30 per cent of their pay, some staff members in the sales and marketing department began to notice another unannounced pay cut.
‘I looked at my payslip and noticed that my allowance to travel around looking for clients has been removed. We were only told about the other percentage that was hyped in the media, but this one has been done illegally’, one of the staff members told KenyanBusinessfeed.com on June 21.
Mediamax, another media house, had also sent home over 100 staff members on June 21, with journalists from Switch TV and TV 47 contracted to replace them.
It is a worrying trend, especially considering that Mediamax had sacked 160 employees in October 2019.
