This archive report was first published on 23 June 2020.
June 23, 2020 - The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the media industry, with Royal Media Services (RMS) being the latest to feel the pinch. The company has sent several employees packing, including popular radio presenter Shix Kapienga, as it tries to stay afloat in the fluid media market.
According to sources, RMS has issued redundancy letters to employees working in the radio department, with more letters believed to be in the pipeline. The affected employees include Radio Citizen presenters Syombua Osiany, John Maloba, and Himenigilder Mugeni, as well as popular Hot 96 FM presenter Nancy Wanjiku Karanja, also known as Shix Kapienga.
It is expected that the broadcast powerhouse will sack more media personalities and journalists in the coming weeks. This move comes as no surprise, given the company's history of retrenchment. In 2016, RMS carried out a massive layoff that claimed the jobs of 100 journalists.
Despite being the market leader in the broadcast business, RMS has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and is expected to announce further measures to remain sustainable if the situation does not stabilize. In March, Managing Director Wachira Waruru announced up to 30 percent salary cuts as part of the company's efforts to stay afloat.
“The unprecedented outbreak of the Coronavirus in the world and Kenya, in particular, has had serious repercussions on businesses, including ours. This reality necessitates that we take difficult but necessary measures to see us through this period,” said Waruru in a memo to all staff.
Meanwhile, Mediamax Networks shocked the media industry and Kenyans at large after sacking nearly 100 employees through SMS. Workers unlucky enough to be on the Mediamax to-go list were notified of their fates through an SMS on Sunday night by various human resources managers.
