Current and former Associated Press (AP) employees and freelancers in Nairobi have raised serious issues over what they describe as years of workplace harassment, intimidation, bullying and claimed abuse of authority by the news agency's Kenya Bureau Chief, Egyptian national Khaled Kazziha.
The allegations resurfaced after a female freelancer formally reported Kazziha for allegedly harassing and threatening her inside the Associated Press offices on Lenana Road in Nairobi.
According to documents seen by Nyakundi Reports, the freelancer attempted to report the matter to the company on at least four separate occasions over several months, but says her complaints were ignored or dismissed without meaningful action.
The matter was also reported to the Media Council of Kenya. Yet, according to the complainant, no response or action has been taken regardless of the seriousness of the claims.
Following the complaint, several former employees and freelancers came forward, claiming that the incident was not isolated but instead reflected a long standing pattern of intimidation and hostile workplace conduct that had gone unaddressed for years.
Several people who previously worked with Kazziha described an environment where freelancers feared speaking out because they believed doing so would cost them assignments or permanently damage their careers.
According to multiple sources, the bureau chief reportedly used his position to intimidate journalists who questioned editorial decisions, payments or his conduct.
One freelancer recalled being warned that reporting issues outside the company would effectively end any future working relationship with the Associated Press.
Records reviewed by Nyakundi Reports show that Kazziha reportedly told the complainant: "If you report this to the Media Council, then you cannot work here."
The records further indicate he reportedly stated: "I am Khaled the man, but I can also be Khaled the bureau chief, and Khaled the corporate, and I can make any decision regarding you."
Former staff members say such statements reflected a wider culture of fear within the Nairobi bureau, where freelancers who largely depend on repeat commissions for their livelihoods often felt powerless to challenge management.
Kazziha has also been accused of humiliating freelancers who have since left the company by telling them to kneel at the company parking lot and beg him while he drives away.
"The staff had sent a gift for their colleague, when he heard about it he was angry and told them to act like he is their God, kneel down and beg him for forgiveness. On a separate occasion, he instructed them to kneel at the parking lot and walk on their knees besides his car while saying 'we are sorry' as he drove off."
Racism and Unequal Pay Claims ¶
Separate complaints now under internal review reportedly concern claims of racial discrimination and unequal compensation within the Nairobi bureau.
According to multiple freelancers, white foreign freelancers working in Kenya without legal work permits reportedly received substantially higher rates than equally qualified Kenyan journalists performing similar work.
One British freelancer, who several sources claim was working in Kenya without a valid work permit, was reportedly paid approximately $1,500 (about Ksh 194,000) per story, while Kenyan freelancers say they were often paid as little as $150 (about Ksh 19,400) for comparable assignments.
Several freelancers claimed that attempts to negotiate higher rates or question the disparity were met with threats that they would no longer receive work from the bureau.
Current and former staff argue that the claimed pay differences created a two-tier system in which Kenyan journalists were undervalued regardless of possessing greater local knowledge, networks and experience.
Questions have also been raised regarding compliance with Kenyan immigration and labour laws.
Sources claim that earlier this year Kazziha facilitated the relocation of a Swedish journalist from Tanzania to Kenya, where she reportedly worked for the Associated Press as a freelancer while holding only a tourist visa.
According to people familiar with the matter, she was assigned to cover official government events, such as a press conference at the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary.
The claims raise concerns over compliance with Kenya’s immigration and employment regulations governing foreign nationals.
Nepotism ¶
Kazziha has also been accused by former staff of favouritism and nepotism.
Multiple sources claim that he assigned paid work to his wife, such as story ideas that had originally been pitched by Kenyan reporters but were reportedly declined for them before later being commissioned through her.
Former colleagues claim such decisions fuelled resentment within the newsroom and reinforced perceptions that editorial opportunities were not being allocated fairly.
Questions Over Past Conduct ¶
Former employees also claim Kazziha was transferred to Kenya from the United States during the 1990s following disciplinary issues.
Several former staff members claimed that the move came after an incident involving marijuana possession while attempting to attend a campaign event for then-U.S. President Bill Clinton.
Nyakundi Reports has not independently verified those claims, and Associated Press has not publicly commented on the matter.
Nevertheless, former colleagues interviewed for this story argue that complaints regarding Kazziha's conduct have persisted for decades without decisive intervention from the company.
As attention grows over workplace culture within international media organisations operating in Africa, former staff say the Associated Press now confronts difficult questions over whether repeated complaints from Kenyan employees and freelancers were adequately investigated, and whether sufficient safeguards exist to protect staff from retaliation when voicing worries about senior management.
Neither Khaled Kazziha nor the Associated Press had responded to requests for comment by the time of publication.
