This archive report was first published on 23 July 2019.
Published on July 23, 2019, Nation Media Group (NMG) has thwarted Mediamax Limited's attempt to poach one of its top political reporters, Justus Wanga, in a move that has temporarily stemmed the tide of talent loss from Nation to Mediamax.
According to Business Today, Nation has made a counteroffer that surpasses Mediamax's deal, which had already lured Wanga to leave Nation Centre after serving notice. The Nation's Human Resource Manager, David Kiambi, and Editorial Director, Mutuma Mathiu, were criticized for taking too long to match or offer Wanga a better deal than Mediamax.
Wanga had been absent from work since Saturday last week and was set to join Mediamax, led by Editor-in-Chief Eric Obino, who was previously headhunted from Nation in April to spearhead a new era at People Daily. This is the second time Nation has offered Wanga a deal to prevent him from joining Standard.
Additionally, Nation has also offered a better pay package to graphics artist Micheal Mosota, leaving him with little option but to return to Nation Centre. He had joined Mediamax earlier this month after being offered a substantial pay rise.
Had Wanga joined Mediamax, it would have been a challenge for political editor Lucas Barasa, who took over the beat in February following changes implemented by Mathiu after succeeding Tom Mshindi as editorial boss.
