Is Kenya’s mainstream media becoming a boys’ club?
Source: Radio Generation
Barely a month after the Nation Media Group announced its new board of management comprising Dr. Julie Gichuru, Julius Kang’ethe Kipng’etich, Juliana Rotich, Georgia Mutagahywa, Bharat Thakrar, and Wilfred Musa, another editorial reshuffle was announced on September 26, 2026.
The changes were unveiled by the Group’s CEO, Geofrey Odindo, following a change of ownership involving an investor linked to Tanzanian tycoon Rostam Aziz, whose acquisition was formally completed on August 31, 2026.
Call this a sour-grapes diatribe, but here’s what caught my attention: Every appointee named is a man, with not a single woman appearing on the roster. Take a look: Dr. Joe Ageyo and Washington Gikunju move to lead NMG Uganda. James Smart heads to Tanzania.
In Kenya, Harry Misiko becomes Acting Editor-in-Chief, with Dann Mwangi, John Kiplagat, Justus Wanga, Michael Owuor, Ben Kitili, Michael Omondi, and Alex Ndegwa filling out a newly created layer of acting editors across broadcast, publishing, the Weekend Edition, the Daily Nation, Business Daily, and the Content Hub.
Nation Media Group is one of the largest media houses in East Africa, with operations in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda, and half of its audience is women.
Well, why am I chewing it finer? This is a giant in every sense.
The absence of women in senior editorial positions and broadcast programme control rooms is not only eyebrow-raising but also a deeply appalling prospect.
What does this really mean for junior female journalists in those newsrooms? What of those who work hard to attain such positions? Who will speak for them? Who will make decisions on their behalf?
Media institutions do not merely report the news; they shape the public agenda, decide which stories warrant coverage, and frame how society understands its most pressing issues.
When editorial leadership becomes an all-male enclave and a boys’ club of sorts, the risk of institutional blind spots increases dramatically.
I’m sure the company has had women running desks, editing, covering events, and sitting in those editorial meetings for all 67 years since its establishment.
Does this mean there was no talent among them fit for any of these positions?
This reshuffle sends a clear message about who is deemed ready for power and suggests that privilege was granted exclusively to men. No one can harvest diversity from a single-gender source.
When men dominate leadership positions in media houses or entities, it reinforces male-dominated leadership narratives in the reporting. This dominance of men creates newsroom cultures that have normalized certain perspectives and priorities that deliberately marginalize women’s lived experiences.
Word has it that more changes are expected in the coming days as the new investor takes charge.
Will there be any consideration of female names for the remaining senior positions within the institution? Nation Media Group calls itself “The Media of Africa for Africa.”
But Africa’s stories are told by diverse voices, and its newsrooms should reflect that diversity at the highest levels.
Interestingly, NMG has since responded to the growing public conversation around these appointments. In a statement issued by Group Managing Director and CEO Geoffrey Odundo on 19th September 2026, the company acknowledged the concerns raised about women's representation in the new editorial line-up and affirmed that women's contributions have long strengthened its journalism.
The statement noted that increasing women's presence in leadership and decision-making roles would only make the organisation's reporting stronger and more reflective of the communities it serves.
Odundo also shared some figures: women make up 36% of NMG's overall workforce, 33% of the newsroom, 42% of the Executive Committee, and 41% of Heads of Department, against an internal target of 40%. He conceded that the current backlash has sharpened focus on the gap specifically at the editorial leadership level, and said the company welcomes the conversation and remains committed to building pathways for more women into senior editorial positions.
With another leadership reshuffle expected soon, NMG has an opportunity to turn its slogan from a brand promise into a visible reality by ensuring women have a stronger presence where editorial decisions are made. Otherwise, that slogan will keep ringing hollow.
Barely a month after the Nation Media Group announced its new board of management comprising Dr. Julie Gichuru, Julius Kang’ethe Kipng’etich, Juliana Rotich, Georgia Mutagahywa, Bharat Thakrar, and Wilfred Musa, another editorial reshuffle was announced on September 26, 2026.
The changes were unveiled by the Group’s CEO, Geofrey Odindo, following a change of ownership involving an investor linked to Tanzanian tycoon Rostam Aziz, whose acquisition was formally completed on August 31, 2026.
Call this a sour-grapes diatribe, but here’s what caught my attention: Every appointee named is a man, with not a single woman appearing on the roster. Take a look: Dr. Joe Ageyo and Washington Gikunju move to lead NMG Uganda. James Smart heads to Tanzania.
In Kenya, Harry Misiko becomes Acting Editor-in-Chief, with Dann Mwangi, John Kiplagat, Justus Wanga, Michael Owuor, Ben Kitili, Michael Omondi, and Alex Ndegwa filling out a newly created layer of acting editors across broadcast, publishing, the Weekend Edition, the Daily Nation, Business Daily, and the Content Hub.
Nation Media Group is one of the largest media houses in East Africa, with operations in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda, and half of its audience is women.
Well, why am I chewing it finer? This is a giant in every sense.
The absence of women in senior editorial positions and broadcast programme control rooms is not only eyebrow-raising but also a deeply appalling prospect.
What does this really mean for junior female journalists in those newsrooms? What of those who work hard to attain such positions? Who will speak for them? Who will make decisions on their behalf?
Media institutions do not merely report the news; they shape the public agenda, decide which stories warrant coverage, and frame how society understands its most pressing issues.
When editorial leadership becomes an all-male enclave and a boys’ club of sorts, the risk of institutional blind spots increases dramatically.
I’m sure the company has had women running desks, editing, covering events, and sitting in those editorial meetings for all 67 years since its establishment.
Does this mean there was no talent among them fit for any of these positions?
This reshuffle sends a clear message about who is deemed ready for power and suggests that privilege was granted exclusively to men. No one can harvest diversity from a single-gender source.
When men dominate leadership positions in media houses or entities, it reinforces male-dominated leadership narratives in the reporting. This dominance of men creates newsroom cultures that have normalized certain perspectives and priorities that deliberately marginalize women’s lived experiences.
Word has it that more changes are expected in the coming days as the new investor takes charge.
Will there be any consideration of female names for the remaining senior positions within the institution? Nation Media Group calls itself “The Media of Africa for Africa.”
But Africa’s stories are told by diverse voices, and its newsrooms should reflect that diversity at the highest levels.
Interestingly, NMG has since responded to the growing public conversation around these appointments. In a statement issued by Group Managing Director and CEO Geoffrey Odundo on 19th September 2026, the company acknowledged the concerns raised about women's representation in the new editorial line-up and affirmed that women's contributions have long strengthened its journalism.
The statement noted that increasing women's presence in leadership and decision-making roles would only make the organisation's reporting stronger and more reflective of the communities it serves.
Odundo also shared some figures: women make up 36% of NMG's overall workforce, 33% of the newsroom, 42% of the Executive Committee, and 41% of Heads of Department, against an internal target of 40%. He conceded that the current backlash has sharpened focus on the gap specifically at the editorial leadership level, and said the company welcomes the conversation and remains committed to building pathways for more women into senior editorial positions.
With another leadership reshuffle expected soon, NMG has an opportunity to turn its slogan from a brand promise into a visible reality by ensuring women have a stronger presence where editorial decisions are made. Otherwise, that slogan will keep ringing hollow.