Nation newspapers Sports Editor Allan Buluku has quit. Buluku, who was appointed to the position in February 2013, tendered his resignation today evening, just days after he was demoted to sports sub-editor as part of reforms under the converged newsroom.
Nation Media Group recently converged its sports coverage under former Sports Editor Elias Makori, who was recalled from Eldoret where he was regional editor to become the merged team’s Managing Editor. The converged desk has brought together sports teams from Daily Nation, Taifa Leo, NTV and Digital Sport.
It is widely believed that Buluku’s resignation, coming as it does after convergence, is a protest to the move to transfer him from editor position to the subs desk, effectively wresting away his control on sports content for the Nation newspapers.
The return of Makori, who served as Nation sports editor for nine years until 2013, before going to Eldoret, introduced a new reporting level for sports editors of NTV and Nation newspapers.
With Makori’s heavy experience in print, the sports editor’s position became virtually rendered redundant, leaving Buluku, a long-serving player on the Nation sports desk, with two stuck options: to take the less-glamorous subbing position or leave the pitch.
With only three and a half years at the helm, Buluku becomes the shortest serving sports editor in Nation newspaper’s recent history.
Makori, as it were, served nine years, while his predecessor Fred Waga did eight years. Other past holders of the position include John Nyamu and Dick Aguda.
NMG is pursuing convergence as a way of increasing efficiency in news coverage and cutting operational costs. Early this year, the media house converged its business desks, which saw Daily Nation business desk team moved from third floor of Nation Centre to Business Daily’s 7th floor under its managing editor, Ochieng Rapuro. The move is believed to have been behind the departure of DN business editor Wachira Kang’aru in May after he lost control of the daily’s business coverage.
The next stop for the convergence machine is the news desk, where there is stiff resistance to the move.
[crp]
