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Disgruntled RMS Employee Tears Into Jeff Koinange, Linus Kaikai in Leaked Rant

Company-wide e-mail blast sparks storm at RMS

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An email sent to all staff members at Royal Media Services (RMS) on Saturday, January 30 has sparked a storm at the media house.

The email, seen by Business Today, was sent by a disgruntled employee under a pseudonym. He copied everyone from owner SK Macharia to Managing Director Wachira Waruru, all department heads and staff members.

Clearly frustrated, the employee tore into the RMS management over allegedly disproportionate salaries paid out to different members of the team.

In particular, he complained that well-known presenters and anchors were earning up to Ksh800,000 a month while producers, camera operators, technicians and other employees who play key roles in delivering content were confined to monthly wages of between Ksh40,000 to Ksh60,000.

He singled out the likes of anchor Jeff Koinange, Strategy Director Linus Kaikai and Editorial Director Joe Ageyo claiming their salaries were to blame for other staff members’ woes.

Linus Kaikai (left) and Jeff Koinange sharing a light moment at Citizen TV studios
Linus Kaikai (left) and Jeff Koinange sharing a light moment at Citizen TV studios

The employee further claimed that the management, which slashed salaries by 20 to 30 per cent at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, was not keen on reinstating full salaries even after tax relief measures were revoked by the government from January 1, 2021.

READ>>>>>Pay Cut Pains For Jeff Koinange and Other Citizen TV Celebrities

“How can a transmission technician handling 3-4 sites and working 24 hours 365 days without breaks earn Ksh50,000 while a news anchor or radio presenter is earning six figures in salary?

“How can a producer for both radio and TV be taking home Ksh40,000 while the people that work so hard to ensure their content is professional earns three times their salaries?” the expletive-filled letter read in part.

Sources at the Dennis Pritt-road based media house told Business Today that the email had caused a stir and fueled murmurs at the company, with many employees silently agreeing with the issues raised.

Business Today had reported in November 2019 how the poaching of talent from top media houses had created a rift at the media house, pitting old and new team members against each other.

Between March and July 2018, Royal Media had gone on a hiring spree – securing the services of the likes of Ageyo (from KTN), Kaikai (from NTV), Yvonne Okwara (news anchor, from KTN), Jamila Mohammed, Pamela Asigi, Rashid Abdallah and Nimrod Taabu (all from NTV).

Journalists who had been working at RMS before 2018 were reportedly concerned by the higher salaries awarded to the so-called ‘Dream Team’, a situation that was inevitable given they joined from leading media houses as RMS looked to shore up ratings.

The tension between the two camps was said to be at the heart of some high-profile departures from the station.

READ ALSO>>>>>>Fallout at Citizen TV that Pushed Out Hussein Mohammed

 

 

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MARTIN SIELE
MARTIN SIELEhttps://loud.co.ke/
Martin K.N Siele is the Content Lead at Business Today. He is also a Quartz contributor and a 2021 Baraza Media Lab-Fringe Graph Data Storytelling Fellow. Passionate about digital media, sports and entertainment, Siele also founded Loud.co.ke
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18 COMMENTS

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Alba

In life,you dont get what you deserve!you get what you negotiate. Employees who eventually complain of low salaries didn’t take their time to negotiate properly coz maybe they were desperate at the time of being hired or they didn’t know their value.
Also let’s not forget that the highly paid individuals are paid to think and we all know that thinking is not easy and many of us never want to engage in critical thinking!That said, salary disparity is still a thorny issue in many organisations

Mgenje

That disgruntled employee ni ng’ombe tu sana. Why not raise issues in a civilized manner instead of using uncouth language? This is the mediocrity that we should shun as a society

Edduh

Make your demands without bringing others down

Jane

You should know your worth in your next job now you know

Boniface Muriuki

While the disparities are there, the method used to air the grievances is wrong. Everyone negotiated their deal independently. Address the employer and leave your colleagues alone.
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Khayaki

Private sector for a long time has treated workers unfairly due to poor labour laws

Anastaciah

I just need somewhere i can be given even 40,000 someone is complaining about

Dan

Do you know the amount of advertisement the company receives during jeffs presentation?the kaikais,the ageyos,the jeffs are paid in relation to what they bring to the company,some tangible others untangible

Ann

Woi,kindly be grateful for the job you have,and the salary you have,am a jobless graduate ,wish I can get at a ya 5k

Dennis Manyong'a

It’s without doubt that the concerns raised are valid. However, the method of raising the concerns waters it down. It’s also good to understand your self worthy at the point of negotiation because it’s rare to be paid what you are worthy

Aden m Warsame

In average, a journalist should be paid 170 k as a salary or more in the kenyan laws. Please read your laws.

Average salary. This is regardless of whether they are a producer, a reporter etc. I am a former journalist. Not now

Banzi

Wat a naked truth,though this is your poor corrupt motherland,shit companies ….anyway take heart ,na hao maboss wako wajua Kuna pepo inawangoja kwa matendo yao…f***k

Alicia

It’s so unfortunate that RMS is not a government institution.If you are not comfortable with what you are offered discuss with your boss. We help

Alicia

It’s so unfortunate that RMS is not a government institution.If you are not comfortable with what you are offered discuss with your boss. We can’t help on that ..because it’s is a private sector.

Martin Orina

A TV or Radio producer cannot compare himself with the likes of Jeff Koinange who has build his own Personality Image as a media guru not only locally but internationally. Does that employee really know how many Media houses are waiting for Jeff Koinange to leave Citizen TV so that they grab him?
Media is all about viewership and listening and therefore if there is a Person who can increase the viewership and hence attract companies to advertise there, then what stops the owners to pay more to such individuals? You are paid according to how much value you add to the company.
Lets shift to other areas like sports e.g soccer. Have you ever asked yourself why footballers in the same team are paid differently? Its because of the value they bring to the team. For instance, Messi of Barcelona cannot be paid the same as Ndembele his teammate? Messi gets more coz he brings more value to the club e.g. more money through sponsorships, sports kits sales, attendance of supporters in matches etc
Now you get. My advice is, just be patient, work hard, focus and soon you will get where they are too.

Eric Fondo

Actually I forsee abig fall soon if this grievances aren’t solved.. though value of personality adds up, production requires team work,equitability.
All this it’s a wait and see bomb.. if those complaining start messing the production starting from the directors to camera men so called big earners.. content will be messed up and they’ll loose their personalities.

Ambajo

I believe these are not complaining to be paid the same but comparatively fare.

Beatrice

I only watch citizen attentively when Jeff is in the house. How many people are like me? I am surprised he doesn’t earn a million.

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