Former Nation reporter appointed CEO of PR agency

Former Daily Nation investigations reporter Samwel Born Maina has been appointed the East and Central Africa CEO of 360, a media and marketing agency. Mr Maina, a journalism graduate from Kakamega-based Masinde Muliro University, takes up the new role in a firm that is headquartered in Australia.

Mr Maina, who is the communications director for the Nyamira county Government, is working for Dr Simon Gicharu, the Mount Kenya University founder, through the company. It is said that Dr Gicharu has keen interest in venturing into media.  Already, he has started a television station and radio in Rwanda.

360 Media will focus mainly on media relations, crisis management and image consultancy. Mr Maina told Business Today that the outfit is looking at disrupting the media relations sector in Kenya especially in an election year when demand for media services will skyrocket.

Related >> Investigative reporter poached by Nyamira County

“This is just a newsroom that we have developed that will simply research, develop and write stories for our clients. We are excited and I hope we will receive enough support from the public, ” Mr Maina said.

On whether Gicharu has interests in the firm, Mr Maina evasive, saying the output of the company is what matters. “That is neither here nor there. We are basically venturing into a market with a number of players and our output will be measured by our delivery,” he said.

Mr Maina is now expected to resign as Director of Communication in Nyamira County to focus on this new role.

Samwel Born Maina, who was a staff writer on the Nation newspaper’s investigations desk, left the media house in November 2015 to become the Nyamira county director of communications. Maina joined Nation Media Group in early 2013 as a correspondent for the Nairobi News newspaper. He was transferred to Daily Nation as investigative reporter after Nairobi News print edition was shut.

Before joining NMG, Mr Maina was a freelance journalist for Nairobi Law Monthly and Nairobi Business Monthly, both owned by city lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi, before moving to K24 as an online journalist.

We, at Business Today wish him all the best.

[crp]