Nation Taps Former Kwese Boss as Shake-up Gathers Pace

The Nation Media Group (NMG) has appointed former Kwese Free TV Kenya Limited General Manager Monicah Waceke Ndung’u as its Head of Broadcasting eight months after the exit of the former managing director broadcasting division Alex Kobia.

In a memo to staff seen by Business Today, Group Human Resource Director David Kiambi announced Waceke will now oversee the company’s broadcast platforms in Kenya and will report directly to Group CEO Stephen Gitagama.

Waceke boasts of a wealth of experience in the Kenyan broadcasting industry. In addition to her role as Managing Director Kwese Free TV Kenya, she was also the Change Management Lead for the Kwese Free to Air business across Africa.

She is also a former Television Programmes Manager at the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) and worked a stint at the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation’s programming department as well.

“She was instrumental in market share growth, partnership building, change management and product development,” said Kiambi in the memo.

Waceke is also a holder of an MA degree in Communication from the University of Westminister (UK) and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication as well as other media-related professional certificates.

Substantive Appointment

In June, last year Kobia resigned from his post as broadcasting boss at the Twin Towers after just one year.

Kobia had joined NMG from Aljazeera Media Group where he was the Head of Sales and Distribution, Sub Saharan Africa.

Waceke will now be expected to bring new ideas to the table at a time the industry has taken a beating from digital disruption which has made attracting advertising revenue an uphill task.

Shake up

Her appointment comes at a time NMG has embarked on a restructuring aimed at cost-cutting that has claimed the jobs of several senior journalists and editors.

Newspaper journalists who have been given the boot include weekend news editor Peter Leftie, politics and parliamentary affairs editor Lucas Barasa, Revise Editor Peter Wangai as well as Africa project editor Peter Munaita.

Veteran photographer William Oeri has also been let go.

See Also>>> BBC Nairobi Bureau To Fire Staff Including Presenters