Did Tom Mshindi....

[Onyango Oloo]

JUMP?

Of course not.

He was tossed out of his executive office the other day.

Yesterday Wachira Waruru was yanked off his KBC MD job.

Today I received an SMS from a friend informing me that Pam Makotsi, Tom Mshindi's deputy (whom he imported from the NATION) has also resigned from the Standard.

So what gives huh?

Well, my sources close to the kitchen tell me that the Kibaki regime is doing to the KTN/Standard stable what the Armenian Mamluki squad could not achieve with their nefarious raid. One of the sources opines that the Standard was set up over the Mwiraria/Kiraitu meets Kibaki story adding further: "...the Kibaki team has chosen to use diplomacy, arm twisting, business contacts, deals, to hit back at the Standard.."

Another source tells me that

Tom Mshindi was pushed out because of business reasons and solidify an emerging election strategy.

The other day Martha Karua got a 4 million shillings judgment against the Standard.

As for Wachira, remember he said a few weeks ago that he would not allow KBC be used as a mere propaganda tool or words to that effect.

I have more juicy tid bits to share but it is already a quarter past one on this Saturday afternoon and some sumptous biriani and other delicious Coastal delicacies are awaiting me at a home somewhere in Mombasa.

So please die with suspense as I log off.

But remember this ancient quote:

"Freedom of the press is limited to those who own one. "

AJ Liebling


Ciao Bella.


Onyango Oloo
Mombasa, Kenya

[50cents]

I envy you bana. You are in heaven and how about us who dont look forward to such niceties as fresh fish with writings on them. huh. I guess you bought one written "4 oo only"

OO, it takes a stupid man not to figure out whats hapenning at std newspapers. I just figured it out with other guys somewhere in this forum and according to them "the-know-it-all", there was no strange thing hapenning at the std/ktn.

Bon appétit!!!!!

[mossad]

Iam not sure what to make up out of this but i quess a lot of arm twisting was done to bump these guys off.

Well i will be surprised to hear Martha Karua defending the media when she will be a back bencher soon. A lot is to seen from a crop of leaders we have in kenya today. The former kanu elite hated the media with a passion, Now they are defending it..HUh..

[kipsang]

Alot of speculations here

[Onyango Oloo]

Can you expound more on your "speculation theory" please?

oo
msa

[pharlap]

Thank God for Nation, at least the common mwananchi's voice shall be heard. Its sickening to see how the NARC government just lost it completely, and have been in this drunken orgy for the past few years, not forgetting that come next year, it will be packing time. There has been many warning signs along the way and they have chosen to ignore every single one of them. Even the referendum defeat; all kbaki had to say was that it was not for presidency. Watashangaa. Waende nyumbani. Now Uhuru has ditched his friends, he has seen bigger things ahead i suppose. But what he does not realise is that if he decided to go for presidency, he will lose even nomination from within the party- kanu.

The kenyan presidency is not a family matter. If anyone cannot see that he is a puppet from long ago..... That is why he is such a habitual flip flop i guess.

nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=24&newsid=73097

Publication Date: 5/15/2006

The change of stewardship at the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) at the weekend may look normal given that Mr Wachira Waruru, who was moved from the station's top job, had completed his three-year contract.

But a close look at the matter clearly gives a different perspective. There is talk that his departure was more to do with his independence of mind than anything else. It is said he refused to kowtow to some political bullies.

His leadership rubbed many in Government the wrong. A classic example was early this year when he cautioned ministers and their assistants of the dangers of allowing KBC to pander to their whims.

This was in response to their criticism of the station, which they argued had failed to serve the Government's cause, particularly, during last year's referendum.

During his term, Mr Waruru was guided by ethics and professional standards, which enabled him to revamp the station and give it a new character.

He transformed a once partisan monolith into a vibrant, balanced and fairly objective media outlet. Ordinarily, this would earn a CEO a new contract. But this did not go down well with the powers-that-be.

It is unfortunate that those who were strong proponents of non-partisan public broadcaster when in opposition have turned around now that they in Government, to accuse the station of failing to play the State's mouthpiece. Recognising the power of the media, these people now believe KBC should be a propaganda tool to entrench themselves in power.

Yet, the corporation is financed by taxpayers who should be able to get value for their money through accurate, objective and balanced news.

Those seeking to control KBC must understand that an independent media, not a pliant one, is likely to be more useful to them. Once a media outlet degenerates into partisan news coverage, it loses credibility. Nobody believes what it says, which does not help its backers.

Moreover, a controlled public broadcaster is antithetical to democracy. The long and short of all this is that the Government must allow the full evolution of KBC into a vibrant, independent and objective public broadcaster.

[kamalet]

Speculation? Maybe!!!

Mshindi's days were numbered and I think it had everything to dow with commercial considerations than anything else. The Standard was hurting commercially, and their owner, one Daniel Arap Moi apart from being an astute politicians, also happens to have an idea about business. Mshindi's continued running in with the government was obviuosly not going down well since newspapers live off advertising and not just circulation - the paper was being starved of advertising that was heading elsewhere!

With regards to Pamela, the circumstances of her resignation were perhaps not as Oloo suggests. She apparently resigned after reinstatement from suspension by Mshindi following the Mwiraria story. Here is a link to a thread in Mashada from a contributor who I am convinced is in the media and does pretty well know the goings on there:http://www.mashada.com/forums/index/show_topic/22/100856/index.php

I think the decision to appoint Paul Wanyagah as the CEO may have been to ensure that commercial interests guide the editorial policy of the newspaper and not just social issues.

As for my friend, "coach" Wachira Waruru, he may have had very good intentions of transforming KBC, but as the saying goes, so is the road to hell!! Wachira could have decided to earn his pay and do what his masters want or just walk away. His contract was due for expiry in August and he had indicated that he did not intend to renew it more so with the forthcoming elections. It has been suggested that it was him who approaced his former colleague at the Standard and now minister for Information to offer a soft landing and allow for the changes being prepared to counter the opposition come the elections next year.

It is therefore important to read the goings on at the Standard and now KBC as part of an 18 month strategy leading up to the elections to ensure a pliant media.

[pharlap]

kamalet; where do you get your information? Yor mashada source versus the various sources i have accessed recently differ on many issues and then at the end you admit that the whole move is to ensure a media that will comply with the demands of a few people in high places. Well thats the only reason this has happened. Wachira did a superb job at KBC. My friend actually did the new logos and other titbits during the tranformation stage and from what i heard, there was a massive overhaul. We all know that KBC used to be the voice of the government, yaani mo1's lakini nowadays if you have been in kenya recently, news on KBC is not any different from Nation and KTN, infact they compete on teh same level.

Tom Mshindi is perhaps one of the most respected people in the media. I think you need to be a little more critical and not just take everything the way it seems.

[kamalet]

Pharlap,

Do not worry about my sources or those of Martma, instead do worry about yours.

The problem we seem to have in this country is that we tend to glorify anyone who says something negative about the government!

[pharlap]

kamalet you need to check that you are in good books with your sources all the time otherwise you may be set up like the standard.