I tricked my boss to earn Sh320K salary at Radio Africa - Maina Kageni on being poached from Nation to join Kiss 100

In an interview with Jalang’o, Maina confessed to have told his (now) boss Patrick Quarcoo that he was earning Sh160, 000 but in real sense he was being paid Sh60, 000 per month.

Despite that, Radio Africa agreed to double his salary to Sh320, 000 in order to win him from Nation FM.

“I get a call from Patrick Quarcoo, and we agree to meet at the Trattoria…So we sit down and he says you need to come. That time the phrase was make the ‘Big Switch to Kiss 100’.

So we talked about my salary; Nation were paying me Sh60K, so I told him I was earning Sh180, 000 and he doubled it. So he gave me Sh360K, and said join Kiss 100… I finish my tea and say I will get back to you. Went back to Nation and told my boss about the deal and he said Go. I left with his blessings and he said you can always come back but you need to go there,” explained Maina Kageni.

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2 months Gross Salary

Upon landing at Kiss, Maina was given his 2 months Gross Salary to go on a holiday as he prepared to make his debut.

“I get to Kiss and Patrick Quarcoo says I need you to get the ‘Nation’ out of your system. So he gave me two months’ salary, gross in cash and said go and enjoy yourself for a month and then comeback.

Nikaenda nikajibamba, then came back and started work, after three months he said you need an incentive, tukapelekwa Simba Colt motors, that time they had the newest SUV called outlander and told choose one, na tukapewa logbooks tukaambiwa hamna deni. Twende kazi sasa. How do you not give your 110% to something like that,” narrated Maina.

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After a while, Classic 105 was launched and Maina moved from Kiss 100 to Classic as their breakfast show host.

Radio Journey

During the interview, Maina also disclosed that he never wanted to be on radio.

Maina says he was asked to try radio at a time he had taken an advert to Capital FM. At that particular time, he was working as a promoter, who was about to bring international DJ’s into the country for a show.

“I never ever wanted to be in Radio, it was the biggest fluke eve. I came back for the UK BETWEEN 1996/97 and I had gone into showbiz. So I brought Shaggy’s DJ’s with a couple of friends. So there only two stations Capital FM and Metro Fm. Mimi ndio hustle uko nje never imagined even what radio was, so we go to pay for the adverts and they say do you have 40K, I ask for what? They for the Voice over coz somebody has to do it.

Then I say o don’t have the money so let me do it. I was told it’s your Ad kama ni mbaya its upon you, so did it and Phil Mathews ask me, have you have thought of being Radio?

I said No. And he says Would like to be on radio?" Said Maina Kageni.

The Classic 105 Presenter mentioned that when his concert was over, he got a call for Phil Mathews to try radio and he loved it.

Maina Kageni ece-auto-gen

“I receive a call from Phil Mathew saying we are serious about Radio come in and try. I came in and I was made to read the scripts. But I got the radio training first. I was then given to Sean Cardovillis who was the sports Editor, so I became the sports announcer but they could see my passion was in music… so they made me a swing shift presenter, so when someone goes on leave I show up, until I learned the ropes”.

Currently, Maina is among the highest paid media personalities in Kenya.

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