Linus Kaikai's new "job" at Citizen takes interesting twist

lorine towett

March 13, 2018 2:55 PM

Royal Media services deliberating on next move

Former Nation Media Group general manager Linus Kaikai’s new job at Royal Media Services has taken a new twist.

The SK Macharia owned media is trying to find a way out on Linus Kaikai’s contract after their planned attempt to employ him was frustrated by President Uhuru.

Apparently, Royal Media Services took liability of the veteran journalist’s mortgage and loans amounting to Sh 20M as a way of trying to win him to work with the media house.

RMS was left without a Chief Operations Officer after Farida Karoney was appointed as Lands Cabinet Secretary by President Uhuru. The SK Macharia media was thus poaching Linus Kaikai to fill in this vacant position.

According to Business Today, RMS is contemplating on retaining Kaikai as a consultant so as to standardize his loans that accumulated over time.

The huge debt was transferred from NMG. The Aga Khan owned media offers loans to its employees who earn Sh 250,000 and above as a way of trying to retain them. Kaikai’s left NTV before clearing his grant hence it piled up.

Before he resigned from being an employee of NMG, he had already signed a deal with RMS.

Linus Kaikai, also the chairman of the Kenya Editors Guild, found himself on the wrong side of the law after he called on other media houses and journalists to go ahead with covering the NASA swearing in despite President Uhuru Kenyatta stern warning.

President Uhuru had given a directive that all media organization must not broadcast live Raila swearing in. Reports had it that the consequence of disobeying the order was revoking the licenses of the media houses involved.

As a result of going against the mandate, three mainstream media stations; Citizen TV, KTN home and NTV were switched off by Communications Authority of Kenya (CA).

The media houses were later reinstated after CA complied with a court order days after it directed the stations be allowed back on air.

lorine towett