BY MWANAHABARI REPORTER
KTN’ senior TV anchor Akisa Wandera has resigned from the Moi owned media house, Mwanahabari has learned.
Wandera is set to join British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) from around mid February, 2022.
The sassy-voiced anchor who in 2020 graduated on top of her class with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the School of Journalism, Cinematic and Creative Arts, joins the list of high profile TV journalists to leave KTN.
According to sources, it was only a matter of time before someone poached the news anchor who has shown maturity and concrete understanding of news.
Reports indicate that Standard Group are dejected – given this is an electioneering year – and losing such a talent could affect its operations since it has already lost very good editors and TV reporters.
It is therefore not surprising that KTN, a notorious non-negotiator when it comes to counter offers, went against its policies and tried to counter BBC’s offer to Wandera in a futile attempt to keep her within the walls of its ultra-modern, boeing shaped newsroom.
Mwanahabari understands that another top Digital News reporter Mireri Junior is also set to join BBC around the same time as Wandera.
Mireri was tasked with writing political stories in the Breaking News desk of the newly converged newsroom.
The Digital desk has been hard-hit due to what insiders link to poor pay despite Standard Digital realising very good numbers, and being among the top digital sites in Kenya.
Some of the notable departures from the Digital desk include Hillary Orinde who joined AFP, Japheth Ogila who went to South Sudan media outlet, Brian Ukaya who joined a betting firm and Jael Mboga who was re-depolyed to Print editorial desk.
It is rumoured that BBC offered very good packages that Standard could not match.
Journalists who left Standard/KTN in the recent past
Wandera is leaving just weeks after KTN news anchor Linda Ogutu and investigative reporter Siraj Abdullahi left Kenya’s oldest private media house.
Linda broke the news of her exit from KTN via a Twitter post saying:
“I have taken a sabbatical leave from the Standard Group Limited to serve in the FKF Secretariat. TUKUTANE KWA FUTA (Let’s meet in the field). And mask up and get vaccinated… HII COVID HAITAKI MCHEZO (Covid-19 is no joke),” Linda tweeted on Sunday, December 19, 2021 to her 650,000 followers.
Abdullahi left in January in what has been linked to frustrations by the bosses with his colleague Fred Kagonye redepolyed to the Digital desk after Editor In Chief Ochieng Rapuro accused the investigative desk of attracting lawsuits which has seen the company lose revenue in court corridors.
The investigative desk is now non-existent after Brian Obuya and Hussein Mohamed also left last year.
Robin Toskin, the Standard Newspaper sports Deputy Editor was also forced out of Standard around the same time, leaving the sports desk thin.
City Desk Editor Roselyne Obala also quit the media house after 15 years and is set to join Nation TV. Her resignation came just weeks after she was unceremoniously moved from the more glamorous Group Political Editor position – in a shake up that saw many senior editors moved downwards in the pecking order.
Others who have left KTN recently
Peter Opondo (Head of Broadcast), Faridah Mwaka who has since joined NTV alongside Lofty Matambo, KTN Managing Editor Hellen Wanjru who has since joined K24 TV.