Mwalimu Churchill publicly declares how he prefers to get fired after ugly K24 saga

The recent mass firing from Mediamax Limited over text is nothing the company should be proud of. At least I think so.

The incident painted such a vague and messy picture of the media network. First, for its lack of professionalism and second, for the way it merely communicated to the employees.

On the same regard, Mwalimu Kinga´ang´i born Daniel Ndambuki expressed total disgust from the Mediamax conglomerate.

Daniel Ndambuki better known as, Churchill

He considered this insensitive of the media house, stating that such texts might not only come as a shock to employees but who knows, people might get into serious accidents.

Also read: “Congratulations!” Mwanaisha Chidzuga seemingly mocks K24 employees fired through night SMS

Publicly declaring his preference, the comedian articulated that he´d rather his employer takes him out, wait for him to get high then he/she can break the news.

The day you decide to fire me, don´t send me an SMS, I can even be driving or doing something that might cause an accident. Let´s get this straight, you don´t do that sh*t to me. Call me for a drink and when I am high, drop the news. Some things can kill you.

Mwalimu King´ang´i

Giving his two cents on the same, his Classic 105 co-host Maina Kageni questioned the kind of treatment the TV journalists had been given after years of serving tirelessly at the media station.

Shame on you, how can you do that? How can you ask someone to meet you at a certain hotel and then drop such news?

Also read: K24 unveils new faces taking over the newsroom after firing its entire old team (Video)

Classic 105 presenter, Maina Kageni

K24 SMS

Just to take you back to the Sunday SMS from Mediamax to its employees, one Mr Wandera shared the redundancy notice across its employees and it read in part:

Mediamax´ text of redundancy to employees

K24´s woes deepen as employees address disturbing letter to President Uhuru (Screenshots)

It has been a worrying trend in Mediamax-owned television station, K24 since the very day it announced a mass firing amongst its employees, thereafter declaring a 50% pay cut on them.

Yes, these are distressing and hard economic times in the country and the world at large, as we grapple to fight the spread and mass destruction of the deadly Coronavirus.

However, in as much as retrenchments and pay cuts are taking effect each passing day, it is only noble to consult your employees before arriving at any decisions severely affecting them.

Penning a letter addressed to President Uhuru Kenyatta whose family is a major shareholder of the Mediamax network, staff cried out on the lack of dialogue regards their employment contracts.

Uhuru
Kenya´s President Uhuru Kenyatta

Also read: Betty Kyallo runs to lawyers following her untimely resignation at K24

Outcry

According to them, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Ken Ngaruiya´s approach to these troubled times has been nothing but unilateral.

He reportedly went ahead to breach the employees´ contracts by backdating a pay cut notice while the month was actually ending.

He, [Ken Ngaruiya] on April 19, 2020, issued a notice on a 50% pay cut across nearly all cadres of staff and backdated to April 1. Though this was 19 days into a month, he didn´t seem to care about the welfare of the workers weighed down by the pressures of Covid-19 and other responsibilities.

K24 station´s logo

To this, employees pinned the ongoing crisis at the Kijabe street-located TV station that saw employees move to court to defend their breached terms of contract.

Also read: Betty Kyallo´s hot replacement at K24 now turning heads (Photos)

Unfortunately, those that moved to court went without 2-months´ salaries and even after trying to involve the acting CEO in dialogue, their efforts were countered with ´blackmail, intimidation and other cheap maneuvers´.

He has not only delayed salaries, but withheld pay for those he has labeled enemies for going to court. He has also ignored court order after court order with a grand sense of impunity, claiming that he is untouchable.

Mediamax staff´s letter to President Uhuru

Court order

Speaking of court orders, Wednesday, June 10, Justice Bryam Ongaya issued an order to the company to fully pay its employees their pending April and May salaries.

With no orders on costs and with further orders that the contract of service between parties is preserved with no pay cuts but affected staff may go on redundancy per law and prevailing contracts. The contract is in place without pay cuts and the law says when they should be paid so the law is in place.

Court orders that Mr Ngaruiya allegedly disobeyed – a move the employees termed ´total disregard for a legitimate legal process´.

K24 studios

The K24 acting CEO is reportedly set to be sending employees who went to court parking, with no penny which will only end up inflicting pain on those involved and their families.

We find it disrespectful that he is invoking your name and that of your family to ignore court orders and turn DSM into a doghouse.

Closing off, the letter read in part:

Sir, please save us from the Ngaruiya knee-lock. We can´t breathe! Ngaruiya must not be let to wallow in his delusional air of arrogance and impunity to the detriment of hardworking and diligent workers…

Mediamax staff´s letter to President Uhuru

According to them, it is this impunity that saw the likes of media firebrands like Betty Kyallo quit on Live TV.

KRA

As we speak, the Kenya Revenue Authority issued a notice regards the Paye Tax return verification to the Mediamax Newtork Limited asking that certain documents be availed to the revenue body as of June 17.

Two officers from the Kenya Revenue Authority were sent to the premises to verify the indicated records – among them being the payroll, contract letters and the hiring and redundancies schedules of the company.

KRA letter of notice to Mediamax Network

Betty Kyallo turns to business amidst looming K24 shutdown

Mediamax owned TV station, K24 is a media house struggling to maintain it´s employees, amid leadership wrangles and the brutal COVID-19 effects.

K24 is reportedly set for a shutdown after Standard Group´s KTN News bought some of its programs, as alleged by editor and producer, Eric Njoka of the recently established media station.

The Kijabe-street located media, houses Kenya´s prime journalists among them a bubbly Betty Kyallo and a fierce Anne Kiguta just to mention a few.

K24 journalist, Betty Kyallo

Her business

Soon after K24 announced a 50% pay cut for its employees, Betty Kyallo had to resort to other means of making money, to keep her income steady, her salon business running and her daughter housed and with a solid future.

Tuesday, 5th May, the TV girl opened shop at her beauty parlor, Flair by Betty, assuring her clients that all necessary measures for safety against Corona had been taken.

We are all wearing masks, disinfecting our surfaces after every client and have sanitizers all over the salon. Come through we got you!

Betty Kyallo reopens her business

YouTube channel

Mid last week, the mother of one announced the official launch of her YouTube channel, Betty Kyallo Lately, with it´s first video up amassing at least 5,000 subscribers.

Quite impressed by the massive love and support from her online fam, the 31-year old sent a big Thank You note to her fans asking more to come through for her.

Media personality, Betty Kyallo

Well, Betty has been having some rough days of late – you can tell from her eye-bugs which she covers up in shades but all it needs is a closer look.

One day, quite exhausted, she returned home and admitted that if all that sweat and back-breaking is what is needed to see a dear Ivanna never lack, then she is ready for it.

You get home so so tired and then you see your baby and you say ok… I’m happy I’m tired because my Baby will never lack.

Mother of one, Betty Mutei Kyallo

Speaking of toiling hard, the media girl shared a short clip of herself already beating the morning dew, trying to get some paper.

Sounding pretty worn out and just doing what she needs to do, Betty was on the grind.

On another Insta video, she was seen cruising her Mercedes Benz, driving off to fend for her little baby girl.

Plus, if you´ve noticed, she spends more time with her family – daughter and siblings – as well as with her friends. Lesser time is spent promoting her evening weekend shows on K24.

Probably because at the end of the day, family will always be your pillar of strength, when everything else topples.

Betty Kyallo with daughter, Ivanna

Background

October 2019, Mediamax fired at least 160 employees right from editors, to reporters, to heads of departments after issuing the affected individuals with a one month´s notice.

That is when the likes of Swahili news anchor, Mwanaisha Chidzuga among other titles were shown the door.

Also read: ¨K24 was a hobby. I have my main hustle¨ Mwanaisha Chidzuga´s savage response after being fired from K24

Kenyan journalist and businesswoman, Mwanaisha Chidzuga

Friday, April 17th, Mediamax announced a 20%-50% pay cut for its employees citing harsh effects of the Coronavirus pandemic.

A move that saw Betty Kyallo and other journalists take to court to sue Mediamax Networks Limited over salary pay cuts, that none of the employees had allegedly been consulted on.

In an injunction issued by the court on Thursday, April 23rd, the media house was barred from slashing the journalists´ pay as the case awaited hearing and determination.

K24 studios

Unfortunately though, it looks like the woes of the employees might no longer be heard after a possible merger of K24 and KTN News, or rather a shutdown of the former.

Expose

In an online rant by K24´s Eric Njoka, K24 staff might be declared redundant – no longer in employment – in barely 30 days, regardless of your position.

KTN News or Standard Group has officially bought some programs on K24 TV. So, K24 staff will be declared redundant in a month´s time… They are getting rid of every person that you know, every face that you know on K24 TV, every producer, anchor, reporter, news editor that you know.

K24 editor and producer, Eric Njoka

Eric added that all these shambles started back in April 2020 when Media Max´acting CEO, Ken Ngaruiya issued a notice to its employees of a 50% pay cut, with zero consultation.

According to the editor and producer, all this trickles down to President Uhuru Kenyatta´s stake in the media station, one he believed cared less about its employees and their means of survival.

Eric blasted:

We are working for a president who does not care. It seems we are children of a lesser God because no one is listening to us.

President Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta

Adding that, if at all it is true K24 will be shutting down, that simply means all its employees would pack their bags with only half their salaries.

This comes just hours after one of the station´s reporters, Kori committed suicide.

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