Tuesday 28 May 2013

NMG LATEST SHENANIGANS ILLUSTRATE LACK OF MEDIA ETHICS

Early last week the Nation newspaper published front page story on Deputy Prez William Ruto's "excessive" spending on a charter jet. According to documents in their possession his office spent 100 mn Kshs,almost 1.2 mn $. However the government later clarified the 4 nation tour of Algeria,Gabon,Nigeria and Congo Republic necessitated the charter of a Bombardier 850 Challenger jet for just under 19 mn ksh,around 220,000 $.


Further,Ruto has demanded a retraction,failure to which he'll institute legal proceedings. The NMG CEO,Linus Gitahi conducted his own investigation and discovered to his shock the 'documents' proving the 'scandal' were sourced from one Jakoyo Midiwo,parliamentary deputy minority leader and rabid supporter of Raila Amolo Odinga,still smarting from his presidential election debacle.





A week prior,the Editorial Director,Joseph Odindo allowed the publication of a letter in the NMG owned daily,the Uganda Monitor detailing what turned out to be a fake plot to assassinate top military/intel leaders by those opposed to Prez Museveni's plans to have his son, Brig. Muhoozi Kainerugaba succeed him. 
M7 immediately closed the Monitor as well as 2 sister radio stations,Dembe and KFM. The entire NMG brass camped in Kampala for a week fruitlessly trying to meet the infuriated prez who would only respond through intermediaries that he'd only see the main shareholder,the Aga Khan.


Which brings us to the main shareholder of the NMG,the Aga Khan,nominal head of the Shia sect of Ismailis,who's also a major investor in not only Kenya but the wider E Africa region with significant holdings in tourism and health sectors.



Aga Khan hospital campus Nairobi,a truly world class facility.




The Nairobi Serena,flagship of the international Serena hotel chain.
 HH,the Aga Khan is primarily a businessman having coexisted with the first prez Jomo Kenyatta,Moi,Kibaki and would definitely want to continue under Uhuru's regime. Sources say major investments are threatened as a vindictive  out of control press agenda antagonizes E Africa's main governments. Everyone at NMG,even those uninvolved in schoolyard type plots must now pay the price.

It is thought major shareholders and most likely the Aga Khan himself will soon do a major housecleaning at E Africa's largest media network,sooner rather than later.

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