Nation Media Group (NMG), the largest media outlet in the region, has initiated a new round of job cuts, leading to at least 15 journalists being laid off. This decision comes despite initial promises that most affected employees would be absorbed into new roles within the company.

The media giant is facing financial challenges as advertising revenues continue to dwindle, which has been the main source of income for Kenyan media outlets. Investments in digital media have not been sufficient to offset the decline in revenues.

A confidential source disclosed that the affected journalists were initially informed in June about the impending layoffs and were promised the opportunity to apply for new positions in the converged newsroom. However, the company has now decided to let them go.

"It was a month of mental torture! They gave me my letter yesterday," said a distraught writer who had been with the company for years. "Onto new things, maybe better things are coming."

This downsizing trend is not limited to NMG alone, as other media rivals are also facing financial struggles and resorting to massive staff cuts. Standard Media Group has been grappling with paying staff salaries, and Radio Africa Group has already dismissed at least 40 journalists, with more layoffs planned for September.

These job cuts have become an annual occurrence, reflecting an era in which traditional media outlets earned substantial advertising revenues but failed to invest adequately in new media platforms to attract the next generation of readers.

In June, NMG had given verbal notices to 10 journalists and encouraged them to apply for new positions within the converged newsroom. However, the source revealed that only two journalists made it to the interview stage but were not selected for the new roles.

The impact of these layoffs has been particularly felt in NMG's NTV and newspaper divisions. Some journalists applied for the new positions, but only two were shortlisted and offered different roles—one from NTV and another from the newspaper wing.

The company plans to make further staff reductions, with the intention of retaining only a few reporters and reducing the number of correspondents. There are already plans in place to identify correspondents across NMG's publications who will also be let go in an upcoming restructuring plan.