Joe Ageyo and Washington Gikunju have been handed senior editorial roles in Kampala as Nation Media Group rebuilds its Uganda operations following a month-long closure.
Nation Media Group has placed two senior editors from its Kenyan operation in charge of editorial leadership in Uganda, weeks after its newspapers, television and radio stations returned from a disruptive shutdown.
Dr Joe Ageyo, who has been serving as NMG Group Editor-in-Chief, has been appointed Editor-in-Chief of NMG Uganda. Washington Gikunju has meanwhile been named Acting Managing Editor.
The changes take effect immediately and form part of a wider reshuffle affecting NMG newsrooms in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Group Managing Director and CEO Geoffrey Odundo told staff that the appointments followed a review of the company’s editorial structure and changing business requirements across the region.
For NMG Uganda, the changes come at an unusually sensitive moment.
The company is still settling back into normal operations after its Kampala media businesses were shut down by security personnel at the end of June, leaving some of Uganda’s best-known news brands off air and out of print for weeks.
Joe Ageyo takes charge of NMG Uganda
Ageyo moves into the Uganda role after serving at the top of NMG’s regional editorial structure.
He will now oversee the company’s Ugandan news operations, which include Daily Monitor, NTV Uganda, Spark TV, KFM and Dembe FM.
Ageyo is already familiar with the circumstances surrounding the Ugandan operation. He was among senior NMG executives involved in discussions during the shutdown as the company sought permission to reopen its businesses.
His appointment therefore brings someone directly involved in the reopening process into day-to-day editorial leadership in Kampala.
NMG has not publicly said the move was a response to the shutdown.
The company’s explanation is that the wider reshuffle followed a review of its editorial structure and business needs across East Africa.
Washington Gikunju named Acting Managing Editor
Washington Gikunju will work alongside Ageyo as Acting Managing Editor of NMG Uganda.
Gikunju is a long-serving NMG journalist who has held senior editorial positions in the group’s Kenyan operation.
Before his latest appointment, he had served in senior roles involving planning and content operations.
His move means NMG Uganda now has two experienced editors from the group’s Kenyan operation occupying its most senior editorial positions.
That will naturally draw attention because it comes so soon after the Uganda business went through one of the most difficult periods in its recent history.
But the company has presented the appointments as part of a regional restructuring rather than publicly linking them to any agreement reached with Ugandan authorities.
NMG Uganda is recovering from a difficult shutdown
The background to the reshuffle stretches back to June 28, when security personnel surrounded NMG facilities in Kampala and staff were prevented from carrying out normal operations.
Daily Monitor, NTV Uganda and other NMG businesses were affected.
Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, had announced the closure of Daily Monitor and NTV Uganda on social media. Reuters reported at the time that military personnel occupied NMG premises and that the shutdown extended to associated radio and television operations.
The closure quickly became a major media freedom issue in Uganda and drew criticism from journalists, civil society groups and international organisations.
NMG management entered talks with Ugandan officials while employees remained unable to operate normally from their offices.
Operations began returning in late July
After a month of negotiations, NMG announced on July 28 that it had received clearance to resume operations.
The return happened gradually rather than all at once.
Digital operations resumed first as technical teams assessed broadcast and printing equipment. NTV, Daily Monitor and the wider operation subsequently returned to normal production.
That explains the different descriptions of how long the shutdown lasted.
The formal announcement that operations could resume came one month after the June 28 closure, while some of NMG’s main platforms did not fully return until early August.
Daily Monitor marked its full return on August 6, saying the group had been absent from its normal airwaves, newsstands and digital spaces during the disruption.
NMG says its editorial policy has not changed
One of the biggest questions following the reopening was whether the shutdown would lead to changes in the way NMG Uganda covers news.
NMG Uganda Managing Director Susan Nsibirwa has said the company’s editorial policy remains centred on accuracy, verified information and balanced journalism.
The media group has also publicly reaffirmed its commitment to trusted and independent reporting since returning to operation.
The appointment of Ageyo and Gikunju will therefore be closely watched for any practical changes in newsroom management, coverage priorities or editorial decision-making.
For now, NMG has not announced any change to its stated editorial standards.
The reshuffle reaches beyond Uganda
The changes in Kampala are part of a much wider restructuring across Nation Media Group.
With Ageyo moving to Uganda, Harry Misiko has been appointed Acting Editor-in-Chief in Kenya.
Dann Mwangi becomes Acting Managing Editor for Broadcast and New Media, while John Kiplagat takes over as Acting Managing Editor for Publishing.
Other Kenyan appointments include Justus Wanga for the Weekend Edition, Michael Owuor at Daily Nation, Ben Kitili in broadcasting and Michael Omondi at Business Daily.
Alex Ndegwa has been appointed Editor of the Content Hub.
The changes also extend to Tanzania, where James Smart has been appointed Acting Managing Editor for Broadcast and New Media at Mwananchi Communications Limited.
The scale of the appointments suggests NMG is doing more than simply filling vacant positions. It is reorganising editorial leadership across its main East African markets at the same time.
NMG Uganda remains an important part of the group
Uganda has long been one of Nation Media Group’s most important markets outside Kenya.
Daily Monitor has been part of Uganda’s media landscape for decades, while NTV Uganda, KFM, Dembe FM and Spark TV give the company a presence across television and radio.
That made the June shutdown particularly disruptive.
The company lost normal access to several platforms at the same time, while employees, advertisers and audiences were left uncertain over how long the closure would last.
When operations resumed, NMG said it would restore services progressively while maintaining its focus on balanced and credible journalism.
The new leadership team now inherits the job of rebuilding that operation after the disruption.
Ageyo arrives at a sensitive time for Uganda’s media industry
Ageyo’s new role will involve more than managing headlines and newsroom schedules.
NMG Uganda operates in a media environment where relationships between journalists, regulators, government officials and security agencies can become complicated quickly.
The shutdown demonstrated just how serious those tensions can become.
At the same time, NMG has audiences and advertisers who expect its brands to remain competitive and relevant in an increasingly digital media market.
Ageyo and Gikunju will have to manage both sides of that challenge: rebuilding the business while maintaining the credibility of its journalism.
How they approach that balance is likely to attract close attention inside and outside the company.
A new chapter for NMG Uganda
Nation Media Group has described the leadership changes as part of a regional editorial restructuring, and there is no public statement from the company directly tying the appointments to conditions surrounding the reopening of its Uganda operations.
Still, the timing makes the two developments difficult to view in isolation.
Only weeks ago, Daily Monitor, NTV Uganda and other NMG outlets were trying to get back on their feet after an extraordinary closure.
Now, two senior editors from the Kenyan operation have been placed at the top of the Kampala newsroom.
For Ageyo and Gikunju, the immediate task will be to steady NMG Uganda after a turbulent period while keeping its different print, broadcast and digital brands moving forward.
For audiences, the bigger question will be whether the change in leadership alters what they see, hear and read.
That answer will become clearer as the new NMG Uganda editorial team settles into place.
