Nairobi, Kenya – The Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) has issued a call to the Standard Media Group PLC, urging the media house to clear six months’ worth of outstanding pay owed to its journalists and workers. This demand was made at a press conference held in Nairobi.
According to Kenya News Agency, which owns several media outlets including Standard Newspaper, KTN Home, KTN News, and Radio Maisha, for not fulfilling its financial obligations to its employees. Oduor stated that the media house, known for holding leaders accountable, has lost its moral ground to question injustice and bad governance due to its failure to pay its workers. He emphasized that every worker has the right to fair labor practices, including timely payment for their work as stipulated in the Employment Act and Article 41 of the Constitution.
Oduor highlighted that poor terms of service and non-payment of salaries are new threats to press freedom and could lead to the downfall of the media industry. He also questioned the respect journalists would receive if their employers do not respect them. Oduor called on the Standard Group PLC to meet its financial commitments, including unpaid wages to staff and photographers.
The Standard Group Corporate Affairs Department released a statement acknowledging the commitment of their staff despite the country’s challenges. They cited significant debts owed to the company as a reason for delayed salary payments but did not provide specific dates for resolution. Oduor condemned the non-payment as illegal and a violation of human rights and called for an investigation into the company’s financial transactions. He urged the board of Standard Media PLC to protect workers’ rights and ensure that they can resume their normal financial obligations.