Nation Media Group has acknowledged a gender representation gap in its senior editorial leadership following criticism over a sweeping newsroom restructuring that placed men in all the newly announced top editorial positions across its East African operations.
In a statement dated September 18, NMG Group Managing Director and CEO Geoffrey Odundo said the company had taken note of the public debate triggered by the changes and recognised concerns over the absence of women among the appointments.
“We recognise the concern and the important role women have played in shaping NMG’s journalism over the years,” Odundo said in the statement.
The response follows editorial changes announced on September 16 affecting operations in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The restructuring included the transfer of Group Editor-in-Chief Joe Ageyo to Uganda as Editor-in-Chief, while Washington Gikunju was appointed Acting Managing Editor there. James Smart moved to Tanzania as Acting Managing Editor for Broadcast and New Media at Mwananchi Communications Limited.
In Kenya, Harry Misiko was appointed Acting Editor-in-Chief, with Dann Mwangi taking over as Acting Managing Editor for Broadcast and New Media and John Kiplagat as Acting Managing Editor for Publishing. Other appointments included Ben Kitili, Justus Wanga, Michael Owuor and Michael Omondi in senior editorial roles.
The fact that the new top editorial team was entirely male quickly became a major part of the conversation surrounding the restructuring.
The Association of Media Women in Kenya raised concerns over the appointments and called for stronger pathways for qualified women to reach senior newsroom leadership. NMG Public Editor Pamella Sittoni also addressed the issue, noting that the newly announced top editorial leadership team consisted of 11 men and no women or young people.
NMG has now conceded that the restructuring has exposed a weakness in female representation at the editorial decision-making level.
“The current conversation has therefore brought the gap within our editorial leadership into sharper focus and gives us reason to reflect on how we strengthen representation at this level,” Odundo said.
The company disclosed that women make up 36 per cent of its overall workforce and 33 per cent of its newsroom. Women, however, account for 42 per cent of the Executive Committee and 41 per cent of Heads of Department, against an overall representation target of 40 per cent.
Those figures underline the distinction at the centre of the controversy: women have significant representation in some levels of NMG management, but that representation was not reflected in the latest appointments to the positions directly shaping editorial decisions.
NMG said increasing the number of women in leadership would strengthen its journalism and help its newsrooms better reflect the communities they serve.
The company stopped short of announcing immediate changes to the appointments or giving a timeline for increasing female representation in senior editorial roles.
Instead, Odundo said NMG would continue creating pathways for women to progress into senior editorial positions.
“We welcome the constructive engagement this conversation has generated and remain committed to creating pathways for more women to progress into senior editorial roles,” he said.
The gender debate is unfolding against the backdrop of a wider restructuring at one of East Africa's largest media organisations.
NMG said the changes followed a review of its “editorial structure and evolving business requirements across the region.” In Uganda, the restructuring also comes shortly after NMG's outlets resumed operations following a 39-day shutdown by Ugandan authorities, making the deployment of Ageyo and Gikunju particularly significant.
For NMG, the immediate question now shifts from acknowledging the criticism to what action follows.
Its own figures show women already exceed the company's 40 per cent target within the Executive Committee and among heads of department. But with women accounting for only a third of newsroom staff and absent from the latest top editorial appointments, the controversy has placed the pipeline from newsroom roles to editorial decision-making under renewed scrutiny.
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