Media mogul SK Macharia and his wife Purity Gachoni caused a stir in London recently when they visited their grandson who is studying in that part of the globe.
It is said that the couple asked for his passport to help them photocopy only for them to clandestinely escape with it back to Kenya. For now, it will be difficulty for the grandchild to fly back to Kenya now that he does not have the travel document with him.
Samuel Kamau Macharia has been fighting wars with his grandsons following the death of their father Gichia Macharia in a grisly traffic road accident.
Macharia’s grandson Adam Kamau Macharia at one time moved to court seeking to stop his grandfather from administering the Sh1.2 billion estate.
Adam told the court that he was a minor at the time the letters of administration were issued to his grandparents, and that he is seeking a piece of his father’s wealth now that he he is an adult.
The suit also pointed to a rift in the family over the Sh1.2 billion estate after the mother, Serah Njeri, withdrew from the application to administer the estate ‘for the sake of family’ unity, and because her grandson, is now over 18 years.
The estate had been put under their administration as grandparents of Gichia’s son, Adam, who was 16 years when Gichia died in the road accident in 2018.
The companies are Directline Insurance, Serenity Media Productions Ltd, Big Five Conservancy, Bushfire Media Distributors, Toi Redevelopment and Harbour Capital Ltd.
SK wanted Adam and his mother, Lisa Anyango Amenya, to hand over eight cars they claim were purchased using company funds, but registered in the name of the company when the Gichia was the executive director.
Adam opposed appointment of his grandfather as administrator of the estate.
Caught in the battle are Macharia’s children – David Karanja Macharia and Stella Nyanjiru Macharia. Many are reading mischief in the tycoon’s move to snatch the grandson’s passport linking it to battle of properties and business control.
The saga happened as Citizen TV’s anchor Victoria Rubadiri left to CNN, sparking off murmurs of unfair salary structure at Royal Media Services.
This follows the poaching of NTV news anchor Olive Burrows, to replace Rubadiri at what is said to be a hefty salary that has left other news anchors salivating at her payslip.
However, the hefty pay cheque offered to her in order to quit NTV and join Citizen TV where she is expected to team up with veteran journalist and former CNN correspondent Jeff Koinange has left many journalists at Royal Media Services disgruntled.
The journalists are now questioning the decisions being made by RMS group managing director Wachira Waruru, in deciding a salary a new employee should be given.
Waruru who is referred to as Mugabe in reference to the late Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe, by some employees for his long stay at the helm of RMS like the late Zimbabwean president who ruled his country for more than three decades, is now on the spot.
Mugabe is said to be using his closeness with the Macharia family, more so, after the death of their son to run Royal Media as if he is tycoon’s adopted son. Wachira Waruru is son of the late assistant minister for Information Waruru Kanja.
That Wachira who messed the marriage of late Wangari Maathai is the richest journalist in Kenya is no secret. He owns the famous Chaka Ranch in Nyeri.
Those who were with Wachira at Kenyatta University say that he is not all that way sharp as many think, but happens to be a man born with luck, including his father having been a minister.
Just like his father loved skirts, not much is known about Wachira, although staff at Royal Media give differing views. Wachira, when Mwai Kibaki landed the presidency using his Nyeri connections, landed at Kenya Broadcasting Corporation as managing director.
According to the staff at KBC, Wachira era was the worst ever experienced. He was to feature in World Cup rights airing broadcast suspicious deals.
In fact, it is said that Wachira was eyeing the position of State House spokesman but National Intelligence Service briefs locked him out only to land at KBC. The briefs had it that Wachira is shy-faced and could not address a battalion of local and international journalists and press corps.
Further, the briefs had it that Wachira communications skills are wanting, not only in English language but also Kiswahili. How he could answer journalists’ questions left many wondering. It is on the said grounds that Isaiah Kiberia, a Meru who was his junior at Standard Group was named Kibaki’s State House communication boss.
Wachira rarely attends burials of his staff based on the above preferring to send his juniors. During the Uhuru Kenyatta era, Wachira was close to the power barons forcing his editorial team to blacklist William Ruto in news coverage in favour of Raila Odinga in 2022 presidential race.
A story has it that Wachira who was awarded an honorary medal by Uhuru had a list of journalists who were pro-Ruto monitored on their news coverage.
Other reports say that Wachira enjoyed drinks with Uhuru and his Kikuyu tycoons. He is said to be silent member of Uhuru era Kikuyu tycoons who funded Uhuru’s campaigns.
After Ruto’s win, Wachira has designed survival tactics. He has befriended Ruto aide Farouk Kibet and offers free TV coverage of his public functions across the country.
Reports say that having been among Uhuru’s men from Nyeri backing Raila, deputy president Rigathi Gachagua has no time for Wachira. Talk at Royal Media is that Wachira and Jeff are using JKF Live to mint money from guests who appear. They share the spoils from so-called highest bidders.
A section of Royal Media Services employees are now demanding fairness in the remuneration of all employees, saying there is unfairness in how salaries are awarded to different employees at the company.
One of the highest paid employees at the company is Jeff Koinange who is said to earn more than Sh800, 000 and was closely followed by Rubadiri before her departure to CNN.
The RMS employees say Wachira has taken advantage of the trust bestowed upon him by SK free hand in running the television station to favour a few employees with hefty salaries while a majority earn peanuts.
The employees are now demanding that Macharia looks at the issue of salary structure at the company by coming up with a clear policy on employees’ salaries in order to harmonise the current disparity among the highest paid and lowest paid employees.
The employees argue that best practices in employment requires all workers to be treated equally in spite of their position in the company. Many will be watching to see if Macharia will hear the pleas of the disgruntled employees and take action to address the issue of salaries disparity at RMS.
Sources have also revealed that Royal Media is grappling with how best to replace its best employees who left the company in the recent past to either join other media houses or join government employment.
For instance, replacing Chemutai Goin and Hassan Mugambi who joined the government as communications specialists in national assembly speaker Moses Wetang’ula’s office, and The Ministry of Defence has become a conundrum.
Further it is said, Wachira manipulates pollsters to have Royal Media be seen number one in Kenya when the staff are crying in silence.
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