Standard Group To Fire Over 300 Employees
The media house explained that in reaching this decision, it took into consideration, the difficult operating environment and its long-drawn effect on revenue generation.

Standard Group Limited has announced that it intends to declare over 300 employees across various departments redundant.
In a statement on Tuesday, July 30, the Mombasa Road-based media house revealed that as part of its compliance procedure, The Standard Group PLC has issued a notice of Intention to declare redundancy to the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection as stipulated in section 40 (1) of the Employment Act, 2007.
The media house explained that in reaching this decision, it took into consideration, the difficult operating environment and its long-drawn effect on revenue generation.
"This situation has been witnessed on the back of shifting trends in media consumption, occasioned by technological changes in the digital media landscape and emerging consumer preferences which have necessitated a rethink of our business model," the statement read in part.
Inside Standard Group newsroom. /STANDARD DIGITAL
"We remain confident that the reorganization of the business through restructuring will place us in good stead by adopting a leaner, more efficient structure for better performance and growth."
Standard Group added that coupled with the new leadership that is coming on board, it considers the reorganization of its business as a necessary step intended to ensure business stability and continuity in the coming months as the Group strives to sustain and enhance the quality of journalism it offers.
"Additionally, we shall rationalize our products to ensure that they remain aligned with the media landscape," added the statement.
Standard Group however noted that all the affected employees will be compensated as follows:
- Payment for days worked until the date of exit.
- Severance of pay of 15 days (or as indicated in the CBA for employees who are members of a union) for every completed year of service.
- Notice of pay as per the contract of employment;
- Payment of leave days accrued and not taken at the time of exit, and
- Pension dues or gratuity in accordance with the Scheme Rules Contract of employment respectively.
"The redundancy notice takes effect upon expiry of the one-month notice issued today (31" July 2024) and is expected to affect more than 300 employees across various departments. All the affected employees will be duly informed in writing," the media house informed.
The notice comes after the Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) on July 17 urged all employees to keep off work and peacefully protest outside their nearest workstations.
KUJ Secretary General, Erick Oduor announced that the 14-day strike notice over accumulated salary arrears and non-remittance of Sacco funds deducted from staff salaries over the past two years had expired on the aforementioned date.
Standard Group was previously compelled by KUJ to come up with an acceptable payment plan to clear the arrears, failure to which the staff would not only withdraw their services but also begin auctioning prime assets of the company to recover the funds.
This came as all employees at the Mombasa Road-based media house, in photos that went viral on social media, reportedly walked out of the office as a show of solidarity after they downed their tools on Wednesday afternoon, demanding that their salary arrears be settled in its entirety by the media house.
Standard Group has had a history of initiating frequent mass firings, which have exposed the media house to rampant poaching of stellar talent by rival mainstream media houses in the country.
The redundancies have created a sense of uncertainty within its workforce for months on end and media experts fear that more mass firings could scare off potential talent wanting to utilise the media house, known for brands such as The Standard Newspaper, KTN Home, KTN News, Radio Maisha, Spice FM, Berur FM, and Vybez Radio to grow their careers.