Tom Mshindi: Ruto Appoints Former NMG Top Editor As KBC Chairperson

President William Ruto has appointed former Nation Media Group (NMG)’s Editor-in-Chief and Executive Director Tom Mshindi as the chairperson of the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) board.

Mshindi will serve for a period of three years, effective immediately, according to a Gazette Notice published on Friday, January 19.

"In exercise of the powers conferred by section 7 (3) of the State Corporations Act and section 4 (1) (a) of the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint- Tom Mshindi Nyamancha to be the Chairperson of the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation Board, for three (3) years, with effect from January 19, 2024," Ruto directed.

A photo of the chairperson of Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) Tom Mshindi. /FILE

The President further revoked the appointment of Benjamin Maingi.

Mshindi had worked as a Lead Consultant in Media and Journalism at Peterson Communications Limited. In 2019, he opened a consulting firm, Tom Mshindi Consulting, to provide his expertise and skills in the media to provide solutions to corporate companies. 

A veteran journalist and manager, Tom has served in media across Eastern Africa and beyond, rising from newsroom positions to the top leadership in media.

He was formerly Group Editor-in-Chief and Executive Director of the Nation Media Group. Previously, he was the Chief Operating Officer at the same media house and the Managing Director of Monitor Publications Ltd in Uganda.

It is worth it to note that Mshindi started as a journalist, and later as the Managing Editor of the Daily Nation. He retired from the NMG after 24 years in 2018 and before that, he provided strategic leadership in the newspaper division.

“The board notes with appreciation that he has been a key player as the company embarked on its transformation journey to transition from a purely legacy platform media house into an online first digital content company of the 21st century,” NMG said at the time.

Through this, the company managed to attain a profit before tax of Ksh2.1 billion in 2010, a record for the company at the time.

Mshindi was also the Group CEO of Standard Group (2003-2006) and also served twice as the Vice Chair of the Media Owners Association in Kenya.

In his long career in media and communication, Tom worked at UNICEF holding the position of communications manager and editor, serving in New York and West Africa.

Tom holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Post Graduate Diploma in Mass Communication from the University of Nairobi, and two AMP certificates from Strathmore Business School and IESE in New York, among other professional qualifications.

N.B: IESE stands for 'Instituto de Estudios Superiores de la Empresa', which means Institute of Higher Business Studies in Spanish.

He also served as a Chairman and Board Member in a couple of private and public sector organisations.

Following his tenure at NMG, Mshindi was appointed as a Director of Partnerships and Resource mobilisation in Trans Nzoia County by Governor George Natembeya.