Kenya’s Mediamax Plans to Lay Off Undisclosed Number of Staff in Latest Job Cuts

Mediamax Network Limited, the media company that owns popular outlets like K24 TV and People Daily, has announced plans to lay off an undisclosed number of staff. This is the sixth time in four years that Mediamax has cut jobs as it faces serious challenges in Kenya’s media industry. The company says these layoffs are necessary because of changing consumer habits, fast-growing digital disruption, and what it calls punitive government regulations that have hurt its business.

In an internal memo seen by several news outlets, Mediamax’s CEO Ken Ngaruiya explained that the company is struggling with a tough economic environment, declining sales, and the need to rethink how it operates in a fast-changing market. The memo mentioned a significant drop in advertising revenue and delays in government payments as key factors affecting the company’s financial health. The government’s decision to give advertising contracts to only one media firm, along with strict new rules on betting and gambling adverts, which were once a big source of income, have also made business difficult for Mediamax.

While the company did not say exactly how many people will lose their jobs, it confirmed that the process started on July 15, 2025, and will continue until August 15, 2025. Mediamax promises to follow Kenyan labor laws and will provide severance pay to affected employees. Those laid off will receive their salary for days worked, payment instead of the required notice period, money for any unused leave, and a severance package based on 15 days’ pay for each completed year of service, minus any debts they owe to the company.

Kenya’s Mediamax plans to lay off undisclosed number of staff

This move by Kenya’s Mediamax to lay off staff comes amid a broader crisis in the country’s media sector. Over the past two years, more than 500 journalists and other media workers have lost their jobs as several outlets struggle with shrinking advertising revenue and increasing competition from digital platforms. The shift towards digital media has forced many traditional newsrooms to downsize or change their business models quickly. Nation Media Group, another big media company in Kenya, laid off 16 workers in early 2024, while Standard Group fired over 300 employees in August 2024 after facing similar financial challenges.

Mediamax also said the restructuring would include efforts to realign job roles and improve operational efficiency. The company is exploring ways to redeploy some staff to other positions that match their skills. However, the full details of how many roles will be cut or changed have not been revealed. The company runs several well-known media brands like K24 TV, People Daily, Kameme TV, and Milele FM, so these job cuts could have a widespread impact across the Kenyan media landscape.

Industry experts note that the Kenyan media has been hit hard by delayed payments from both national and county governments, who are major advertisers. These payment delays mean media houses face cash flow problems, making it harder to pay employees and cover operational costs. At the same time, government control over advertising contracts limits competition and reduces the amount of money smaller media companies receive. Restrictions on betting and gambling ads, once a significant revenue source, have further reduced advertising income.

The CEO of Mediamax, Ken Ngaruiya, highlighted that the ongoing digital transformation is another key challenge. As more people turn to digital sources for news and entertainment, traditional media outlets have lost audiences and advertising dollars. This shift forces companies like Mediamax to rethink their business models to stay relevant and financially stable in a digital-first world.

The layoffs at Mediamax are part of a worrying trend in Kenya’s formal job market, where many companies in various sectors have announced redundancies in recent years due to tough economic conditions. According to the Federation of Kenya Employers, since 2022, dozens of companies have cut thousands of jobs, reflecting a nationwide employment crisis.

Kenya’s Mediamax plans to lay off an undisclosed number of staff due to a combination of falling sales, digital disruption, government regulations, and delayed government payments. The company is implementing a restructuring process aimed at improving efficiency but at the cost of many employees losing their jobs. These layoffs reflect larger problems facing Kenya’s media industry as it struggles to adapt to a changing economic and technological environment.

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