K24 journalists locked out of their homes over 12-month rent arrears
3 min read
Landlords lock MediaMax (People Daily and K24) journalists out of their homes as salary delays persist
Landlords lock MediaMax (People Daily and K24) journalists out of their homes as salary delays persist.
A number of journalists working for the People Daily and K24 media outlets that are owned by media company MediaMax have allegedly been locked out of their homes.
Speaking anonymously to local media, a journalist disclosed that his landlord confronted him during a family lunch, demanding their immediate eviction despite being informed about delays in receiving their salary.
“I’ve been forcibly removed from the premises, and my landlord has secured the door with two padlocks. Despite my attempts to explain our predicament – that we haven’t received our salary for the past 12 months – he remains adamant, dismissing my assurances as mere promises,” the journalist lamented.
Seeking assistance, the journalist reached out to a friend employed at another media house in Kenya, who generously offered to provide temporary accommodation while he strategized on how to settle his rent arrears and retrieve his belongings locked inside the house.
“I am currently staying at a friend’s house as I try to devise a plan to secure funds and return to my residence,” he expressed.
This situation unfolded just hours after correspondents attached to the Mediamax media stable issued a 24-hour ultimatum to its management to settle their pay arrears, threatening to embark on a strike.
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Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) Secretary General Erick Oduor revealed that some of the journalists’ arrears dated back more than a year.
“We stand in solidarity with correspondents of The People Daily, a respected daily newspaper owned by the former first family, who have withdrawn their labor over non-payment of their dues for over 12 months,” read the letter.
“The correspondents have been subjected to inhuman treatment and have lost their dignity due to the inability to meet their financial obligations, yet they sweat every day to deliver stories to the newspaper for publication.”
“We are aware that some correspondents have been kicked out by their landlords over accumulated rent arrears, forcing them and their loved ones to spend nights either in office premises or on the streets as they have nowhere to call home,” he added.
“In view of the above, we are giving Mediamax Ltd 24 hours to address the concerns and negotiate a return-to-work formula with the correspondents, failure to which we will escalate the matter, including mobilizing all correspondents to storm and shut the offices of Mediamax located along Kijabe Street.”
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