The Star newspaper godown located along Mombasa Road has been raided and property seized.
Auctioneers working on behalf of Kay Construction Company Limited, have stated that the news publishers owe them rent arrears.
Further, the landlord has indicated that the company has defaulted on rent of up to Ksh4 million.
Moreover, the raid was conducted after authorization by the court, as per a court order issued on October 3, 2024.
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Details of the Court Order
The court ordered that “the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) Mombasa Road Police Station to offer/provide enough security to the applicant to seize the tenant goods in levying or distress for rent on Godown No. C06 within Nairobi.
“The goods be attached, seized and sole in situ. The applicant and the landlord are hereby allowed to lock the premises to secure the seized items until when the distress process shall be complete.”
However, the publisher has not been evicted and the court has not authorized any demolitions to take place.
The Star Publication Limited is owned and run by the Radio Africa Group, which also operates Kiss 100 FM, Classic 105 FM, East FM, Radio Jambo, Smooth FM and Kiss TV.
Also Read: Mass Layoffs Loom as Radio Africa Group Announces Restructuring
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The Star Newspaper Gets Govt Tender
In January 2024, the government through the Ministry of ICT awarded an exclusive contract to Convergence Media, which publishes The Star newspaper, to distribute the MyGov pullout.
MyGov is the official government medium for all public sector print advertisements
Therefore, the newspaper was tasked with distributing the pullout, contrary to the industry norm that allowed all four national newspapers the chance to share in the revenue.
In response, the Star announced that its readers would be receiving free copies of the paper every Tuesday, accompanied by a My Gov pullout.
“Because of the tough economic times, the Star wants to reward and empower you,” noted the company.
Additionally, Radio Africa Group Head of Content Paul Ilado said that the copies will be available across all 47 counties in the country, with copies at Huduma centres, matatus, and all public places and Post offices near them.
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