Royal Media Services (RMS) is leaving nothing to chance if its latest poaching spree is anything to go by. Barely weeks after on-boarding a gang of journalists, another fine investigative reporter Franklin Wallah is the latest to join deep-pocketed Citizen TV.
The Kenya Times (TKT) understands that negotiations have been ongoing for some time despite Wallah joining TV47 in May 2024.
According to sources at Maalim Road in Nairobi’s Kilimani, Wallah was to join RMS with the recent cohort of new signings, but some paperwork was still pending.
Those privy to the developments intimated to TKT that Wallah’s arrival may have been delayed by the setting up of the investigative desk and rigorous scouting led by the Group’s Editorial Director Linus Kaikai.
It was also a hard decision for Cape Media management to release Wallah, having joined the team months ago and the leadership of the company had high hopes in him.
The much-sought-after hawk-eyed journalist is said to have tendered his resignation on Friday, June 21, after lengthy deliberations that may have hit a dead end.
TKT is also aware that RMS is offering Wallah an enhanced package that the competition may not have been able to match, even if they wanted to counter and retain him.
Our efforts to reach Wallah to establish when he will be starting his new role were futile.
Journalists Who Have Left Citizen TV
Citizen TV has embarked on serious reorganization plans after several seasoned and award-winning journalists left the station.
Among the journalists who have left the media giant in the past year are Waihiga Mwaura and Victoria Rubadiri.
Waihiga joined the London-headquartered British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) while Rubadiri is at Cable News Network (CNN) after spending six years at the station.
Additionally, Hassan Mugambi also left RMS to take up a role at the Ministry of Defence while Chemutai Goin left to take up a new position in National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula’s office.
Others who quit RMS include Willis Raburu, who joined TV47, and Francis Gachuri, who joined the Ministry of Interior.
Also Read: Citizen TV Raids Standard Group, Poaches 4 Journalists [EXCLUSIVE]
RMS Latest Recruits
The S.K. Macharia-owned RMS has plucking renowned journalists to replenish its talent pool and bolster Citizen TV’s footprints in the media industry as a leading player.
RMS snatched Olive Burrows from the Nation Media Group (NMG) as Rubadiri’s replacement and further raided Standard Group, poaching KTN political reporter Emmanuel Too and investigative reporter Francis Odee.
The station also hired former KTN News reporter Willy Lusige and two KTN videographers, Hebron Kinyoda and Gabriel Kemei.
Franklin Wallah at TV47 & K24
Wallah joins Citizen after serving as an investigative reporter at Cape Media for about two months.
Here, he was the lead producer of “Crimes Untold” and was responsible for coordinating and producing special projects, crime, and investigative content for TV47, Radio 47, and TV47 Digital.
Prior to joining TV47, Wallah served as a senior investigative journalist at Mediamax Network Ltd between 2021 and 2024.
During this period, Wallah produced crime and investigative stories for K24 TV, Milele FM, and Mediamax Digital.
However, he announced his exit from Mediamax Network Limited on April 15 without giving details about his future.
Also Read: EXCLUSIVE – Lolani Kalu Announces Return of ‘Malimwengu’ Show
Wallah at KTN, KBC & PBU
From 2019 to 2020, the renowned investigative journalist worked at the Standard Group (SG) producing crime stories for KTN News, Radio Maisha, Standard Digital, and the Standard Newspaper.
He has also served as a crime and current affairs reporter for three months at the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation – KBC TV in 2016.
Prior to this, he was a studio technical operator at Parliament Broadcasting Unit (PBU).
Wallah was the executive managing director of Bin Wallah Enterprises between 2015 and 2018 and Brand Ambassador of the Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) from 2014 to 2015.
Before establishing a brand in the media industry, Wallah was a freelance journalist.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Daystar University, specializing in Electronic Media and Communication.
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