The Nation Media Group (NMG) has suffered yet another blow following the exit of seasoned journalist and NTV editor Roselyne Obala.
The Kenya Times has established that Obala has left the Kimathi street-based media house to take up a new senior role at the Ministry of Interior and National Administration.
Obala is already aligning herself with her new position at the powerful ministry led by Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen.
A check on her X account (formerly Twitter) also confirmed that Roselyne has been resharing the Interior Ministry and CS Murkomen’s activities including meetings and engagements.
On January 27, she posted a cryptic message reading, “There comes a time….” accompanying it with her photo inside a newsroom.
Roselyne Obala has over the years of her practice grown to be a household name and is an experienced political reporter.
She boasts of over 15 years of experience as an active journalist having served literally on all fronts of news-making and reporting both as a print and multimedia journalist.
Also Read: Ex-Citizen TV News Anchor Lands New Job in Kindiki’s Office
Roselyne, a robust political affairs scribe, has been holding the role of planning and research editor at NMG.
According to multiple sources that spoke to The Kenya Times, Obala has been the engine of NTV’s political coverage, owing to her unmatched contacts and grasp of the terrain.
Profile of Roselyne Obala
The journalist joined NMG in 2022 following a stint of more than a decade at the Standard Media Group.
At the Standard Group, Obala served as the city editor and political editor at the same media outlet.
Before the promotion to editor, Roselyne was a senior reporter with SG, assigned to the Kenya parliament as a senior parliamentary reporter.
She also doubled up as State House correspondent as a member of the Kenya State House Corps.
In 2013, Roselyne briefly served at the communications department for the County Government of Kisumu.
Obala holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication from Maseno University and master’s degree in development communication from the University of Nairobi (UoN).
The seasoned journalist is the Chairperson Association of Devolution Journalists (ADJ), the Resource Mobilization and the Vice Chairperson of the Political Journalists Association of Kenya (PJAK).
Also Read: Ken Mijungu Lands New Job Days After Leaving KTN
Roselyne is also the former chairperson of the Kenya Parliamentary Journalists’ Association (KPJA).
She is an eminent member LREB COVID 19 Advisory committee, a BOG member Chianda High School, Media Council of Kenya (MCK) Board member and holds a Head of State’s Commendation (HSC) award.
Journalists ditch media houses
Obala adds to the long list of renowned journalists who quit their roles in the newsroom for government-related jobs.
Veteran investigative and political reporter Hassan Mugambi and renowned political reporter Chemutai Goin in 2024 quit their Citizen TV jobs to embark on senior roles at the Senate and former Defence CS Aden Duale‘s office respectively.
In 2023, veteran reporter and former Editor Francis Gachuri quit his Citizen TV job to join the Ministry of Interior as the Director of Communication.
Obala’s exit from NMG also comes after former Managing Director (Audiences and Engagement) Oliver Mathenge announced his exit from the media house.
Mathenge made the announcement in a statement on Thursday, December 26, while reflecting his 9-year journey at NMG, which he achieved in two stints.
Barely weeks after announcing his departure the former NMG Director secured a new role as a Consultant with Oxygène Marketing Communications Limited.
Seasoned journalist Smriti Vidyarthi also announced her exit from NMG on February 10, even though she did not reveal her next move.
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