Kaikai to chair Editors Guild

Nation Broadcasting Division acting head Linus Kaikai is the new chairman of the Kenya Editors Guild after a closely-contested election at the Serena Hotel, Nairobi, on Saturday.

Mr Kaikai beat Standard Group’s David Ohito at the election that was billed as the best attended AGM since the creation of the Guild in the late 1990s.

The Guild is a lobby group for editors with membership from across different media houses.

Mr Kaikai will be deputised by KBC’s Samuel Maina, who won the vice-chairman’s seat unopposed. Mr Michael Mumo of Capital FM is the new secretary, and he will be assisted by Media Consultant Hassan Kulundu.

Founder chairman Macharia Gaitho of the NMG had decided not to defend the post.

Mr Gaitho will, however, continue to serve in KEG as a trustee alongside NMG’s Group Managing Editor Eric Obino and KTN’s Managing Editor Joe Ageyo.

Mr Ohito is the new Secretary for Programmes, a new elective position alongside NMG Business Editor Wachira Kang’aru (Legal Affairs); NMG’s Photographic Editor Joan Pereruan (Training and Innovations); NMG’s Managing Editor Digital Media Churchill Otieno; NMG’s Foreign Editor Henry Owuor (International Links and Resources); and Standard Newspapers Revise Editor Linda Bach (Membership).

Former Nation Editorial Director Wangethi Mwangi, who is the Guild Patron, was not at the meeting as his position is not elective, but he would continue to serve in the same capacity.

PAID TRIBUTE

Mr Kaikai paid glowing tribute to his predecessor, Mr Gaitho, and promised to propel the Guild to a higher level. In his acceptance speech, he also thanked the Africa Woman and Child Feature Service for the support it had rendered through its former executive director, Ms Rosemary Okello Orlale and her successor, Mr Arthur Okwemba for their secretarial and treasury support to the Guild.

Ms Orlale was especially acknowledged for her continued support to the Guild even after her moving to the Ford Foundation, while Mr Okwemba was elected treasurer—a post he said, he was qualified to hold, having served in the position after former treasurer Catherine Gicheru of the Star newspaper went for further studies. He will be assisted by Ms Jane Godia, also of AWC, who won the assistant treasurer’s post.

Mr Wallace Kantai (NMG); Farida Karoney (Royal Media Group); and Tim Wanyonyi (NMG) were picked for the Executive Committee.

Mr Kaikai reminded the members that the Guild was not a political outfit, and that the public would be looked forward to the media maintaining its image as the most trusted institution in the country as per the opinion polls.