Radio Africa Group chairman Kiprono Kittony EBS./FILE
Firstly, I congratulate the board and management of the Star for celebrating 18 years! This is no mean achievement, given the daunting challenges facing mainstream media not just in Kenya but worldwide.
The last few years have seen some leading brands, including The New York Times, pivot to digital or close dozens of titles altogether due to rapidly declining advertising spend and circulation.
In my capacity as chairman of Radio Africa Group since its inception in 2000, I have been a witness to its several phases and iterations.
What began as a persuasive presentation by the indomitable duo of Patrick Quarcoo and William Pike, who founded Capital Radio Uganda and later Radio Africa, received our prompt consent.
Had we known then what we know now, or had an inkling of the rapidly changing times we live in, I wonder what the decision would have been. Notwithstanding all else, it has been an interesting journey filled with many ups and downs.
One of the unintended consequences of brand association in media businesses is the unfounded perception that we are involved in the editorial side of the business.
People generally – and especially the political class—assume there is a hidden hand in the headlines or stories, which could not be further from the truth. I have had several run-ins over the 18 years, many of which I was not prepared for.
In the early years, I was summoned by Lee Njiru to meet retired President Daniel Moi, and to my surprise, he berated me about an article in the Star.
When I tried to justify the story and complained about a shortage of subeditors to proofread and verify articles, I was amused when he offered to help recruit competent young people for us.
The late Hon Charles Njonjo often called me with his opening line being, “Kiprono, do you have a pen and paper?” – after which he would dictate a long treatise, often about matters related to the Anglican Church that he was unhappy about.
My attempts to tell him that I was not a journalist or a member of the editorial team fell on deaf ears. He replied that he was safeguarding himself from misreporting.
The various run-ins with retired President Uhuru Kenyatta are a story for another day, but the worst was when the Star featured an architectural layout of his new residence. I was out of the country and woke up to a lengthy tirade from him.
At the onset, the Star was intended to be a human interest newspaper with an edgy and colourful presentation meant to mirror the daily lives of Kenyans. All the research had pointed to a lacuna in servicing a younger, more vibrant niche. The paper quickly caught on and curved its niche.
However, after several months, reality dawned that without political focus, the numbers would not hold. We then changed policy with edgier political headlines and op-eds.
As the numbers improved, so did the phone calls and lawsuits. We found ourselves in a neck-and-neck competition with two much longer-established brands: the Daily Nation and the Standard.
At 18, the Star has come of age. It has demonstrated great resilience while holding onto its original intention of making a difference by informing and entertaining its readers. Its website continues to be one of the most visited in the region, and through the MyGov contract, it has expanded its reach even further.
While the future for mainstream media remains uncertain, I call upon our readers and advertisers to continue supporting the Star, and to help protect its place as an agent for democratic and social change.
I again congratulate – and deeply thank – all those who have been part of this remarkable journey.
