STATEMENT ON EDITORIAL LEADERSHIP CHANGES AT NATION MEDIA GROUP AND THE URGENT NEED FOR GENDER INCLUSIVITY IN NEWSROOM LEADERSHIP

The Association of Media Women in Kenya (AMWIK) takes note of the announcement by Nation Media Group (NMG) regarding major changes to its editorial leadership structure. As an institutional anchor and a foundational platform for generations of journalists across the region, NMG has long played a vital role in shaping the media landscape in East Africa.

AMWIK recognizes NMG’s historic role in nurturing the careers of numerous women journalists, including many of our distinguished members. Trailblazers such as Pamella Sittoni, Wayua Muli, Catherine Gicheru, Dorothy Kweyu, and Lucy Oriang, among others, have broken barriers and ascended to senior leadership within NMG, paving the way for women in African journalism. We also commend NMG for establishing a dedicated Gender Desk, which continues to drive intentional coverage of issues affecting women and marginalized groups.

While we appreciate NMG’s strategic efforts to realign its editorial department for an evolving digital environment, AMWIK expresses deep concern over the underrepresentation of women in senior editorial leadership roles following these updates. As one of the largest and most influential media houses in Kenya and East Africa, NMG’s leadership composition sets the benchmark for the broader industry.

The decisions made within its newsrooms reverberate across the country, directly shaping public agenda, social discourse, and policy priorities. However, the decision-making table continues to reflect a stark gender disparity that does not match the talent pool available within the profession.

This gap in leadership reflects a systemic challenge that AMWIK’s State of Women in Media in Kenya (2026) report explicitly highlights. Who sits in senior editorial roles, such as Managing Editors, Executive Editors, and Heads of Content, determines which stories get the green light, how critical issues affecting women and families are framed, and whose voices are elevated in national conversations.

This underrepresentation at the decision-making level directly impacts editorial output and public perspective. Data from the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) also shows that women make up only 22% to 23% of news sources and subjects in African news media, leaving half the population largely underrepresented in public debate, while being quoted as subject-matter experts just 21% of the time.

Across the national media landscape, women enter the profession in strong numbers, yet a troubling retention crisis sees a significant exodus of women from newsrooms around age 35. Consequently, representation drops dramatically with age, leaving only 7.4% of women in the profession beyond age 45. Nationally, women occupy only 3.7% of Managing Editor roles and a mere 2.8% of media ownership positions, despite comprising over 40% of the overall media workforce. Increasing women’s representation in leadership is therefore essential to ensuring news coverage is inclusive, balanced, and reflective of society.

Furthermore, this gap in senior representation is not due to a shortage of qualified women capable of leading newsrooms in Kenya and across the globe. Through sustained initiatives, capacity-building programs, and executive mentorship, AMWIK and its partners have continuously invested in preparing women media professionals for high-level editorial and strategic governance roles.

While AMWIK fully respects NMG’s internal management autonomy as a private enterprise, its stature endows it with undeniable public interest responsibility. We urge NMG and peer media organizations across East Africa to lead from the front by building intentional leadership succession pipelines that fast-track qualified women into top decision-making positions. Addressing mid-career retention is equally critical to stopping the loss of experienced female talent.

AMWIK remains a ready and committed partner to Nation Media Group and the wider media ecosystem to explore collaborative strategies and develop actionable frameworks that elevate and sustain women in key editorial positions.

About the Association of Media Women in Kenya

The Association of Media Women in Kenya (AMWIK) is a National Media Association established in 1982 and registered under the Societies Act as a non-profit membership organization for women journalists from the print, electronic media and other areas of communication. AMWIK’s vision is a just society in which the media embraces and promotes equitable development and human rights. AMWIK’s mission is to use the media to promote an informed and gender-responsive society through professional and transformative media.