George Mulala, a former journalist at Nation Media Group (NMG), described his abrupt dismissal from the company.
On Wednesday, January 25, Kenyans.co.ke reported that Mulala had written a post in which he discussed the low points of his career in the media.
Mulala spent eight years for Reuters, rising to the position of “Chief Photographer, Eastern Africa 2002.” During a lighthearted break for tea with his employer, he was shocked by news that he was being fired.
As a stringer, I was paid very little for putting myself in dangerous situations to take photographs. My bureau boss invited me to the Grand Regency for a “cup of tea” just as I was beginning to take pride in my hard work, and then promptly sacked me. Reason? He remarked, “I didn’t bother to explain.”
The famed reporter reportedly was not given the opportunity to retrieve his items from the building.
Mulala persisted, and he eventually found work as a contributor at NMG, where he was paid Ksh500 (about US$60) for each photo he had published.
A joke over the office water cooler: “Everyone in the business laughed at me. I worked my way up to photo editor at the Nation after many years,” he said.
His previous employer found out about his new position and sent him home.
To speak with one of the higher-ups, he set up a meeting. I was fired soon after that. At 3 o’clock in the afternoon, right when newspaper production was at its peak, he frog-matched me out of there,” he said.
About two months later, he called to see how I was doing on my vacation. While that was going on, he said, “my Highrise apartment was locked due to rent arrears, and I had recently moved my family to Ukambani.”
His wife got hepatitis C from drinking the water in the village.
He said, “She ultimately passed away in 2019.”
Photo Journalist George Mulala while working as a staff photographer at Standard Media GroupFACEBOOKGEORGE MULALA
Later, in 2006, GEORGE MULALA Mulala became a staff photographer with Standard Media Group, where he remained until his early retirement in 2015.
I was “exiled” to Nyeri in 2007 for fear of betraying my superiors, and I’ve been here ever since. He explained, “Five years later, I returned as its picture editor.”
His travails coincided with a period of economic uncertainty for Kenya’s media outlets; many, including the Standard Group, have recently announced layoffs.
When I look at the Kenyan media today, I see men griping about being laid off just when they really needed the money. Then I think about my own personal misfortunes,” he said.
Mulala has moved to Seattle, Washington.
Some Kenyan journalists share his experience of trauma. Terryanne Chebet, a former news anchor for Citizen TV, said that she was fired just before she was to interview a Cabinet Secretary.
