WENDO FM presenters have gone on rampage over what they term as ‘threats, intimidation and abuse of intellectuality’ which they say they can’t bear any longer.
After downing their tools on Tuesday, the Kimeru FM radio station staffs mentioned ‘delayed salaries, mistreatment and intimidation’ by the station manager as the main issues that led them to boycott work.
The radio station is owned by Tigania East MP, Hon Kabeabea, whom they say has no problem but has employed a ‘grossly incompetent and unprofessional woman’ to head the station.
“SINCE HON KABEABEA TOOK OVER THE LEADERSHIP OF WENDO RADIO, EMPLOYEES HAVE NEVER GOTTEN THEIR SALARIES ON TIME. FOR INSTANCE, FEBRUARY SALARY WAS DELAYED UP TO LATE MARCH WHILE THE MARCH SALARY HAS NOT BEEN PAID TO THIS DATE,” ONE OF THE EMPLOYEES WHO ASKED FOR ANONYMITY SAID.
The striking workers are now blaming their predicament on the station’s ‘quack’ manager, Gladys Micheni, whom they accuse of high-headedness and issuing threats every time they raise their plight with her.
“Kabeabea brought in a quack to head the radio station. Someone who studied Agriculture and Marketing was appointed to head a radio station. Is this not a fat joke equivalent to appointing a farmer to head a hospital? The woman has no idea about media yet she is expected to lead professionals like us,” another staff says.
Micheni who is also accused of drunkenness while at work, is said to have changed the station’s main focus of being a community broadcaster, to that of a village market where anything monetary and which can satisfy her insatiable thirst for the bottle, is prioritized.
The disgruntled employees adds that the station has lost its sense of programming because the agrimarketer-turn-radio-manager hears no one.
“THE OTHER DAY SHE THREATENED US THAT SHE WOULD TERMINATE OUR CONTRACTS AND POACH FROM MUUGA FM AND MERU FM AND PAY EACH OF THE POACHED STAFFS SH150,000, SOMETHING THAT WE KNOW IS PRACTICALLY IMPOSSIBLE. BUT IF THAT IS THE PLAN, WE’VE NO PROBLEM WITH IT,” YET ANOTHER PRESENTER SAYS.
However, they categorically state that the station has to settle all their dues and ‘leave us alone’.
At the same time, they have appealed to the Media Council of Kenya to intervene and protect all media practitioners across Kenya against ‘exploitation and harassment’ from respective employers while weeding out all ‘quacks’ currently holding managerial positions in media houses.