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Thursday, 26 January 2023 – As media stations continue to fire journalists, seasoned photojournalist, George Mulala, has narrated what he went through in the newsroom until he resigned and relocated to the United States of America.
Mulala compares newsrooms to warzones where only the strong survive.
Read his Facebook post below.
I see guys in Kenyan media today complaining that they were made redundant at a time when they dearly needed their jobs to keep body and soul together. Then I recall my tragedies.
For years, I slaved all over Africa for Reuters, sometimes working under the most inhumane conditions, in danger, photographing as a stringer with a tiny salary. I worked my way up the ladder to become Chief Photographer Eastern Africa 2002.
Just when I was starting to enjoy the sweat of my labour, my bureau chief, one Mclean invited me for a quick “cupatea” at the Grand Regency hotel where he quickly and swiftly fired me. Reason? Didn’t bother to explain.
I was even barred from returning to the office to collect my jacket. After working there for 8 years!
Broken, I returned to NMG where I started 19 years ago…. From Reuters Chief Photographer to NMG contributor earning 500sh for a photo published! I was the laughingstock of the industry.
Again after years of working through the ranks, I became Nation’s photo editor. Mr Mclean wasn’t finished with me yet. He learned of it. And swiftly arranged for a meeting with one Frank Whaley at the Thorn Tree. Shortly after that I was sacked. This time Whaley himself frog-marched me out of the Nation newsroom at 3 pm, at the climax of newspaper production.
Two months later he called me and asked me if I was “enjoying my holiday”. Meanwhile, my flat in Highrise was locked for rent arrears and I had just relocated my family to Ukambani.
In Ukambani my wife contracted hepatitis c from unclean drinking water. She later passed on in 2019.
2006 I joined Standard as a staff photographer. 2007 they “exiled” me to Nyeri fearing Mclean might have compromised my SGL bosses I bite the bullet. 5 years later I returned as its photo editor. Here I worked until I took voluntary early retirement in 2015.
If my experience is anything to go by, maybe you are better off not being in that newsroom. They are full of sadists. I would not encourage my kids to work there.
Newsrooms are war zones.
The Kenyan DAILY POST.
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