K24 TV under Mediamax Networks Limited has lived up to its threat of mass redundancies, however the mainstream media platform has reportedly fired all its newsroom staff.

Sources had on Friday, August 15 intimated to Viral Tea that the station sent packing everyone in its newsroom including top news anchors, reporters and other staff, a move that is likely to see more than 100 employees lose their jobs.

Reports indicate that this is as part of a strategic shift towards fully embracing digital operations. The move is targeting a wide range of departments across the company’s various media outlets.

The move had however created confusion after a popular blogger took to X posting claims that the TV station had shut down its entire operations, claims which later spread to Facebook. K24 moved swiftly to deny this.

A message to colleagues exclusively obtained by Viral Tea reads “Good morning Colleagues. I know we were all shocked by the news yesterday that K24TV newsroom ceased to exist. Even with the termination notice, none of us expected it would come to this. And now we are faced with the new and unexpected reality of losing jobs. I want to express my regret that this has happened and hope and pray that things will look up soonest. Some of us have been in this situation before and you know that situations change, it is not easy but it is only for a season. I pray that they will pay us soon and that God will open other doors for all of us.”

“I am informed that the company will talk to some of you for new roles, but this will not be in TV. Allow me to thank you for the time we have worked together. I have met some of the best journalists and colleagues in this newsroom and I am blessed to have worked with you. I am sorry it ends this way, I had envisioned more for us as a team. Thank you for the commitment, thank you for the hard work, thank you for the resilience and thank you for the team work. May God bless and keep you.”

This move meant that whilst both the transmission and online live streams remained operational, the traditional news read by the anchors and reporters reporting live and during the bulletins was scrapped, leaving viewers with only 30 minutes to 1 hour interviews done by the digital team as well as interviews with Gen Z, artists, young business men and young politicians. The only live stream per our spot checks on its social media handles was that of the Devolution Conference 2025.

This is not the first bloodbath witnessed at the TV station. Five years ago, K24 TV sent home all its newsroom staff but spared just two people in an unprecedented cost-cutting measure underlining the brutal environment within Kenyan media spaces since the COVID-19 pandemic and amidst harsh economic times.

The circumstances at the time were different however, as the staffers had opposed the 50% pay cut the company had imposed on them. The two employees who were spared work in the production department and had reportedly agreed to the pay cut terms.

Mediamax, like many other media houses in Kenya, has been facing mounting financial strain from multiple factors.

According to the CEO, the company has suffered from a sharp decline in business volumes and delays in payment of pending bills by both national and county governments. Its revenue streams have further been hit by government decisions to single-source advertising through one media outlet and the imposition of restrictive regulations on betting and gambling advertisements.

The layoffs reflect similar measures taken by other leading media organisations, including Nation Media Group and Standard Group, which have also reduced their workforce in response to a rapidly evolving media environment.