Kenya Television Network - End of An Era

End of An Era

In October 1993 security officers boarded a commercial airliner, seized the passport of KTN Director Jared Kangwana, and prevented him from departing on a business trip. Kangwana said that the act was part of a government intimidation campaign to force him to relinquish control of KTN to the then ruling party, KANU. The government took no action to institute criminal proceedings against Kangwana but ultimately succeeded in forcing him to cede the company to KANU. The station is now part of The Standard Group, which also publishes The Standard newspaper.

In spite of the political constraints, KTN has pioneered trends in African journalism. Although no longer as political as in the early 1990s, especially because the original frontline reporters of KTN have moved on, or have mellowed, the next generation of reporters includes journalists such as Boni Odinga who does social commentaries, Robert Soi who covers sports, Wangeci Murage, a drama producer and director, reporters and news anchors Beatrice Marshall, and Managing Editor, Quality and Product Development and former SABC correspondent and two time CNN African Journalist of the Year Award winner Linus Kaikai. Several dozens of KTN's reporters have won international awards for journalism. Former Business news editor Patrick Maigua was the 1999 electronic business journalist of the year and went on to win the CNN Africa Journalist of the Year business category in 2003. KTN pioneer cameramen were, Pius Kilaiti, John Mutahi, Aggrey Mutali who helped to shape TV news coverage.