NRG Radio Struggles To Keep Top Presenters

According to a post by HomeBoyz Radio Mwalimu Rachel is set to join the station following her departure from NRG.

“Celebrated media personality Mwalimu Rachel joins Radio Africa Group! Welcome home,” they wrote.

Homeboyz Radio is owned by the Radio Africa Group.

NRG Financial struggles

Once a major hit in Nairobi streets and popular with urban youths, NRG Radio which is also famed for bringing to the country international artists including rapper Rick Ross, Omarion amongst others now remains envious of its past self having lost big figures like Kamene Goro, Andrew Kibe, Oga Obina, King Kalala and others including now Mwalimu Rachel. The steady departure has been attributed to struggling revenue streams in the company.

Both Kamene and Kibe were poached by Kiss 100 from NRG at the time, a source tells Kenya Insights this was a result of poor pay, “Shida ya NRG radio ni low pay. When we visited the Station Manager, he told us he was paying both Kamene and Kibe (less than Sh.150k) each. Was shocked because the two were at their peak then . Interestingly save for him, the two were the highest paid employees there.”

“It’s obvious that Radio Africa offered a deal that NRG couldn’t match,” he added. “The problem with most of these new radio stations is land of sustainable growth, when they first come in, they splash mega cash with hopes of recuperating only to later realize the industry works differently,” said the source who’s an industry insider.

DJ Xclusive and Mwalimu Rachel.

“The government has also tightened the noose on possible money laundering streams so we’re likely to see a good number of media outlets fall and the recent directive to only have KBC cash in on government’s ads revenue which is the core base of running any honest media house, will kill this industry.”

In the recent days, we’ve seen industry giants like Royal Media Services (RMS) struggling to keep their household names who’re steadily quoting for better deals elsewhere with Cape Media being the go to place due to better pay.

NRG Radio has in the past hit with financial difficulties that at a point threatened it’s very existence, from claims of unpaid dues to acts to suppliers, Mo Sound which is affiliate of the station owned by Mulei faced bankruptcy threats from a firm that had sued. Energy Services Limited had taken Mulei to court over nonpayment, court ordered him to pay or be declared bankrupt.

Before the station found new investors, the entire senior management at NRG that was riddled with debt and Mosound opted to leave and seek greener pastures. Some of the notable names that left the companies include Kester Shimonyo of NRG radio, Kamene Goro and Andrew Kibe of NRG radio, Duncan Msicha of NRG radio and Kavutha Mwanzia of MoSound Events.

The exit of the two key presenters who were co-hosting the same show together all at once simply exposes the underbelly of NRG Radio struggles.