Nairobi News

The Kenya Kwanza government on March 9, 2023, revoked the appointments of KTN journalist Najma Ismail and Jubilee affiliated blogger, Pauline N. Njoroge from the Board of Directors of the Tourism Regulatory Authority.

In the Gazette Notice revoking the appointments, also included among those shown the door were Kevin Muasya, Alais Lenana Momoi and Isaac Muchiri Njangu. The revocations of appointment were made by Peninah Malonza, the Cabinet Secretary for Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage.

Najma Ismail’s appointment revocation came hours after she announced that she was resigning from the Mombasa Road based media house, Standard Group, where she was a prime time news anchor on their KTN channels.

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“Mic 🎤 Check 123. Happy #InternationalWomenDay It has been an incredible honor and pleasure working at Kenya’s leading multi-media house @StandardKenya from a reporter 9 years ago to achieving several firsts. The first Hijabi English News-anchor then coming up with the FIRST ever Islamic publication by mainstream media Ramadhan Special and finally to becoming the FIRST Head of the newly formed Gender desk, I have grown tremendously and  I am forever grateful. However the time has come for me to say Kwaheri. To new endeavors and opportunities in sha Allah,” said Najma in her statement dated March 8, 2023.

Pauline Njoroge, on the other hand, shared the gazette notice on her social media pages, confirming that she had indeed been shown the door. Her firing came after her initial appointment was clouded by uproar following an old Facebook post she had made regarding the Nairobi National Park where she advocated for it to be developed and put to better and profitable use.

“The only selling point of that park is that it’s ‘The only National park in a capital city in the world’ beyond that glamorous title, what else does it offer? The orphanage and the nature walk make economic sense but the park? It does not make sense that in a congested city like Nairobi we can afford to have acres and acres of land in the name of a park when this is literally bursting at the seams with people… We even have to hold discussions on re-routing the SGR so as to save a park that is economically redundant,” she said at the time.

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Then Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala revoked her appointment and replaced her with Najma Ismail. However, Pauline challenged her firing in court and won; and she was reinstated to the Tourism Regulatory Authority’s Board.

Lately, Pauline has also been a vocal critic of the Kenya Kwanza government while defending the previous administration from President Ruto’s and his allies’ attacks and accusations of corruption.

Her latest target has been Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua who has been targeting former president Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga by accusing them of being behind the high cost of living and the misappropriation of Sh 15 billion from the National Treasury in the days surrounding the 2022 General Election.

Pauline has been challenging Gachagua’s utterances by providing alleged evidence to prove that the DP has been distracting Kenyans from his government’s failure to keep their campaign promises.

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