Panic has gripped workers at the Naguru-based Next Media following reports that the company could slash the number of staff by the end of December. More than 20 people from various departments could be affected, four people with knowledge about the ongoing meetings by top management told Bbeg Media.
The decision to lay off some people is influenced by the poor economic situation, our sources said.
“This year has not been a very good one in terms of money, so management is weighing whether to cut off some people,” one of the sources said.
In fact, we have been told that some staff have already started applying for jobs in other organisations, trying to hedge their bets. Others are spending sleepless nights.
Kin Kariisa, the CEO of Next Media, told Bbeg Media that it was not true that the company was planning to lay off people.
However, he said, the non-performers may be let go.
“If one is on PIP (Performance Improvement Plan), they have cause to worry,” Kariisa said.
In fact, he said they plan to hire at least 30 people for the Next Media Creative Hub.
Next Media, being a private company, is not mandated to release its financial results; however, sources said 2025 has not brought the earnings the company had anticipated, given the fact that it is a campaign year.
In April, following the Kawempe North by-elections, where some of its journalists were roughed up by security personnel, Museveni barred Next Media and Nation Media from covering his activities.
This decision greatly affected Next Media’s financial position, given that Museveni and the NRM are the biggest spenders when it comes to political campaigns.
After months of pleading from Kariisa, NBS TV was allowed back into the NRM fold. NTV declined and has been blocked from Museveni’s trail. (Bbeg Media, too, was not accredited for Museveni’s campaigns).
Yet even then, the money from NRM has not been as bountiful as it was in 2020, when Museveni had to spend massively to ward off the challenge of NUP’s Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine. In NRM’s estimation, Kyagulanyi’s threat has waned.
We have been told that the company has tried several avenues to shore up revenue, including launching new products and cost-cutting.
This, however, has only been partially successful.
In a meeting early this year, Kariisa instructed all staff who are 35 years and younger to equip themselves with digital skills. Staff in this age category were expected to know how to use a camera, write scripts, and actively use social media platforms like X. They were also expected to familiarize themselves with Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools.
AI, we have been told, has come in handy for Next Media, especially as far as editing news scripts is concerned. The jobs of some producers could be in jeopardy.
Some say Kariisa was trying to prepare the staff for the future where they will be expected to carry out multiple tasks.
However, others, especially those above 35 years, read other signs: Our time could be up.
We are not sure what criteria the company will use, but one of the people told us that they may consider age and salary earned.
In November 2022, Next Media laid off more than 20 people, citing financial constraints.
