The Nation Media Group began with the campaign for Kenyan independence, and struggled to survive through decades of dictatorship. Beginning in the 1990s the Group sought to grow by launching new editorial products. Challenges of editorial standards, recruitment and objectives, and finding and serving audiences, repeatedly emerged. Strategies were continually adjusted to fit unforeseeable circumstances.
This case is one of the first ever written about media management and development in a developing nation. It highlights key success factors, as well as best and worst practices. The case thus enables discussion of how to launch news media in extremely challenging environments, where conditions vary significantly from those facing entrepreneurs in mature markets.
