Tag: Linus Kaikai

  • Linus Kaikai Among 920 New Kenyan Advocates Admitted To The Bar

    Linus Kaikai Among 920 New Kenyan Advocates Admitted To The Bar

    Kenya’s legal profession has marked a defining moment after 920 new advocates were admitted to the bar, setting a record for the largest number ever enrolled in a single session.

    The admission ceremony carried a reflective and historic tone, with LSK President Faith Odhiambo telling the new advocates that they are joining the profession at a moment when the country is renegotiating its democratic values.

    She told the cohort that theirs is a generation unwilling to be passive, a group that has repeatedly demanded accountability both online and in the streets, pushing institutions to evolve.

    Odhiambo urged the advocates to rise above criticism and instead take up the harder task of building solutions, reminding them that the pursuit of justice is not a slogan but a long-term, often uncomfortable responsibility.

    Royal Media Services Editorial Director Linus Kaikai among 916 petitioners being admitted to the bar today
    Royal Media Services Editorial Director Linus Kaikai among 916 petitioners being admitted to the bar today

    Among the newly admitted lawyers was celebrated journalist and Royal Media Services Director of Strategy Linus Kaikai, whose transition into the legal field drew notable attention during the ceremony.

    His admission was described as a reminder that the profession continues to attract individuals deeply engaged in national conversations around governance, rights and public accountability.

    Odhiambo encouraged Kaikai and the rest of the inductees to carry their convictions into the legal arena, saying the profession needs practitioners who understand the country’s lived realities.

    The admission of the 920 advocates comes at a time when Kenyans are increasingly aware of their rights and demanding greater transparency from institutions, creating a surge in the need for legal expertise.

    For the new advocates, the day symbolised a personal triumph and a call to participate in shaping the country’s justice system, not from the sidelines, but from within the profession itself.

  • Linus Kaikai To Be Admitted to The Bar As An Advocate Of The High Court

    Linus Kaikai To Be Admitted to The Bar As An Advocate Of The High Court

    Royal Media Services (RMS) Group Editorial Director Linus Kaikai is among 916 petitioners set to be admitted to the Bar as Advocates of the High Court of Kenya.

    This is according to a gazette notice issued on Sunday, October 26.

    His name appears as entry number 394 in the gazette notice.

    “Pursuant to section 15(2) of the Advocates Act, the public is notified that the following nine hundred and sixteen (916) persons have petitioned for admission as Advocates of the High Court of Kenya. Any member of the public or institution who wishes to object to the admission of any of the persons named herein is required to do so in writing to the Chief Registrar of the Judiciary within thirty (30) days of this notice,” the gazette notice reads in part. 

    Their names are then published in the Kenya Gazette for public scrutiny before taking the Oath of Admission and signing the Roll of Advocates, granting them the right to practice law. 

    Under Section 15(3) of the Advocates Act, the Chief Justice must hear all petitions for admission within 90 days of gazettement. 

    Upon successful vetting, Kaikai and the other petitioners will take the oath before the Chief Justice and sign the Roll of Advocates, formally joining the legal fraternity.

    Linus Kaikai is an award-winning journalist currently serving as the Group Editorial Director and Head of Strategy of the Royal Media Services that operates among other broadcast platforms, Citizen TV, Ramogi TV, Inooro TV and Radio Citizen.

    He previously worked as the General Manager of the Broadcasting Division of the Nation Media Group, and is also a former President of the Kenya Editors Guild KEG.

    In February 2013, Linus moderated Kenya’s first-ever Presidential Debate that brought together 8 presidential candidates.

    He was widely commended for navigating the debate through some of the most delicate issues in Kenya’s highly polarised politics.

    Linus moderated the Presidential Debate in 2017, before taking up the role of Executive Producer of the 2022 Presidential Debate series in Kenya.

    He has additionally moderated several other high-profile debates and conferences, including a high-level panel comprising Heads of State and Government in eastern Africa. Linus Kaikai is a holder of an MA in International Journalism from the University of Westminster, UK, a Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of Nairobi and a Diploma in Radio and Television Production from the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication, KIMC.

    He has worked for local (Kenyan) as well as international media organisations, including work experience stints with the BBC and CNN.

  • Kenya Kwanza turning guns on Azimio friendly journalists

    Kenya Kwanza turning guns on Azimio friendly journalists

    Royal Media Services (RMS) has been in panic mode since President William Ruto was sworn in with broadcast’s owners finding themselves holding the short end of the stick.

    RMS owner, Dr. S.K. Macharia has taken a low profile as he pays the cost of backing Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Alliance presidential candidate Raila Odinga in the last elections.

    President Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza administration is tightening its noose on RMS management and exerting pressure to have its top journalists who were perceived as pro-Raila and anti-Ruto during the campaigns kicked out.

    The government’s prime targets are editorial director Linus Kaikai, news anchor and talk-show host Yvonne Okwara and reporter Stephen Letoo who were anti-Ruto in the run-up to the last general elections.

    Ruto administration is determined to have the three fired from Citizen TV as one of the toughest conditions it has set to Royal Media Services to bag advertising and other deals from the government.

    RMS is already feeling the heat with reliable sources reporting that advertisements from the State and related agencies are on a serious decline.

    Dr. Macharia was recently forced to plead with RMS advertisers in efforts to retain them and expand their numbers.

    “We are delighted to break bread with our clients as we endeavor to offer the best partnerships and collaborations.” RMS stated in a breakfast meeting.

    But Linus Kaikai and Yvonne Okwara have specifically been earmarked for their roles in promoting Azimio’s agenda and suppressing the coverage for Dr Ruto/ Kenya Kwanza Alliance in the newsroom.
    And Yvonne is also being targeted for how she handled Ruto during the presidential debate which was boycotted by Raila Odinga.

    The regime of the day argues that though Ruto debated against himself after Odinga’s boycot, Yvonne Okwara who was among the journalists picked to manager the interview “unfairly” treated Ruto by asking him tough questions that left him contradicting himself.

    Kaikai got the powers to frustrate Ruto’s covering after he was made RMS’s Editorial Director in March 2022 following Joe Ageyo’s exit Citizen TV. His position gave him in sweeping powers over election coverage and he openly favored Azimio over Kenya Kwanza especially through ‘Newsgang’, a programme which he used to critique Ruto.

    But cornered RMS is now left with fewer options given that government is the biggest advertiser and reliable revenue stream. Dr. Macharia will be forced to axe Kakai, Okwara and go the Nation Media Group direction.

    NMG has bended to Ruto’s demand by making editorial changes which saw Mutuma Mathiu being dropped from the position of editor-in-chief and Bernard Mwinzi from managing daily news.

    The regime’s tough stance on media signals tough times ahead for big media in Kenya, with experts seeing attempts of arm-twisting by the government, a move which is expected to constrain freedom of expression.