''The Standard'' is one of the largest newspapers in

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

with a 48% market share. It is the oldest newspaper in the country and is owned by The Standard Group, which also runs the Kenya Television Network (KTN), Radio Maisha, ''The Nairobian'' (a weekly tabloid) and Standard Digital which is its online platform. The Standard Group is headquartered on Mombasa Road,

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

, having moved from its previous premises at the I&M Bank Tower.

History

The newspaper was established as ''The'' ''African Standard'' in 1902, as a weekly, by Alibhai Mulla Jeevanjee, an immigrant businessman from

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

. In 1905, Jeevanjee sold the paper to Maia Anderson and Rudolf Franz Mayer, who changed the name to the ''East African Standard''. It became a daily paper and moved its headquarters from

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital status in 1907. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

in 1910. At the time the newspaper strongly supported colonialist viewpoints. The British-based Lonrho Group bought the newspaper in 1963, only a few months before Kenya's independence (they were a colony of Britain). The paper changed its name to ''The Standard'' in 1977 but the name ''East African Standard'' was revived later. It was sold to Kenyan investors in 1995. In 2004 the name was changed back to ''The Standard''. It is the main rival to Kenya's largest newspaper, the '' Daily Nation''. In 1989, as Kenya transitioned into multi-party era, the Standard Group acquired the KTN Television Channel. It is the oldest newspaper published in Kenya. The top editors at the Standard Group include Kipkoech Tanui (''The Standard'', Daily Editions) and John Bundotich (Weekend Editions) with Charles Otieno editing ''The Nairobian''. The head of Radio Maisha is Tom Japanni, KTN Managing Editor is Ellen Wanjiru, while Standard Digital Managing Editor is Carole Kimutai.

Premises raid, 2006

In late February 2006 ''The Standard'' ran a story claiming that president Mwai Kibaki and senior opposition figure Kalonzo Musyoka had been holding secret meetings. At 1:00 am local time (2200 UTC), on 2 March, masked gunmen carrying AK-47s raided the editorial office of ''The Standard'', and its television station KTN. They assaulted staff members, forcibly took computers and transmission equipment, burned all the copies of the 2 March edition of the newspaper, and damaged the presses. At KTN, they shut down its flow of electricity, putting the station off the air. Initially, the Kenyan information minister denied knowledge of the raid, but later revealed that Kenyan police were responsible, and stated that the incident was to safeguard state security. "If you rattle a snake you must be prepared to be bitten by it," John Michuki said. Three journalists at ''The Standard'', arrested after the critical story was printed, were released on 2 March on bail of 50,000 Kenyan shillings (US$692).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Standard Newspapers published in Kenya Newspapers established in 1902 1902 establishments in Kenya Mass media in Nairobi