Next Media Group is facing its most turbulent internal moment in years following the emergence of a confidential memo that not only confirms a sweeping organisational overhaul but comes amid the quiet exit of several high-profile staff members, raising fresh questions about what is really happening behind the scenes.
The internal memo, addressed to all employees—internally branded as “Transformers”—reveals that the media house has entered Phase Two of its Business Process Re-engineering (BPR), a restructuring process that will now extend to all departments and general staff .
But more striking is what the memo does not say openly—yet is already playing out.
Senior Staff Already Gone
Multiple well-known and influential staff members have already exited Next Media, even before the second phase officially kicks in.
Among those who have left are:
- Dorah Atwongyeire
- Edwin Danze
- Melvin Moses Kiyimba
The departures, confirmed by multiple internal sources, have sent shockwaves through the newsroom and production teams, fuelling speculation that the restructuring is far more aggressive than management publicly acknowledges.
“These are not small names,” said one insider. “When people like that leave almost simultaneously, you know the organisation is undergoing a serious reset.”
Memo Confirms a Silent Shake-Up
The memo confirms that Phase One of the restructuring was quietly implemented in January 2025 and focused on Top Management and the Executive Committee (EXCO)—a move that reconfigured leadership power at the company without much public visibility.
Now, with Phase Two rolling out, staff are bracing for role realignments, departmental restructuring, and workflow overhauls, as management seeks to build what it calls a “stronger, more agile and high-performing organisation.”
The memo states that roles will be reviewed and reassigned based on “individual strengths and organisational needs,” corporate language that many staff interpret as code for redeployments, altered job descriptions, and potential exits.
Anxiety Inside the Newsroom
While management has pledged a “transparent, respectful and smooth transition,” the timing of the memo—combined with the recent exits—has heightened anxiety across the organisation.
“People are connecting the dots,” said another staff member. “You don’t announce organisation-wide realignment after key people have already walked out and expect staff not to worry.”
The People & Culture Department, together with top management, is expected to hold department-level meetings to explain “specific changes,” but insiders say uncertainty remains high.
Industry Pressure, Internal Reset
Next Media’s restructuring comes against the backdrop of a struggling media economy, shrinking advertising revenues, and an urgent push toward digital-first operations.
Sources say the company is under pressure to cut inefficiencies and reposition itself competitively in a fast-changing media landscape.
However, the growing list of departures has raised fears that institutional memory, editorial depth, and production stability could be affected.
For now, staff are watching closely as the process unfolds—aware that the exits of Dorah Atwongyeire, Edwin Danze, and Melvin Moses Kiyimba may only be the first visible cracks in a much deeper organisational transformation.
One thing is certain: Next Media is being reshaped—and the human cost of that transformation is already being felt.
