Another Exit at the Top: Standard Group CEO Chaacha Mwita Resigns After Seven MonthsAnother Exit at the Top: Standard Group CEO Chaacha Mwita Resigns After Seven Months
Key Highlights
- Standard Group chief executive Chaacha Mwita has resigned with effect from 1 November 2026, about seven months after the media house confirmed him in the role in April.
- Mwita had been acting chief executive since July 2025, when his predecessor Marion Gathoga-Mwangi left after roughly a year in the job, and no successor has been named.
- The exit adds to a run of leadership changes at a company also dealing with losses, a suspended KSh 1.5B ($11.54M) rights issue and unpaid government advertising bills.
Standard Group chief executive Chaacha Mwita has resigned, effective 1 November 2026, making him the second chief executive to leave one of East Africa's oldest media houses in about 16 months.
The departure comes about seven months after Mwita was confirmed in the post in April 2026, and at a time when the group is dealing with losses, a stalled fundraising plan and money owed to it by the government.
Mwita's resignation takes effect on 1 November No reason for the exit and no successor have been disclosed, and Mwenendo has not seen a statement from Standard Group on the move.
A short tenure after a long acting spell
Mwita had run the company in an acting capacity since July 2025. He took over after Marion Gathoga-Mwangi resigned on 30 June 2025, after roughly a year in the job.
That sequence means neither of the group's last two chief executives has stayed much more than a year in the substantive role, a level of turnover that makes it harder to carry through long-term plans such as a shift to digital revenue.
The pressures on the business
The company faces mounting losses, a suspended KSh 1.5B ($11.54M) rights issue and unpaid government advertising bills. No figure has been published for the losses or for the amount the government owes.
A rights issue is a sale of new shares to existing shareholders, usually to raise cash or cut debt. Its suspension leaves the company without a planned source of fresh capital while it changes leadership again.
Standard Group, like other legacy media houses, also faces competition for readers and advertisers from digital platforms and start-ups. PwC expects Kenya's online advertising market to nearly double by 2030, as Mwenendo reported in its look at where advertising money is heading, but much of that spending goes to global platforms.
Board changes
The board has also appointed Antony Ambaka, Tom Odongo and Elishah Njeru as independent non-executive directors.
Investors and staff will now watch for who the board names as interim chief executive, and whether it revives the suspended rights issue under new leadership.
Correction, 16 October 2026: The intro said the group would seek its third leader in under two years and the body said three CEOs since mid-2024; the timeline in the source does not support that exact period. Rephrased to what the source establishes: Mwita is the second chief executive to leave in about 16 months.
In Summary
- Who has resigned?
- Chaacha Mwita, chief executive of Standard Group.
- When does the resignation take effect?
- On 1 November 2026, about seven months after his substantive appointment in April 2026.
- What led up to it?
- Mwita was acting chief executive from July 2025 after Marion Gathoga-Mwangi resigned on 30 June 2025. No reason for his exit has been given.
- Why does the exit matter?
- It continues high leadership turnover at a media house facing losses, a suspended KSh 1.5B ($11.54M) rights issue and unpaid government advertising bills.
- How will the company be led next?
- No successor or interim arrangement has been announced.