From newsroom to corner office, eventful career of Chaacha Mwita

Standard Group PLC incoming CEO, Dr Naim Bilal Yaseen and outgoing CEO Chaacha Mwita during the handover at the company’s headquarters in Nairobi on November 3, 2026. [Kanyiri Wahito, Standard]

In Kenyan journalism, the path from reporter to chief executive is rare. The path from reporter to chief executive and then out the door—twice—is rarer still. Chaacha Mwita's career at the Standard Group encapsulates the promise of editorial leadership in African legacy media. A journalist celebrated for his fearlessness in the newsroom found himself, in July 2025, navigating a different battlefield, one of balance sheets, state interference, and regulatory pressures.