Journalist Enock Sikolia opened up about his plight when he quit Citizen TV in 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Sikolia clarified that he was not sacked from Citizen TV but resigned himself to join China's CTGN Africa.
"Sometime in July 2020 and the Covid pandemic is here, many things are happening there were a lot of lockdowns here and there and then one morning I walk into the office of the Human Resource (HR) manager at Citizen TV holding a brown envelope and I tendered my resignation. The Human Resource manager looked at me and she was like why? She wondered why because truthfully I was at the best media house, I was enjoying my career. I was growing up as a journalist, I had the best managers in terms of news management - talk of Linus Kaikai, talk of Joe Ageyo, talk of Pamela Asigi, talk of Jamila Mohamed…," Sikolia said.
The journalist further revealed that Citizen TV's management didn't want to let him go when he tendered in his resignation letter.
"One thing that I wanted to address was that some people said I was sacked, so I wasn't sacked I am the one who tendered the resignation and I remember Citizen did not want me to go, they wanted me to stay," Sikolia said.
"Deep in my heart I had already made the decision that I was moving and I was leaving Citizen TV. I remember we had several meetings with Joe Ageyo who was my boss, he was the editorial director at Citizen TV. He really wanted me to remain because we were coming up with several documentaries, series," he added.
Sikolia further explained that he quit Citizen TV to join CTGN Africa because he wanted to experience international journalism.
"I wanted to experience international journalism. I had worked at NTV for six years, worked at K24 for four months, Citizen for two years - a combined more than eight years experience working on the local platforms," he said.
CSs, PSs, politicians
Enock Sikolia additionally disclosed that when he quit Citizen TV Cabinet Secretaries (CSs), Principal Secretaries (PSs), politicians and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) stopped picking up his calls.
The journalist noted that he had cultivated a good rapport with leaders in politics and the corporate world but as soon as he he quit his job at Citizen TV they began snubbing him because they saw that he was no longer of use to them anymore.
"That time I remember had a discussion with a certain person who told me 'my colleague, my friend Enock once you leave the people you talk to, the Cabinet Secretaries, the Principal Secretaries, politicians, the CEOs that you talk to will stop picking your calls'. And I am telling you it is the truth because when I left some of the politicians I truly considered my friends, the ones who would call me even at night when they had an issue, I thought probably I was on their speed dials, but shock on me when I left some of them stopped picking calls even up to date. But that is an issue that doesn't bother me much," Sikolia said.
