That year the paper also went into the stock market. Ng’weno was only 25 years old at the time but showed so much promise. Curtis handed over the baton to Hilary Boniface Ng’weno in 1965, and The Daily Nation had its first African Editor-in-Chief. Eight years later, this came to be, and in this timeframe, more African newsroom staff were onboarded. One of his long-term goals was to grow the paper and break even on the initial investments. On his part, Curtis had his boots deep in the ground from the first issue. It gave the print industry an instant impetus.
The wave of change in the country served to give the paper national credibility as most readers identified with its foundational philosophy. Because of this, the paper came to be known as The Daily Nation. By October of its first year, The Nation had transformed into a daily paper that amplified the work of Kenyan nationalists, spotlighting the fast-paced movement towards self-rule. Unlike existing print media houses, The Nation positioned itself as an independent journalism publication that was available weekly on Sundays. It was also important for them to know multiple nationalists. News, More News, and DevelopmentsĪt a time when independence was within reach, the hunt for news needed the reporters to have an ear on the ground. And this remained a key marker in the newspaper’s rise in the following months and years. Although an ambitious number to kick start distribution, 13,000 copies were sold. And on March 20, 1960, The Nation’s first edition was hot off the press with over 15,000 newspapers ready for distribution. With no budget constraints, the team aimed to take the Kenyan print media scene by storm. The duo set up the paper’s first office on Government Road (present-day Moi Avenue) and got to work on their first issue. Then Curtis would handle the day-to-day operations and work as Managing Editor. The founding team’s role was clear cut: the Imam would fund the venture until it became profitable. The decision was to rename Taifa by translating it into English: Nation.
Ready with the ambitious vision of creating a distinctive newspaper that would stand out from the existing crop, the Imam’s starting point was finding a suitable name. He acquired Taifa – a Kiswahili weekly that was managed by Charles Hayes, a former colonial district officer, and his partner Althea Tebbutt. By 1959 the Imam had a sturdy plan to get started on the project. They fleshed out ideas on what would eventually become a leading national daily. The Genesis of a Media VentureĪlthough a likely spur-of-the-moment question, the two carried the conversation forward. In 1957, while in East Africa for his appointment as Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan IV asked his publicist, Michael Curtis (then with the News Chronicle of England), about the possibility of setting up a newspaper in Kenya.
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