Having founded its flagship newspaper in 1960, the fourth Aga Khan has returned to Nairobi to celebrate the 'technological marvel' of Nation Media Group's new manroland press.
The now publicly-quoted group has its origins in Kenya's Taifa and Nation newspapers, established to provide alternative voices ahead of the country's independence, and now extends into Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda.
A decision to invest in new press equipment was made in late 2013, and this March the Aga Khan was on hand for to start the advanced Colorman e:line installed in a new press hall on the Mombasa Road site.
At an event broadcast live on national television, he spoke of the group's aim to provide citizens with serious, reliable information from which they could form their own opinions, and emphasised the associated corporate policy. For him and his company, the new manroland printing system going into operation represents "a special milestone".
High-ranking officials including governor of Machakos County Alfred Mutua joined Nation Media Group chief executive Joe Muganda and board chairman Wilfred Kiboro for the event, as well as manroland project manager Ralf Schädlich and newspaper systems project manager Wolfgang Hiesinger from Germany.
The five-tower 4-1 press can print up to 86,000 cph and has taken on production of the Daily Nation, Business Daily and the Taifa Leo, as well as the weekly The EastAfrican, delivering a 65 per cent saving in production time and already, increases in circulation.
Waste savings will also equate to eight million Kenyan shilling ($106,000) annually, NMG production director Gideon Aswani says. The press includes facilities for advertising formats including booklets, super panoramas, 'flying pages', half covers and oversized advertising spaces.
The group - which uses manroland services including employee training and process optimisation under a ten-year contract - is already considering the addition of a sixth press tower.
Pictured (from left): The Aga Khan presses the start button in the presence of Wilfred Kiboro, Alfred Mutua, Joe Muganda, Gideon Aswani (obscured), and Joe Mucheru (Picture Nation Media)