Seasoned journalist Eric Latiff has announced his departure from The Standard Media Group after five years.

“On this 6th day of January 2025, my heart is heavy as I bid kwaheri (goodbye) to the brilliant team of colleagues at Spice FM and the Standard Group. I am grateful for the opportunity to once again be a part of Kenya’s oldest private media house and I am proud of the teams that I leave behind in radio, TV, and print,” he wrote.

Latiff, who was hosting The Situation Room Program on Spice FM alongside CT Muga, Ndu Okoh, and Njeri Thorne expressed his gratitude to the media station for the opportunity to serve in the Kenya’s oldest private media house.

“It has been a great journey building The Situation Room to what it has become and we have very many people to thank, not least the team of producers, marketing, commercial, technical and other colleagues,” he stated.

The journalist who is also a telecommunications engineer has had an illustrious career in the world of media which spans over 15 years.

Very few journalists have managed to have their unique niche audiences. Latiff’s authoritative voice has kept an audience engaged throughout Spice FM’s ‘The Situation Room’ which is known for insightful commentary on current and political affairs.

Before his exit, he was the lead show host of one of the most listened-to morning shows in Kenya for those with an ear for informative content.

Getting to such tops came with its challenges. Latiff’s first encounter in the field was when MediaMax’s K24 was making its first baby steps as Kenya’s first 24-hour news channel.

At MediaMax, he doubled as the production manager and producer at Kameme FM. Later he left the station for Family TV where he worked as a TV producer.

Latiff later ended up joining Capital FM. In an interview with Utu na Uzalendo Podcast, he recalled how he had thought of a brilliant breakfast show radio idea which he dubbed ‘Talk 360’.

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He had conversations with late billionaire Chris Kirubi who had advised him to consider the show for a Sunday slot too. Eric decided to try his luck at convincing the team at Capital FM to have the show.

After his idea was turned down by Capital FM, Latiff started thinking about his next steps in the media. In 2016, he decided to leave his position as an anchor and news editor for a break.

“In 2016, I was still working at Capital then I decided I wanted to take a break, I wanted to start my agency a communications company, I still wanted to work with media but just part-time so I left Capital.”

In 2018, Eric Latiff received a fascinating call from Tom Japanni, the former head of Radio at Standard Group. It was an invitation to join the Spice FM team for an exciting project.

Japanni offered Latiff the chance to bring his concept to life, leading to the creation of ‘The Situation Room’.

“In 2018, I got a call from Tom Japanni and he shared the idea for which I expressed interest,” said Eric.

With their engaging commentary and insightful discussions, ‘The Situation Room’ rapidly gained popularity, drawing large audiences and attracting top guests to the show.