Intrigues behind fierce fight for top KBC post

A plot to sneak in a candidate who did not apply for the post of Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) managing director last year by powerful individuals in government is the reason the position was re-advertised, People Daily can reveal.

The search for the KBC boss started in September when the relevant ministry asked for applications for the post but the list of short-listed candidates was never made public.

The fight for the lucrative job has seen major casualties, notably removal of the acting managing director and replacement of the board chairman.

The KBC Editor-in-Chief Samuel Maina who has been the acting managing director was perceived as the front-runner but his fortunes took a dramatic turn after Information, Communications and the Digital Economy CS Eliud Owalo terminated his appointment.
In a letter to then chairman of the board, Benjamin K Maingi, Owalo said Maina should proceed on suspension immediately and disciplinary action instituted against him.

“I duly appoint Paul Macharia, currently the Communication Economic Expert at the National Communications Secretariat which falls under the mandate of the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy as the acting managing director with effect from December 19, 2023 for six months or upon the appointment of a substantive Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 34 of the Public Service Commission Act, No. 10 of 2017,” Owalo said in the letter date December 19, 2023.

Commitment to pay

According to Owalo, Maina allegedly committed the government to pay US$ 5 billion in LICA Arbitration No. 122233: Channel 2 Group Corporation versus Kenya Broadcasting Corporation without seeking concurrence with the ministry, the National Treasury and the Office of the Attorney General and the Department of Justice.

He said Maina’s was in total disregard of earlier instructions given to KBC.
Maina was appointed the Acting Managing Director (MD) at KBC following Naim Bilal’s contract expiry in March 2022.

Maina is a former vice-president of the Kenya Editors’ Guild.

In another twist, President William Ruto in January revoked the appointment of engineer Maingi as the KBC board chairman and replaced him with veteran editor Tom Mshindi.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 7 (3) of the State Corporation Act and section 4 (1) (a) of the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces appoint Tom Mshindi to the Chairperson of the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation Board, for a period of three (3) years, with effect from the 19th January, 2024,” the notice read.

Impending changes

High profile sources indicated to People Daily that Mshindi’s main task will be to effect the leadership changes at KBC according to the Kenya Kwanza script.

“State House had already identified a person to serve as the KBC managing director but the individual had not applied during the first call. The re-advertisement on Tuesday February 13 is meant to open the window for the preferred candidate to join the queue,” said a senior government official privy to the matter.

“There has been intense lobbying that the position goes to a person best placed to align the public broadcaster’s operations to the President’s Bottom UP Economic Transformation Agenda. That person has been identified,” said the source.

Addressing a press conference in his office a fortnight ago, Broadcasting Principal Secretary Prof Edward Kisiangani hinted that the position was to be re-advertised.

Fixed gaps

“We have already fixed leadership gaps at the Kenya Year Book and the Kenya Communications Authority before we move to KBC,” he told journalists.

“Members of the Editor’s Guild came to me and gave their views. We are opposed to the thinking that the best way to revive KBC is selling its assets. That model has not worked for many parastatals,” said the PS
During a meeting with Mshindi on January 22, Owalo said the seasoned media practitioner will be tasked with devising turn-around strategies to revitalize the KBC, with a keen emphasis on both immediate and long-term intervention.

Appearing before a Senate committee, former ICT Cabinet Mucheru revealed that KBC cannot meet its financial obligations due to huge debts and outstanding loans.

Mucheru said KBC has debts amounting to Sh4.2 billion and is unable to repay a Japanese loan of Sh79.9 billion.

“The national broadcaster is technically insolvent. The debts are both recurrent and development,” Mucheru told the Senate Standing Committee on ICT.

A company becomes technically insolvent when it has a negative net asset value- its liabilities are greater than its assets.