CS Owalo suspends KBC acting Managing Director Samuel Maina

ICT and Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo has revoked the appointment of Samul Maina as the acting managing director of the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC).

According to CS Owalo, Maina has been suspended for committing taxpayers’ money to pay US$5 billion (Ksh770 billion) in the London Court of International Arbitration matter Channel Group 2 Corporation vs KBC without seeking concurrence and approval from the ICT Ministry, National Treasury and Office of the Attorney General and Department of Justice.

Owalo, in a letter to the KBC Board, directed that Maina proceed on suspension with immediate effect pending further disciplinary action.

The CS also appointed Paul Macharua, currently the communication economic expert at the National Communications Secretariat, as Maina’s replacement pending recruitment of a substantive Managing Director.

“I duly appoint Mr. Paul Macharia, currently the Communication Economic Expert at the National Communications Seceratriat which falls under the mandate of the Ministry of Information, Communications and Digital Economy, as the Acting Managing Director with effect from 19th December 2023 for a period of six(6) 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 stated.

Substantive MD

The CS further directed the Board to expedite the process of recruitment of a substantive Managing Director for the corporation.

Maina assumed the role of acting Managing Director at KBC following the exit of Naim Bilal in March last year.

Before his appointment, he was the editor-in-chief of the state broadcaster.

He also served as the head of news at the corporation.