Information, Communications, and Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo has revealed that the government is planning to modernize the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC).
The CS, during a meeting with a delegation from the Indian government led by India's High Commissioner, Namgya Khampa, on Friday, March 7, said that the government is planning to elevate KBC to a modern, well-equipped media house.
According to the CS, this will muscle up the media house and enable it to play its primary role as the national broadcaster effectively.
"The ministry is planning to transform Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) into a modern and well-equipped media house for it to perform its role as an effective national broadcaster competitively," he stated.
Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) is the state-run media organization. It broadcasts in English and Swahili, as well as in most local languages of Kenya.
The corporation was launched as a radio service in 1928, when Kenya was a British colony, thus making it the first radio station in Kenya.
Last year, the ministry directed all government agencies to exclusively advertise with KBC, explaining that the directive would help the government achieve its plan to revamp the national broadcaster.
The Ministry elaborated that the national broadcaster possesses a broad audience base encompassing Kenyans nationwide, thus deciding to centralize government advertising with the broadcaster as an effective strategy.
The ministry further stressed that the directive aligns with the government's decision to centralize all government advertising.
"The government is keen to revive the KBC through a modernization framework that will make it the premier national broadcaster in Africa. This effort requires the national broadcaster to take the lead in the dissemination of information in Kenya.
"The purpose of this communication, therefore, is to bring this new policy decision to your attention and to request you to take the necessary action as and when required," it stated.
During his meeting today, Kabogo asserted that Kenya is focused on enhancing its collaboration with India, especially in the entertainment and film sectors, to boost Kenya's film production capacity.
"Our talks focused on enhancing collaboration in culture, technology, and innovation, with a special emphasis on the entertainment and film industry. India, home to the globally renowned Bollywood, has a wealth of expertise in film production, and we explored ways in which Kenya can tap into this experience," he said.
