The ICT Cabinet Secretary, William Kabogo, claims that the government has a plan to elevate the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) to international media house status.
Speaking during an Interview with Inooro TV on Monday, July 14, the CS hinted that the government not only aims to elevate the infrastructural capacity of KBC, but also change the management.
Kabogo assured that the government will remain firm in solving other setbacks, such as internal disputes, legal challenges, and land disputes that have also affected the media house's operations.
The move will be pivotal in elevating the media house into a modern, efficient, and financially sustainable public broadcaster, according to the ICT boss.
"As of now, the company is not helping the government and Kenyans because of the lack of good equipment, and it is not making any money, so what do you think will prevent me from streamlining it?" the CS said.
"They also had some plans to sell the land, but I refused because if we sell the land, what's next? When you go there and ask questions, even the heads don't know how many people work there, and this is very dangerous in the private sector."
The CS claims that once the station is elevated to the international level, government officials, especially cabinet secretaries, will leverage this opportunity to dispense information about what exactly is happening in their respective dockets more frequently.
"I have already written to the Cabinet requesting that every Minister be given 2 hours in a live studio to answer questions. This is something that we will be doing after we make the KBC a standard broadcasting communication company, because I have an aim of making it an international broadcasting station," he said.
KBC is a state-run media organisation that broadcasts in English and Kiswahili as well as other local dialects.
The media house was established as a radio service in 1928, when Kenya was a British colony, and was the first media house in Kenya.
Last Month, on Tuesday, June 10, Broadcasting and Telecommunications PS Stephen Isaboke announced that the government would also address the historical debts the media house has been struggling with over the years.
"During the engagement, KBC Managing Director, Agnes Kalekye Nguna, presented a candid overview of the challenges facing the corporation, including outdated infrastructure, protracted legal battles, historical debts, and unresolved land ownership issues," the PS said.
