Members of Parliament (MPs) have questioned an ‘irregular’ spending of millions by the Government Advertising Agency (GAA) in an ongoing advertisement deal.
While appearing before the MPs drawn from the Committee on Information, Communication and Innovation, Stephen Isaboke, Broadcasting and Telecommunications Principal Secretary, was at pains to explain the spending of Ksh9 million weekly on a local newspaper to advertise the MyGov publication.
PS Isaboke revealed that GAA was spending the figure to advertise via the newspaper, as compared to Ksh24.5 million spent weekly in a previous contract with four newspapers.
The PS contended that the new contract saved the government Ksh15.5 million, representing 63.26 per cent in savings.
“Overall, the government was spending Ksh1.19 billion versus Ksh432 million currently, resulting in a saving of Ksh758 million. Therefore, value for money is clearly demonstrated,” the PS said.
However, lawmakers questioned this model, probing Isaboke and the Agency on how spending Ksh9 million weekly on one newspaper was cheaper than spending Ksh24.5million on the four newspapers previously. In the previous contract, this would translate to Ksh6.1 million per newspaper.
Further, the MPs argued that the previous contract provided better value for money as there was higher circulation back then.
“You are saving while spending that amount on one newspaper only. Initially, four Newspapers would carry MyGov, and I believe back then the circulation was way higher as compared to now, so you save at the expense of what,” Erastus Kivasu (Mbooni) asked.
Consequently, the lawmakers urged the PS to ensure that GAA puts in place a proper monitoring and evaluation framework to be used for justification for value for money on their advertising service with the local newspaper.
Led by its Chair and Dagoretti South MP John Kiarie, the group also challenged Isaboke to ensure that GAA shifts its current evaluation framework to a digital system, noting that the current system was prone to inaccuracies.
This is after Isaboke disclosed that GAA relied on a list of deliveries signed and stamped by the Postal Corporation of Kenya and a private company to ensure compliance with the terms of the contract.
“How do we ensure there is a more digitized measure to track our circulation? You have said you use the post office to record, and I think it is now time to step up and go digital,” Kiarie noted.
“It is also not right to rely on the newspaper, which you are their client, to tell you how many issues they circulate every Tuesday; they could say a hundred copies, yet they are fewer or vice-versa,” he added.
