The government has been invited to intervene and save the country's state broadcaster Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) as employees decry slashed salaries and alleged embezzlement of resources.
The Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) on Sunday asked the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) quickly look into the situation at the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC).
Speaking to the Media in Nakuru, KUJ Secretary General Eric Oduor alongside the union chairman Juma Kwayera and other officials, gave the KBC top management a 14-days ultimatum to address concerns raised by its employees.
"We are calling on ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru to move swiftly and help bring back KBC to its feet. The corporation is ailing financially and has had a ripple effect on its employees. In fourteen days, all its employees shall down their tools if the issues won’t have been addressed," said Oduor.
Mr Oduor noted that corruption has dogged the company for the past few years pointing out that statutory deductions made on its employees income are hardly remitted to the relevant accounts.
"The deductions have been reflecting on the employees pay slips but the monies end up in unknown accounts. We demand an explanation on this matter to ensure justice for our members," decried the union general.
The company’s retired employees have been complaining after it was recently exposed that their retirement benefits were yet to be remitted to their pensions schemes.
Oduor added that some of the employees have been grappling with stiff penalties imposed on them by banks due to delays in repaying their loans while the expected payments are being irregularly withheld by the company.
He also expressed concerns over the company’s failure to renew its workers medical cover that expired two months ago denying them access to their deserved proper healthcare.
"It is embarrassing that the government is committed toward ensuring all Kenyans have access to universal healthcare yet KBC, a government agency is denying its members the same," stated Oduor.
On his part, Mr Kwayera called on the newly constituted board of management to recruit a substantive managing director saying the current who has been on an acting capacity is technically unable to discharge all duties under the office.
"The company has been operating with an acting managing director for the past one year who is not in a position to address the concerns raised. A substantive director will come in handy in addressing the challenges facing the company,” he said.
He also raised concerns over the dwindling strength of the company’s signal which has over time fallen to below 40 percent from 60 percent in the previous years.
The officials also called for a more robust and quick probe by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) so as to have those found culpable are prosecuted and the stolen properties recovered.
The union declared that they will lead the company’s employees in downing their tools if no official communication is made by KBC or the Ministry in the next two weeks.
