The government has put on hold a planned KSh 9 billion investment in the modernization of the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) as it undertakes critical reforms at the state broadcaster.
Appearing before the Senate’s ICT Committee, Information, Communication, and Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo stated that the revamp would only proceed after addressing key issues such as ghost workers, staff redundancy, and resource wastage.“The government will not pump money into KBC before first streamlining its operations to ensure efficiency,” said Kabogo, adding that the reforms will start yielding results within the next 60 days.
The halted investment was aimed at upgrading broadcasting technology, improving infrastructure, and expanding KBC’s service reach. However, the ICT Ministry is also grappling with ballooning pending bills, largely due to budgetary cuts in the supplementary budget.
According to Kabogo, the State Department for Broadcasting and Telecommunications has pending bills amounting to KSh 117 billion, with KSh 108 billion owed to KBC for statutory deductions.
The reforms are expected to bring accountability and efficiency to KBC, ensuring that future investments yield the desired impact.
