ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo has fired Samuel Maina, the acting Managing Director of Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC).
“The appointment of Mr. Samuel Maina as acting Managing Director is terminated with immediate effect,” Owalo said, further directing that Maina be suspended immediately and disciplinary action initiated against him by the broadcaster’s board.
“I duly appoint Paul Macharia, currently the Communication Economic Expert at the National Communications Secretariat which falls under the mandate of the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy as the acting managing director with effect from December 19, 2023 for six months or upon the appointment of a substantive Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 34 of the Public Service Commission Act, No. 10 of 2017,” Owalo said.
The CS instructed the board to expedite the process of recruitment of a substantive managing director for the corporation.
The letter was copied to the Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei and the Principal Secretary, of the State Department for Broadcasting and Telecommunications Edward Kisiang’ani.
This comes after Maina wrote a letter to the British broadcaster Channel 2 Group on Monday, committing the government to paying the company $5 billion (Ksh.769.5 billion).
CS Owalo stated in a letter to KBC board chairman Benjamin Maingi on Tuesday that the KBC boss did not seek the approval of the ICT Ministry, Treasury, the Attorney General’s office, and the Department of Justice on the matter, despite earlier instructions given to the state broadcaster.
Owalo said Maina allegedly committed the government to pay US$ 5 billion in LICA Arbitration No. 122233: Channel 2 Group Corporation versus Kenya Broadcasting Corporation without seeking concurrence with the ministry, the National Treasury and the Office of the Attorney General and the Department of Justice.
He said the alleged move by Maina was in total disregard of earlier instructions given to KBC.
The dispute dates back to 2009, when KBC abruptly terminated a joint venture agreement with Dubai-based businessman Ajay Sheth, owner of Channel 2 Group.
KBC and Channel 2 formed a joint venture in 2006, where the State broadcaster would provide technical equipment and the latter provide staff, programming content, and resources to the new digital station.
The case, which was under arbitration in London, was flagged by Parliament’s Budget and Appropriations Committee in 2021 as one of the risks to taxpayers.
