The government has issued a directive instructing all its agencies, independent commissions, and public universities to exclusively broadcast their TV and radio advertisements through the state-owned broadcaster KBC.
The decision was announced by Prof. Edward Kisiang’ani, the Principal Secretary of the State Department of Broadcasting and Telecommunications, with the aim of revitalizing and improving the prospects of the struggling broadcaster.
According to Prof. Kisiangani, this directive aligns with a Treasury circular from July 10, 2015, which communicated the Cabinet’s decision to centralize public sector advertising.
“In light of the foregoing, all public sector electronic (radio and television) advertisements from Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) that fall under the National Government, Independent Commissions, and Public Universities shall be handled by the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) upon authorization by the Government Advertising Agency (GM),” stated Kisiang’ani in a circular addressed to all Ministries.
The PS emphasized that this strategic move aims to ensure timely payment for advertising services to prevent indebtedness to media houses.
“These strategies must also align with the Government policy of reviving ailing public sector entities and ensuring that any public-private partnership is not skewed against public sector institutions,” he added.
“Going forward, therefore, it has been deemed prudent to initiate measures to ensure that as public sector advertisers seek to access their target audiences through campaigns and other statutory announcements, the Government leverages on the provisions within its realm to revive and fully utilize its institutions.”
The government’s decision to channel public sector advertising exclusively through KBC is seen as a step towards reviving both the broadcaster and other struggling public sector entities.
