President Ruto appoints veteran journalist Tom Mshindi as new KBC Board Chair

President William Ruto has appointed veteran journalist Tom Mshindi as the new Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) Board chairperson for a period of three years.

According to a gazette notice dated January 19, 2024, the President also revoked the appointment of Eng. Benjamin K. Maingi who has been serving in the same position.

Mshindi, a former Editor-in-Chief at the Nation Media Group (NMG), takes on the new role effective immediately.

 “In exercise of the powers conferred by section 7 (3) of the State Corporations Act and section 4 (I) (a) of the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation Act, I, William Samoei Ruto appoint Tom Mshindi Nyamancha to be the Chairperson of the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation Board, for three (3) years, with effect from the 19th January 2024,” read the notice.

The outgoing Board Chair Maingi was appointed by former President Uhuru Kenyatta in October 2021.

The change of guard at KBC follows a recent scandal after ICT CS Eliud Owalo sacked KBC Acting Managing Director Samuel Maina and installed Paul Macharia in the same capacity.

Maina was accused of making irregular payments of Ksh.5 billion without seeking the concurrence of the ICT Ministry, National Treasury and the Office of the Attorney General and Department of Justice in total disregard of government instructions.

Maina had reportedly written to the British broadcaster Channel 2 Group committing the government to pay the company $5 billion (Ksh.769.5 billion). He has since come out to apologise for the error.

At the same time, CS Owalo also extended the term of the Working Group on Policy and Legislative Reforms for the Information, Communications and the Digital Economy Sector.

The group, which was formed last year, will continue for another period of three months with effect from last week on Friday.