ICT CS Nominee Eliud Owalo Wants KBC Rebranded as Voice of Kenya

ICT and Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary nominee Eliud Owalo wants the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) rebranded as Voice of Kenya.

Speaking on Friday when he appeared before the National Assembly Committee on Appointments for vetting, Owalo pledged to review the operations of the State-run media to match international media houses standards such as British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

“I don’t understand why they changed the name from the “Voice of Kenya” to KBC. Changing it back to the original name format will make the station a market leader,” said Owalo.

He lamented that the State broadcaster has been punching way below its weight in the marketplace despite its strong brand and wide network of infrastructure.

“We need to revitalize the infrastructure of KBC so that it is in tandem not just with market needs but also benchmarked with global best practices in that industry,” Owalo said. “I would want to be held accountable by virtue of having a clear performance indicator as far as turning KBC is concerned.”

KBC was previously known as the Voice of Kenya (VoK) before Members of Parliament renamed it in 1989.

During the vetting, Owalo told the committee that his net worth is Sh645 million comprising a house in Nairobi worth Sh120 million, a residential house upcountry valued at Sh70 million, land worth Sh200 million, four cars worth Sh15 million, a hotel under construction (Sh80 million), and a commercial tree planting business worth Sh160 million.