Acting KBC MD Samuel Maina sacked

ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo has sacked the acting Managing Director of the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) Samuel Maina.

This follows a letter Maina wrote on Monday to the British broadcaster Channel 2 Group committing the government to pay the company $5 billion (Ksh.769.5 billion) to the London-based media house.

Through a letter to KBC board chairman Benjamin Maingi on Tuesday, CS Owalo said the KBC boss did not seek the concurrence of the ICT Ministry, Treasury, the Attorney General’s office and Department of Justice despite earlier instructions given to the state broadcaster on the matter.

“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.

Citizen Digital has obtained the letter in question which shows Maina, in response to a November 15 email from a Channel 2 official, saying “We have noted the contents of your email and wish to instruct you to proceed and offer Channel 2 Group Corporation the total sum of US Dollars 5 billion in full and final settlement of the matter on a without prejudice basis.”

“Please communicate this final offer to them and keep us informed of their response on the same,” Maina adds in the letter copied to CS Owalo, Solicitor-General Shadrack Mose and ICT PS Edward Kisiang’ani.

In the meantime, Owalo has appointed Paul Macharia as the acting KBC Managing Director with effect from December 19 for six months or upon the appointment of a CEO.

Macharia is currently the Communication Economic Expert at the National Communications Secretariat which is under the ICT ministry.

“Meanwhile, the board is instructed to expedite the process of recruitment of a substantive Managing Director for the corporation,” CS Owalo added.

Maina was named the acting KBC MD on March 25, 2022, taking over from former MD Naim Bilal whose term expired on March 19, 2022.

He had been the Editor-in-Chief of the state broadcaster.