All National Government electronic advertisements will now be disseminated through the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) upon authorization by the Government Advertising Agency.

This follows a directive made through a letter to chief executive officers of state corporations, independent commissions and public universities by Broadcasting and Telecommunications Principal Secretary Prof Edward Kisiang’ani.

According to Prof Kisiang’ani, this move aligns with government policy of reviving ailing public sector entities and ensuring that any public-private partnership is not skewed against public sector.

“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,” said Prof Kisiang’ani in a letter dated March 7, 2024.

The decision is further supported by the large network coverage the national broadcaster offers, a factor which the ministry says guarantees wide reach by advertisers.

Additionally, the directive is expected to boost the funding to the corporation as the government embarks on its revival through a modernization framework in order to make it a premier national broadcaster in the Africa.

“This effort requires the national broadcaster to take the lead in the dissemination of information in Kenya,” he added.

The directive is also on the backdrop of a circular by the National Treasury published in 2015 which led to the formation of GAA which has since centralized public sector advertising in a bid to cut costs through efficiency in the procurement process.

This comes as government targets to reduce the amount of pending bills owed to the media industry while maintaining smooth flow of public sector advertising services.

A recent report by the Communications Authority of Kenya indicates that out of Ksh 16.1 billion advertisers spent on media between July and September 2023, television had the largest allocation at Ksh 10.9 billion followed by radio at Ksh 3.6 billion and print Ksh 1.6 billion. By Ronald Owili, KBC