Eliud Owalo has fired Samuel Maina, the interim Managing Director of the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC).
Maina wrote a letter to the British broadcaster Channel 2 Group on Monday, promising the government to pay the firm $5 billion (Ksh.769.5 billion).
CS Owalo stated in a letter to KBC board chairman Benjamin Maingi on Tuesday that the KBC head did not seek the approval of the ICT Ministry, Treasury, the Attorney General's office, and the Department of Justice on the topic, despite earlier directives given to the state broadcaster.
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"The appointment of Mr. Samuel Maina as acting Managing Director is terminated immediately," Owalo stated, ordering Maina to be suspended and disciplinary action taken against him.
A letter obtained by royal media shows Maina responding to an email from a Channel 2 official on November 15 by 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,” Maina adds in the letter copied to CS Owalo, Solicitor-General Shadrack Mose, and ICT PS Edward Kisiang’ani.
Owalo has nominated Paul Macharia as acting KBC Managing Director, effective December 19, for six months or until a managing director is selected.
Macharia is the Communication Economic Expert at the ICT ministry's National Communications Secretariat.
"Meanwhile, the board is instructed to expedite the process of recruitment of a substantive Managing Director for the corporation," he said.
On March 25, 2022, Maina was named acting KBC MD, succeeding former MD Naim Bilal, whose term expired on March 19, 2022.
He was the state broadcaster's Editor-in-Chief.
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