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

Mshindi, a former editor-in-chief at the Nation Media Group (NMG), immediately took on the new role.

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

“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 appointment of Benjamin K. Maingi (Eng.) is revoked.”

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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 disregarding government instructions.

Maina had reportedly written to the British broadcaster Channel 2 Group, committing the government to pay the company Kes 769.5 billion. He has since come out to apologize for the error.