Information, Technology, and Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary (CS) nominee Eliud Owalo has told Parliament that he intends to change the name of Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) to Voice of Kenya.
Speaking when he appeared before a vetting committee on Friday, October 2021, Owalo said KBC's performance is below the bar and yet it enjoys a wide network across the country.
"Something needs to be done about KBC. It is ironical that KBC, with its strong brand and wide network of infrastructure, is today punching below its weight in the marketplace," Owalo told the committee.
He also said he did not understand why the name of the parastatal was changed from Voice of Kenya to KBC.
"This will be one of my key areas of intervention if I come into the office as the CS of this ministry, Mr. Chairman.
"I intend to revitalise the operation of KBC first of all by rebranding it. I don't quite understand the reason that informed the change of name from the Voice of Kenya to Kenya Broadcasting Corporation," he stated.
KBC's market position
He said by changing the name to Voice of Kenya, the media house will be positioned as the market leader in the sector.
"By changing the name to Voice of Kenya, KBC will be seen as the market leader in that sector. Simple things, you just rebrand it," he said.
At the same time, the CS nominee also said he intends to leverage on technology to improve the content of the media station.
"We can leverage on the ICT to re-engineer the content of KBC so that it can get proper positioning in the market," he stated.
He added: "We need to revitalise the infrastructure of KBC so that it can be in tandem with the market." he said.
History of KBC
KBC is fully owned by the Government of Kenya and it broadcasts in English and Swahili, as well as in most local languages across Kenya.
It was founded in 1928 when Kenya was still a British colony as the first station in the country.
In 1964, when Kenya gained independence, the corporation's name was changed to Voice of Kenya.
In 1989, the Kenyan parliament reverted the corporation's name from Voice of Kenya to Kenya Broadcasting Corporation.
