Members of staff in the State Department of Broadcasting and Telecommunications have been called upon to serve the citizenry with integrity as the offices they occupy have been entrusted to them by the public.
The incoming Principal Secretary for Broadcasting and Telecommunications Prof. Edward Kisiang’ani told Departmental Heads and State Corporation Chief Executive Officers in his State department to always refer to the country’s Constitution to enable them discharge their duties effectively.
He said it is prudent for officers to always have the Constitution booklet on their desks and refer to Chapters 6, Articles 3 and 10 which touched on integrity, national values, transparency, non-discrimination and accountability among other values to enable them make wise decisions and to gain public trust.
“Most of the duties you do is a delegated sovereign, the people you serve have given us the mandate through delegation,” said Prof. Kisiang’ani, and noted that the Constitution gives Kenyans equal chance to serve the country without discrimination.
He added that God has given each individual some competencies that can make a contribution to the society.
Prof. Kisiang’ani thanked President William Ruto for giving him a chance to serve the country as a Principal Secretary and assured members of staff that he will create a sense of humility rather than arrogance and urged them to keep the spirit of serving the country and citizenry.
The PS was speaking today during the handing over ceremony held at the Ministry’s Headquarters, Teleposta Towers where he assumed office from the outgoing Broadcasting and Telecommunications Principal Secretary Esther Koimett. The ceremony was attended by Heads of Department and Chief Executive Officers from State Corporations.
He at the same time told the Heads of Departments to keep abreast with the Bottom-Up manifesto so as understand the government’s direction and pillars of the bottom-up which include manufacturing, housing, universal healthcare, agriculture and food security.
“Our communication of government policy now should be aligned to the bottom up thinking,” stressed the PS.
Kisiang’ani noted that he was aware of the challenges the print media houses were facing which he attributed to the wrong business model structures.
He said there is need to address the issue through legislation on how media ownership can be structured so as not to promote the interests of the owners without addressing the plight of employees.
He said the media houses business structures have resulted to media owners making decisions that render people jobless, a need that requires a framework to regulate operations of media.
“We should not have business model that is so personalized, a reason that brings about layoffs,” said the PS, adding that the owners of the businesses must protect their businesses and the people they employ.
He at the same time advised the media houses to expand their businesses and not depend on politically correct money from government, saying that by being creative they will be able to survive political turbulence.
Prof. Kisiang’ani assured media houses that there will be no victimization by the government regarding their performance as both are serving the same people.
“Elections has been a bit acrimonious and the nature of democracy spells that people can agree or disagree. The President has made it clear that there will be no revenge,” he added.
The PS however, challenged the media to adhere to professionalism and to always analyze news content to avoid misinformation.
“Do not promote narrative that sets communities against each other,” advised the PS and called on Media Council of Kenya to strengthen its regulatory measure by training journalists.
He said the government would revamp Kenya Broadcasting Corporation to make its programmes more attractive so that it can compete effectively with the other media houses.
Prof. Kisiang’ani commended former PS Koimett for the excellent work she did in the Ministry and the support she has accorded him, saying that they would continue to recognize her good performance.
The PS who described Koimett as a simple person, hardworking and a professional said the State Department would consult her whenever they needed her advice.
In her remarks, Koimett thanked members of staff for supporting her during her tenure in office.
By Bernadette Khaduli
