Friday, September 26,
2025 - Broadcasting and Telecommunications Principal Secretary, Stephen
Isaboke, faced tough questions from MPs over the Government Advertising
Agency’s (GAA) weekly expenditure of Ksh 9 million on a single newspaper - The
Star - to publish the MyGov pullout.
Appearing before the National Assembly’s Committee on
Information, Communication and Innovation, Isaboke defended the deal, claiming
it was more cost-effective than the previous arrangement involving four
newspapers, which cost Ksh 24.5 million weekly.
“The government was spending Ksh 1.19 billion versus Ksh 432
million currently, resulting in a saving of Ksh 758 million,” he said.
However, MPs were unconvinced, arguing that the previous
deal averaged Ksh 6.1 million per newspaper and offered broader reach.
“You are saving while spending that amount on one newspaper
only. Back then, four newspapers carried MyGov with higher circulation,” said
Mbooni MP, Erastus Kivasu.
Committee Chair John Kiarie challenged the PS to digitize
GAA’s monitoring system, criticizing its reliance on delivery records from the
Postal Corporation of Kenya and a private firm.
“It’s time to go digital. Relying on the newspaper to report
its own circulation is unreliable - they could inflate or deflate numbers,” he
said.
Lawmakers urged GAA to adopt a robust, transparent
evaluation framework to justify its spending and ensure value for money.
Reports have since surfaced alleging that a senior
politician may have influenced the deal after acquiring a stake in Radio Africa
Group, the parent company of The Star Newspaper and several radio stations.
The claims have intensified scrutiny over the contract’s
transparency and raised concerns about potential conflict of interest.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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