CS Owalo Urges Media to Adapt, Hints at Government Advert Spending Cuts
ICT Cabinet Secretary (CS) Eliud Owalo has alluded to a plan by the Kenya Kwanza government to reduce advertising expenditures.
Noting that disseminating State advertisements falls under his purview, CS Owalo questioned why the government continues to spend millions of shillings on advertisements in the private sector when there are government entities, such as the Postal Corporation of Kenya, that can distribute the advertisements at lower costs.
According to Owalo, the government can spend approximately Ksh.60 million to print the’mygov’ State publication, which he claims a state agency can produce for approximately Ksh.3 million.
“I don’t see why the government should continue to spend as much on advertising revenue as it has been. In the near future, we will re-engineer that space, but we are not against the media,” he said.
“Everything I do as the ICT CS must make sense from an organizational standpoint. In this digital age, I will not continue to invest so much money in advertising revenue. It makes no sense to me, and as soon as I receive approval from the appropriate levels, I will implement changes.”
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He went on to say that the government is not required to fund the media, and that the press must be creative and find new revenue streams to sustain their businesses.
“You cannot continue conducting business in the same manner as before. In the digital age, the government cannot be the only source of revenue for the media,” he stated.
“You must adjust to change. We live in a digital economy; you cannot rely solely on government revenue if you continue to conduct business in the traditional manner. You have the wrong idea.”
To emphasize his point, Owalo added that even if the government implements the plan, the media will not become obsolete.
Owalo’s remarks come nearly three weeks after his Trade counterpart Moses Kuria made a roadside proclamation ordering government agencies to cease advertising with Nation Media Group or face dismissal.
After NMG aired a story that alluded to an alleged scandal in Kuria’s ministry, he accused the media organization of being “an opposition party” before expressing his views.
CS Owalo Urges Media to Adapt, Hints at Government Advert Spending Cuts
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