[kictanet] Dr. Ndemo & the KBC Staff Strike

[Rad!]

I must disagree there. We have plenty of bodies in Kenya that are
adequately funded that are running around in circles and there are those
doing amazing work on shoestring budgets. It cannot be as simple as funding.

On Tuesday, March 6, 2012, Bitange Ndemo <bitange at jambo.co.ke> wrote:
> BBC is adequately funded and everybody understands it's universal service
obligation.  When we tried to commercialize KBC we did not understand this
cardinal principal.
>
> On language, there is need address the matter urgently.  Our culture is
not good with taking things seriously.  We lack the ethics to embrace such
words as merit.  The Constitution has even made it worse with the equity in
employment.  We ain't seen nothin yet.  We shall be on the streets once
again trying to change the constitution.
>
> Ndemo.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On 06 Mar 2012, at 13:08, "Rad!" <conradakunga at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Bwana Ndemo I have no doubt in the course of your duties you must have
>> done an analysis into why the BBC, a state broadcaster is by and large
>> one of the most successful not only in the UK but worldwide. I find it
>> amazing that when I want to listen to news, BBC is the station I turn
>> to. I remember many years ago in high school that our very able
>> Kiswahili teacher, one Maathias Mwagonah told us bluntly the only
>> station that spoke proper Kiswahili was the BBC Kiswahili Service!
>>
>> Why, in your opinion is BBC so successful? What lessons can we learn?
>>
>> On Tue, Mar 6, 2012 at 1:14 PM,  <bitange at jambo.co.ke> wrote:
>>> Washington,
>>> I simply gave you the high level problems that needs to be sorted out
>>> strategically.  KBC has been the training ground for the industry and to
>>> some extent literarly undermined by competition.  It is weighed down by
>>> legacy issues be it in technology or labour force.  We are dealing with
>>> the structure and technology first.  The labour issue is complex.  We
have
>>> in the past tried to move as many redudant staff as we can but the
>>> retrenchment cost is as high as what you will need to change the
>>> organization.  GoK also must pay for public broadcast since in some
>>> stations will never make money as they are part of the universal access
to
>>> broadcasting (CCK USF may be helpful).
>>>
>>> Alot has been done and we need to do more.  The current strike brought
out
>>> some issues where the artistes have been doing the job that should be
done
>>> by someone.  Obviously not a great way to spend public resources.  But
to
>>> untangle this we need the cooperation of the staff.  We have sent a team
>>> to do a work load and job analysis as well as skills inventory.  We must
>>> be scientific in the reform agenda otherwise we ran the risk of
>>> victimizing good workers.
>>>
>>> We are not taking any actions on any issue at the moment antil we have
>>> finished all the audits we have started.  We must avoid knee jerk
>>> reactions at all costs.
>>>
>>> There are mechanisms for disposing obsolete equipment.  If we have
space,
>>> it will be a great way to have broadcasting museum.  It will help future
>>> engineers to understand where we have come from and possibly inspire new
>>> innovations.
>>>
>>> Regards
>>>
>>>
>>> Ndemo.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> Hello Dr. Ndemo,
>>>>
>>>> I appreciate your response, but I'd like to know from you what it is
that
>>>> is ailing KBC - and kindly be open with facts as they are. So far,
you've
>>>> only said that KBC is grossly in debt, and you've only attributed this
to
>>>> dumping of technology which was being phased out - specifically Medium
>>>> Wave
>>>> equipment. Your answer is not convincing, unless you are saying the 20b
>>>> comprises debt incurred in the dumping process and running of the MW
>>>> equipment. Are there other factors that are associated with the debt
and
>>>> what is the govt doing to address those?
>>>> A string of govt/KBC staff are responsible for this dumping, and we are
>>>> talking about public funds here. Obviously, these people who did the
>>>> dumping (when new FM stations were being licensed and operating
>>>> everywhere)
>>>> knew so well what they were doing. It's not really hard to prove
>>>> connivance
>>>> on their part. Did KBC import equipment without supervision/knowledge
of
>>>> CCK or whatever name the regulator was at that time? What action is
being
>>>> taken against those people? We do have an authority to deal with cases
of
>>>> corruption. Are they dealing already?
>>>> How and when is the debt going to be serviced?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Anyway, the main issue in the current debate is about those grievances
>>>> that
>>>> led the staff to take to the streets. You are in the right position to
>>>> tell
>>>> us what these were specifically and wh
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