[kictanet] Dr. Ndemo & the KBC Staff Strike

Tue Mar 6 17:48:18 EAT 2012

You could have funded Telkom Kenya for days on end with no results.
With a 21,000 strong workforce mostly consisting of security guards
and drivers how could you have gotten different results.

KBC will always be an underfunded entity as long as it has a bloated
workforce and has no savings to invest in modern technology because of
its wage bill.

On Tue, Mar 6, 2012 at 5:05 PM, Rad! <conradakunga at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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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