By Nyang’au Araka and Courtesy
Newly appointed Principal Secretary (PS) for the State Department for Broadcasting and Telecommunications (SDBT), Stephen Isaboke has officially occupied the position.
He officially took the portfolio over from Prof. Edward Kisiangani who was moved to a different office by President William Ruto.
The ceremony took place at the Ministry headquarters.
In his inaugural remarks, Isaboke called upon the Ministry’s officials to work effectively and collaboratively in order to fulfil their mandate.
“We are all in the same ecosystem, working for the same government. We need to deliver on our mandate and make our country great,” he said.
“You are judged not by promise but by action.”
He promised to support the team in fulfilling ongoing projects within SDBT.
“I am here to build on the good work that outgoing PS Prof. Edward Kisiang’ani and the team have done,” Isaboke said.
“I promise to carry on the work and take it to the next level.”
He thanked Prof. Kisiang’ani for giving an elaborate summary of activities undertaken, ongoing and future projects for SDBT.
The projects include plans to utilize e-commerce to revamp the Postal Corporation of Kenya (PCK), advancing Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) and the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication (KIMC).
He further pointed out the development of a Communication Policy and Strategy to guide the implementation of communication matters nationally; noting that the document is in the final stages of completion.
Prof. Kisiang’ani thanked the department officials for working as a team, ensuring great strides in the revision of policy and regulations in Broadcasting and Telecommunications, creating an elaborate succession management plan and establishing a clear structure for administration of duties.
In his new role as senior advisor and member of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors, Prof. Kisiang’ani indicated that he will continue to support the Department in the delivery of services.
In attendance were CEOs and Heads of Departments.
Meanwhile, Isaboke on Wednesday met a delegation from the Universal Postal Union (UPU) at the Ministry Headquarters.
They discussed the UPU POST4HEALTH Project, which will enable the Postal Corporation of Kenya (PCK) to build capacity to provide health-related services.
This will promote diversification of postal services and contribute to national public health policies.
The Government is currently restructuring PCK for it to effectively compete in an increasingly digital and multi-operator environment.
The restructuring will also support PCK to fully harness opportunities in the digital economy, including e-commerce, and to diversify its services.
Isaboke appreciated UPU as a strategic partner, noting that the government will remain active in the affairs of the Union going forward.