Why Kabogo Wants Kbc And Posta Removed From Privatization Plan
img_tag = ("Former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo has thrown his weight behind keeping Kenya Broadcasting Corporation and Postal Corporation of Kenya out of the government's ambitious privatization drive, sparking fresh debate about what truly belongs to Wananchi.
The Ministry of ICT is now pushing back against orders to turn KBC and the Postal Corporation into purely commercial entities, arguing that both institutions serve critical public functions that cannot be left to profit-driven private hands. This comes as President Ruto's administration accelerates plans to sell off state corporations to reduce the government's financial burden.
Kabogo's intervention touches a nerve that every Kenyan understands – the fear of losing institutions that connect us from Turkana to Kwale. KBC remains the only broadcaster that reaches remote villages where your shosho lives, places where Safaricom masts fear to tread and where radio waves carry news in mother tongues that commercial stations have long abandoned.
The postal service debate hits even closer to home for millions of Kenyans who still rely on postal addresses for everything from opening bank accounts to receiving government documents. While M-Pesa revolutionized money transfer, try explaining to a civil servant why your address reads "WhatsApp" instead of "P.O Box something, somewhere."
County governments across Kenya also depend heavily on KBC's reach during emergencies – from flood warnings in Tana River to drought alerts in Marsabit. Private broadcasters focus on Nairobi traffic updates and political drama, but who else will tell a pastoralist in Garissa that relief food has arrived at the chief's camp?
The privatization debate exposes the classic Kenyan dilemma: we want efficient services but fear losing the safety net that government institutions provide. Many remember how Kenya Power's partial privatization led to higher bills while service remained poor, or how matatu operators filled gaps when public transport systems collapsed.
As this tug-of-war continues, Kenyans must ask themselves a crucial question – in our rush to embrace private sector efficiency, which public services are we willing to gamble with, and which ones should remain firmly in government hands for the sake of national unity and universal access?