By Joseph Ngunjiri
Lawrence Njagi has been retained as chairman of the Kenya Publishers Association (KPA) for the second consecutive term. Also retained in the publishers’ seven-member governing council are Mr Simon Sossion, Mr David Waweru and Mr Kakai Karani.
The KPA council has been reconstituted at a time when publishers prepare to engage the Jubilee Government in providing digital content to go with the laptops promised for Standard One pupils starting next year.
New members of the council include Mr Musyoki Muli, managing director of Longhon Publishers, Mr John Mwazemba, managing director of Phoenix Publishers and Ms Wanjiru Denge of Single Publishers. Outgoing members are Ms Eve Obara of Kenya Literature Bureau, Mr Kithaka wa Mberia of Marimba Publishers and Ms Janet Njoroge, who retired as managing director of Longhorn Publishers last year.
Sossion is managing director of Target Publications, while Waweru is MD of WordAlive Publishers.
Njagi, who is managing director of Mountain Top Publishers, said publishers, who provide more than 90 per cent of learning materials in schools, expressed confidence that KPA would be reliable partners with the Jubilee when the much anticipated digital era kicks off in next year.
Digital content
“We will continue to diligently discharge our role by providing the bulk of digital content when the Government, through the Ministry of Education, integrates technology in the curriculum starting next year,” he said. “The much-talked about laptops will simply be vehicles through which digital content will be accessed by school children.”
The KPA chairman also congratulated Prof Jacob Kaimenyi for being nominated for the position of Education Cabinet Secretary. “As key stakeholders, publishers believe Prof Kaimenyi, who has been in the academia, has what it takes to steer the Education ministry to success,” said Njagi.
“If he is successful in the vetting, publishers will be happy to work with him as we face the challenge of realising the Government’s ICT blueprint,” added Njagi.
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Education indicated funds have been set aside for purchasing digital content to be used for laptops the Jubilee government promised to give to schools.
There are, however, misgivings among publishers that the Kenyan Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), formerly Kenya Institute of Education (KIE), plans to sidestep them in provision of digital content.
