Former editor appointed KBC managing director

Naim Bilal, who has been appointed the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation MD. [Photo, Courtesy]

Naim Bilal has been appointed the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation Managing Director.

Bilal earned his appointment following a competitive recruitment process by the Board of the Corporation in 2018.

It was conducted with the assistance of PriceWaterHouse Coopers.

He emerged the best candidate in a field of more than 35 candidates who applied for the position, leading to interviews of shortlisted applicants on January 24, 2019.

The new MD has more than 29 years’ experience in media and communication management, gained in the private and public sectors in Kenya.

Until his appointment, Bilal was the acting director of information in the Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology.

Previously, he served as the Director of Public Affairs and Communication in the Judiciary.

In the private sector, Bilal worked for the Nation Media Group for 19 years, where he rose to the position of Managing Editor / News Manager in the print and broadcasting divisions.

In a statement, ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru said, "The new Managing Director will be expected to ensure the broadcaster becomes the leading choice of information and news for all Kenyans, across its various broadcast channels.

"On top of this, he has been tasked to ensure that KBC ramps up its production capacity and work with local content producers to ensure we have quality Kenyan content is availed through its channels."

Being a signal distributor for free to air digital TV channel, Bilal will be expected to work with the industry to guarantee improved and efficient distribution of TV content that can be received across the country.