PS Edward Kisiang'ani Kicked Out After Court Deems His Directive On KBC Unconstitutional

Edward Kisiang'ani has been dropped as the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Principal Secretary (PS), hours after the High Court ruled that he has no powers to decide which media houses in Kenya get government advertisements.

However, in a surprising twist, the PS was promoted to the top circle at the State House, now expected to serve as a Senior Advisor and Member of the President's Council of Economic Advisors.

Kisiangani has been replaced by Stephen Isaboke who now takes over the ICT docket. “These changes are driven by the need to harness the opportunities with emerging sectors of the economy as well as to address challenges affecting Kenya’s social fabric,” a statement communicating the changes by Head of Public Service Felix Koskei read in part.

President William Ruto speaking at State House, Nairobi on March 19, 2025 during the awarding of a charter to Riara University. /PCS

“Collectively, the changes seek to further accelerate the implementation of the Administration’s seminal socio-economic blueprint, the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).”

Kenyan journalists will no doubt look at the new appointee with a keen eye as he will be tasked with steering the State Department of Broadcasting and Telecommunications. 

This is a department that is responsible for promoting growth and development in the mass media and telecommunications sectors, ensuring universal access to quality services, and empowering citizens with reliable information. 

The shift came as Kisiang'ani tasted defeat at the High Court, which dismissed his directive last year that all government agencies, independent commissions and public universities air their TV and radio adverts through the state-owned broadcaster, Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC).

This move saw lawyers and journalists turn their anger towards him for what they believed was a sinister plot to monopolize advertising and cripple the financial status of media houses that have been going through hard times since the COVID-19 period five years ago.

On Thursday, Justice Lawrence Mugambi ruled that Kisiang’ani did not have the authority to direct public officers and government entities on where to place their advertisements.

The court found that Kisiang’ani had acted beyond his mandate by restricting government ads to specific platforms, a move Justice Mugambi described as an attempt to stifle independent media by limiting their revenue sources.

“The second respondent unlawfully appropriated unto himself non-existent powers. Under the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, the second respondent has no capacity to exercise such powers, rendering his memo void ab initio,” Justice Mugambi ruled.