Standard Media Group offices/FILE
The Ministry of ICT, Innovations and Youth Affairs has cancelled an offer for Standard Media Group to run a media campaign for the launch of the National Irrigation Sector Investment Plan (NISIP).
The ICT ministry had approved the engagement of the media house in the campaign, alongside the Star, Cape Media and Nation Media Group, vide a letter addressed to the PS, State Department of Irrigation, Ephantus Kimotho.
“Please note that following administrative advice, the inclusion of the Standard Media Group has been cancelled. Please proceed to engage The Star, Cape Media and Nation Media Group for the campaign, beside the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC),” a letter dated March 14 reads.
It was signed by Michael Okidi, acting for ICT PS, Edward Kisiang’ani.
“Please proceed to engage The Star, Cape Media and Nation Media Group for the campaign, beside the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC),” the letter adds.
The government contracts media houses for advertising through the Government Advertising Agency (GAA), which handles all state media advertising, with all advertising requests being forwarded to the agency.
Ministries, departments, and government entities forward their advertising requests to GAA, which in turn manages the allocation of funds and placement of ads across various media platforms.
The agency then determines which media platforms are most suitable for the specific campaign and may issue bids to media houses for advertising slots.
Once a media house is selected, GAA negotiates the terms of the contract, including the cost, duration, and placement of the advertisements.
Payments to media houses are made through government financial management systems for transparency and accountability.
In a bid to revamp the agricultural irrigation sector and ensure food security in the country, the government is working on a five-year plan dubbed the National Irrigation Sector Investment Plan (NISIP).
NISIP is currently undergoing public participation involving various stakeholders ahead of the official launch of the strategic master plan scheduled for March 21.
“NISIP seeks to address water challenges we have in the agricultural sector and mitigate the effects of climate change, particularly drought and floods, to ensure continued productivity in ASAL. The Plan will address food insecurity through strategies such as building dams, water pans, and reservoirs,” PS Kimotho said during a consultative workshop in Nairobi on February 13.
He said the NISIP will partner with corporate agribusiness and large-scale farmers willing to lease government-owned land for farming with the possibility of further subsidizing farm inputs such as solar pumps, and facilitating farmers to access local and foreign markets.
