Mps Want KLB and JKF Merged, Cite Overlapping Mandates
Lawmakers in Kenya have called for the merger of the Jomo Kenyatta Foundation (JKF) and the Kenya Literature Bureau (KLB), citing overlapping mandates.
JKF is a publishing company that also offers scholarships to high school students, while KLB’s main mandate is to publish, print, and distribute books.
Members of the Public Investments Committee on Education and Governance have questioned why two state agencies have similar mandates.
During a meeting with JKF’s managing director, David Mwaniki, the committee suggested that the government should allow public companies to take charge of the book-publishing sector instead of supporting entities that do not receive government funding.
MP Kakai Bisau, who represents the Kiminini constituency, asked why the government was duplicating efforts and questioned whether the two entities could be merged. Bisau noted that both JKF and KLB engage in similar activities in terms of book publishing and supply.
The committee chair, Wanami Wamboka, raised concerns about why JKF receives few government orders, despite having government officials on its board.
He questioned the institution’s existence and whether it serves any government interest since it operates as a for-profit entity that does not receive government funding.
Mwaniki responded by explaining that JKF is a profit-making organization that utilizes its profits to offer scholarships.
He further stated that JKF competes in an open market with private organizations and that the company does a lot of lobbying and marketing to secure orders from the private market.
However, the committee members insisted that the two entities merge to eliminate duplication of efforts and allow public companies to take charge of the sector.
The proposed merger would involve integrating the two organizations’ functions and operations to streamline service delivery and eliminate redundancy.
The move could also lead to cost savings and efficiencies, as the merged entity could leverage economies of scale to achieve higher volumes of production and distribution.
Additionally, the merged entity could collaborate with other players in the industry to drive innovation and growth in the book-publishing sector.
Mps Want KLB and JKF Merged, Cite Overlapping Mandates
