SECTOR 3 members, who should not be more than seven, can be public officers, but they must not be employees of the corporation. Of these seven, four should at least have specialization or experience either in “matters connected with radio communication and radio communication apparatus; radio or television programme production; print media; and financial management and administration.21 However, this requirement has not always been followed and KBC has even at some point had board members who had no inkling of specific tasks of the broadcaster.22 But perhaps what is disturbing is the fact that as currently comprised, the KBC board is wholly appointed by the executive. The chairman is appointed by the President, three of the members are Permanent Secretaries (who are presidential appointees) and the remaining seven are ministerial appointees. There is exclusive control by the government over the appointment of directors and senior management of KBC. The KBC board also reports to the Minister for Information and Communication, who happens to be the appointing authority for a majority of the members, including the Managing Director. The minister also determines the terms and conditions of service for the Managing Director. According to the regulations governing statutory corporations, the Minister is supposed to consult the board before appointing a chief executive through a process of “competitive bidding” but this rarely happens at KBC. Moreover, in some other jurisdictions the board appoints the managing director. The implication of KBC’s system of appointment is that the managing director is answerable to the minister as opposed to the board. This could mean that chances of implementing board decisions that are not in line with the minister’s vision may be minimized. KBC has a feedback mechanism through its public relations department and through its programming where audiences are asked to give comments through emails, letters, text messages or calls. It is not clear though how regular for example the public relations office responds to public complaints. 21 ibid 22 Study by AfriMap on Public Broadcasting Kenya (yet to be published) 42 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER KENYA 2009