Each day in management presents leaders with opportunities to influence their teams and guide them toward success.
For Victor Lomaria, his eight-year tenure as Managing Director of the Kenya Literature Bureau (KLB) has marked a period of significant transformation for this government-owned book publisher and printing company.
In a recent interview, Lomaria, who succeeded Eve Obara in 2016, reflected on his leadership role in establishing KLB as the leading publishing house in Kenya.
He expressed pride in the organization’s accomplishments, particularly in achieving its financial and strategic goals.
Under Lomaria’s leadership, KLB demonstrated strong financial performance, consistently reaching annual turnovers exceeding KSh 3 billion.
In the just-ended financial year, KLB achieved a 24 percent increase in turnover from the previous year and a remarkable 78 percent rise in net profit after tax.
Lomaria attributed these financial accomplishments to KLB’s strategic leadership and agile business model, which have strengthened the organization’s financial resilience and set it apart in the publishing industry.
“Another notable achievement is our consistent payment of dividends to the National Treasury since 1989. As a commercial entity striving for self-reliance under the Ministry of Education, we have continued delivering to the shareholders every year,” Lomaria stated.
He further emphasized that KLB’s success is also driven by its dedication to producing high-quality instructional material and relevant content.
Lomaria credited the contributions of top authors and committed editors, which have led to strong demand and high approval ratings of material from the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD).
Despite challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, Lomaria praised KLB’s resilience.
He also highlighted how KLB’s strong partnerships and collaborations with ministries, departments, agencies, and various counties have been well-leveraged, with each collaboration contributing to the organization’s success.
He stated that these partnerships and collaborations have been key to meeting market demands and achieving financial targets, further contributing to the organization’s success.
However, despite these successes, Lomaria’s tenure has not been without challenges.
He has faced significant criticism from numerous allegations, which he claims were aimed at undermining his reputation at the bureau.
Insiders within the media circle revealed that a well-known group of staff, believed to be from KLB, allegedly paid journalists to sponsor hashtags and publicize accusations against the bureau.
Lomaria said those involved will be investigated and prosecuted as soon as the investigation is complete.
These accusations include claims that Lomaria overstayed his term illegally, along with other allegations that remained unsubstantiated at the time of writing.
Lomaria, however, dismissed these claims, clarifying that his term was set to expire on August 31, 2024, following a renewal in September 2019 for five years.
Source: Nation
