Communications Authority Board averts crisis with Wanjau appointment

Communications Authority Board averts crisis with Wanjau appointment

The Board of the Communications Authority (CA) has appointed Mercy Wanjau as the new caretaker Director-General.

Thursday’s appointment comes in the shadows of a legal tiff which left the ICT Ministry parastatal incapacitated to instal a permanent leadership team.

“Given the strategic responsibilities vested on the Authority, we are committed to ensuring that there is no leadership vacuum,” said the Board Chairman Ngene Gituku.

Wanjau has been serving as the CA Director of Legal Services.

The previous office holder Francis Wangusi left office at the close of his second term.

Okiya Omtatah challenged new appointments at the CA saying they failed to meet a foolproof process.

The legal impasse dating back to April and July has since seen the suspension of the nomination of four appointees to the Board in including Mahmoud Noor, Paul Muraguri, Laura Chite, and Jackson Kemboi.

Omtatah’s application to the courts also catalysed the freeze on the appointment of a new CA board in April this year.

He challenged amendments to the Kenya Information Communications Act (KICA) which according to him were sneaked in through miscellaneous amendments to the Statute Law in 2018.

According to Omtatah, the changes virtually impaired the independence of the recruitment process allowing the ICT Cabinet Secretary to substantially handpick appointees to his or her liking.

CS Joe Mucheru said the ministry is following due procedure in the filling of both its board vacancies and Director-General post.

“We are now following the due process and court orders in both processes,” CS Mucheru told Citizen Digital on Tuesday.

Tags:

Communications Authority Mercy Wanjau Mucheru

Want to send us a story? Submit on Wananchi Reporting on the Citizen Digital App or Send an email to wananchi@royalmedia.co.ke or Send an SMS to 25170 or WhatsApp on 0743570000

Leave a Comment

Comments

No comments yet.

latest stories