Communications Authority (CA) Director General Ezra Chiloba has this evening been suspended. In the interim, his position has been filled by Christopher Wambua on an acting capacity.
An internal memo to all CA staff stated: “Following a meeting of the Authority’s Board held on 18th September 2023, resulting in the suspension of the Director General, I am pleased to inform all staff of the appointment of Mr. Christopher Wambua as a Director General in Acting Capacity effective today until further notice. I trust that you will accord him necessary support.” The memo was signed by Ms. Mary Wambui Mungai, current Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the CA.
The suspension is effective immediately with no timeline given. The new acting DG Mr. Christopher Wambua has been the Director of Communications & Public Affairs at CA.
Chiloba Suspension Comes After Ruto Meeting with Altman
The CA sits under the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Digital Economy (MoICTKenya). Despite the news, there has been no statement giving reasons behind the suspension.
“That docket is under me and i will give a comprehensive statement on the reasons the action has been taken once I read the full board report.”: stated Edward Kisiangani, Principal Secretary for Broadcasting & Telecommunications in a TV interview.
The CA is tasked with policing matters related to ICT in Kenya. Recently, we learned that one of its kitties, the Universal Service Fund (USF), is set to get new members of the USF advisory council to oversee the fund.
Recently, CA and the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) issued a joint statement condemning the activities of Worldcoin. This was followed by the suspension of Worldcoin with Cabinet Secretary Kindiki stating the company is under investigations.
Ominously, Chiloba’s suspension comes a few days after Kenyan president William Ruto met with the Worldcoin founder Mr. Sam Altman. It is not known what the two gents discussed at the meeting held in the US.
Mr. Chiloba has been instrumental in leading the CA through crucial moments especially with the roll out of 5G. He was also spearheading the planned roll out of Digital Sound Broadcasting (DSB) in Kenya. Notably, it comes at a time when Kenyan manufactured smartphones are in the testing phase and bound to go on sale next month.
The former electoral commission Chief Executive Officer was appointed as Director General in September 2021. We will update the story as more news reaches us.
