Recently online, on X to be specific, the Minister of ICT and Innovation in the Government of Rwanda, Ms Paula Ingabire, became the centre of conversation as Kenyans, in large numbers, started comparing her to William Kabogo, her Kenyan counterpart.
If you are wondering why the Rwandan ICT Minister began trending in the first place, well, it was after she attended the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland. There, she articulated herself so well that many people started to admire her, especially when she presented a topic about Rwanda’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) position in the present age amidst global competition.
At the conference, Paula stated that the information and communications technology (ICT) sector in Rwanda has thrived in the recent decade as the nation has emphasized the importance of a strong innovation ecosystem, with AI as the new central engine driving its transformation to a knowledge-based economy. These efforts are almost fully supported by President Paul Kagame’s government, she said. Meanwhile, Kabogo, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of ICT and the Digital Economy from 2025, was getting impressed after finding out and learning of a pay-as-you-use public Wi-Fi system for the first time in his life. “Progressive innovation and idea”. He said he was astonished.
What followed? Kenyans, doubting whether their ICT CS could do the same if given such a global chance, began to compare the academic qualifications of the two. The differences were stark as day and night. Despite her young age of 42, Paula has been Rwanda’s ICT Minister since 2018.
She holds a Bachelors of Science in Computer Engineering and Information Technology from the University of Rwanda and is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s School of Engineering & Sloan School of Management, where she completed the System Design and Management program. Additionally, she serves on the Cyber Security Board of the World Economic Forum and the Global Council of the World Summit Award Board of Directors.
Before her current role, Paula led the Kigali Innovation City Project and headed ICT at the Rwanda Development Board. Under her leadership, Rwanda’s ICT sector has consistently recorded impressive growth, with reports showing an annual increase of around 17%, far ahead of Kenya’s average growth rate of 10.8% over the past decade.
Will William Kabogo Achieve the Same?
A look at his academic qualifications and records:
Unlike Paula, who is very much a civil servant, Kabogo is a politician. He was the former Governor of Kiambu from 2013 to 2017 and is now Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for ICT.
Born William Kabogo Gitau on April 4, 1961, in Komothai village, Githunguri Constituency, he schooled at St George’s Ruiru Primary School before he proceeded to Thika Technical School between 1975 and 1978.
At Thika Technical Training Institute, as it is now known, he obtained a Diploma in Electronics before moving to India for his undergraduate studies.
In India, Kabogo enrolled for a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Commerce at Punjab University in Chandigarh, graduating in 1982.
Upon returning to Kenya, he was employed as an auditor in the Auditor General’s office.
He worked as an auditor and accountant for several companies and non-governmental organizations before venturing into politics in 2002, when he won the Juja parliamentary seat.
After his first term as Kiambu Governor ended in 2017, Kabogo sought re-election in the General Elections but was defeated by his critic, Ferdinand Waititu, who was later impeached in 2020.
Since then, Kabogo, who is among the richest Cabinet Secretaries in Kenya with a net worth of over Ksh3 billion, stayed out of politics until his swearing-in as ICT CS on January 17, 2025.
This would have been a lengthy discussion, but Kenyans quickly realised they are part of a broad-based government, where anyone can be anything except a government critic on social media.
Also, Kabogo could perform. Even though his competency and capacity to make ICT decisions are questionable with only a Diploma in Electronics, the reliance on formal qualifications or certifications as the primary measure of a person’s ability is still up for debate.
