Acting CA boss rings the changes

Communication Authority of Kenya Legal Officer Mercy Wanjau gives her views to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Elections related laws at County Hall in Nairobi on Thursday 05/10/17 [PHOTO: Boniface Okendo, Standard]

The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has reorganised its senior management amid a raging succession row at the regulator.

The changes put the telecommunications regulator at risk of running afoul of a court order for maintenance of the status quo pending the hearing of a case challenging the appointment of four new members of the board.

In the changes announced yesterday, Acting Director-General Mercy Wanjau (pictured) appointed erstwhile director licensing, compliance and standards Christopher Kemei as the new director of the Universal Service Fund (USF).

The fund is a semi-autonomous multi-billion-shilling unit of the CA that is charged with extending telecommunications reach to areas with little or no network coverage.

Matano Ndaro, who was until yesterday the director competition, tariffs and market analysis, will now be the director licensing, compliance and standards while Maxwell Mosoti, who served as the acting director USF, now becomes the acting director competition, tariffs and market analysis. “The authority regularly reviews the available skills and experience and redeploys staff to fully leverage their strengths and to meet the ever-evolving sector needs. This is geared towards the enhancement of service delivery, efficiency and innovation,” said Wanjau in the statement.

Ms Wanjau was in August appointed the acting director-general following the lapse of the term of Francis Wangusi. She was previously the board secretary and head legal officer at the regulator. Her appointment came weeks after the ICT Ministry unveiled the board of directors in July, which had been delayed by months of internal wrangles.