Kenya's ICT Authority starts hunt for new CEO

NAIROBI: Information and Communication Technology Authority (ICTA) is searching for the next CEO, barely two months since the position fell vacant.

Former CEO Victor Kyalo was appointed Principal Secretary in the ICT Ministry during President Kenyatta's Cabinet reshuffle in late November last year.

In an advertisement on its website and in local dailies, the authority has put January 29 as the deadline of sending applications. "The successful candidate will serve on a three-year contract, renewable subject to satisfactory performance and delivery of set performance targets," read part of the advert.

The authority, which was established in August 2013, is in charge of all Government ICT functions, including rationalising and streamlining management of ICT institutions and agencies.

Last week, players in the ICT sector had appealed to the Information Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru to appoint a new CEO to avoid delaying the ongoing projects of the corporation. Information Communication Technology Association of Kenya (ICTAK) Secretary General Kamotho Njenga said it would be imprudent to leave the agency without a substantive CEO for long.

The new CEO will have to ensure among other things that the Government delivers over 900,000 laptops for Standard One learners under the Digital Literacy Programme. The Sh17 billion project, which has stalled since 2013, appears to be on course after the authority opened tenders on Friday last week.