The Computer Society of Kenya

Since 1986

mucheru-picDAILY NATION By LILIAN OCHIENG

Friday January 08,2016

Information Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru has been urged to appoint a chief executive to head the ICT Authority.

Stakeholders in the ICT sector said the appointment should be done to avoid stalling of projects managed by the authority.

President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Cabinet reshuffle last year created the vacancy after the then CEO Victor Kyalo was appointed principal secretary in the ICT ministry.

The authority handles the school laptops project, which is to be implemented beginning this year. It is also responsible for all government ICT functions.

“The legal instrument establishing the ICT Authority does not envisage a situation where the body operates without a CEO,” said Information Communication Technology Association of Kenya (ICTAK) Secretary-General Kamotho Njenga.

“In view of the strategic role ICTA is expected to play towards the Kenyan digital drive, it would be imprudent to leave the agency headless over a protracted period,” he said.

Mr Njenga recommended that the process of appointing a CEO be competitive and participatory to avert legal challenges.

“The ICT Authority Board is properly advised to enlist the services of a neutral agency like the Public Service Commission in the recruitment exercise,” he said.

The Information CS told the Nation that it is critical to have the authority fully functional.

Mr Mucheru dispelled fears that the authority may fail to carry out its mandate, adding that there is an acting CEO.

‘The board will meet on January 7 to recommend a substantive acting CEO who will be in office untill the vacancy is filled,” he said.

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