Wangusi’s plan as he seeks fresh term at watchdog

For Mr Francis Wangusi, raising the contribution of the ICT sector to the national economy to at least 10 per cent would be his main focus if he is offered a second term at the helm of the Communications Authority of Kenya.

Mr Wangusi would also prioritise closing the existing technology gaps in Kenya and ensure a faster roll-out of fourth generation (4G) network, if he is reappointed to the position he has held for the last three years.

His current contract at the communications industry watchdog expires in August and the board has already called on qualified persons to apply for the job.

“We have seen growth in the ICT sector now contributing 7.5 per cent to the GDP. We now need a well-guided sector with concentration on selected important areas,” he told Smart Company on Friday. “There are high indications that I will still want to go back to the job.” 

DIVISIVE FIGURE

On Thursday, the authority’s board chairman Ben Gituku said the industry had achieved a lot under the guidance of Mr Wangusi, who is eligible for a fresh term.

Mr Wangusi said that despite having had a tough tenure, he has received good support from the government, the ICT ministry and CA board.

His work as the director-general of the authority has not been a smooth ride having clashed both with the government and the private industry on a number of occasions.

Mr Wangusi was confirmed  as the director-general in 2013 in the middle of a heated industry fight over whether or not to resume the mobile termination rates glide path that had been suspended by former President Mwai Kibaki.

The debate had sharply divided the industry  and drawn the attention of key political figures in Kenya.

However, his most recent fight has been on digital migration, where a dispute among the parties involved resulted in a suit at the Supreme Court.

Mr Wangusi was accused of denying Kenyans their right to information by shutting down four leading television stations — NTV, KTN, Citizen TV and QTV— which were fighting for more time to acquire and distribute their digital broadcasting equipment.

And just last week, he may have just opened a new battlefront with telcos when he announced an intention to increase the target collections of a fund set up to finance provision of technology services in rural areas from the current Sh2.5 billion to Sh4 billion.  

The recruitment of a new director-general is expected to be complete by August 22.