Kenya’s tech sector optimistic on new Cabinet pick
What you need to know:
- During his time at Wananchi online, Mr Mucheru worked tirelessly in the background to influence government ICT policies.
- The biggest challenge they are likely to face in their line of duty is the one that afflicts everyone who rises to the top.
- Another successful project was the WEZESHA project that saw close to fifteen thousand laptops sold and delivered to university students across the country at a subsidised rate.
When the President announced his revamped government line-up, now dubbed Government 2.0, many within the ICT sector were happy to see Joe Mucheru and Victor Kyalo rise to the top.
Sammy Itemere was also nominated Principal Secretary, though information on his background is not widely available within the sector.
Mr Mucheru, the nominee for Cabinet Secretary, ICT, is a well-known industry player, having co-founded the ISP, Wananchi Online way back in the late 1990s.
Wananchi Online demystified the internet by pushing it beyond corporate offices and into Wanjiku’s reach.
They did this by reducing prices while extending the network reach into semi-urban and rural areas.
During his time at Wananchi online, Mr Mucheru worked tirelessly in the background to influence government ICT policies. This was possible from his former position as Chairman of TESPOK (Telecommunication Service Provider of Kenya) as well as one of the founding members of the online KICTAnet (Kenya ICT Network) forum.
More recently, however, Mr Mucheru has been the Country Manager for Google Kenya, where he has continued to play an important role in shaping and implementing Google content strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa. He is therefore not new to Kenya’s ICT and is expected to hit the ground running at the ministry.
GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRACIES
The nominee will, however, need to brace himself and learn a lot about how government works; government bureaucracies the world over are notorious for throwing a wet blanket and extinguishing fires from over-enthusiastic individuals - particularly those from the private-sector.
The welcome message in government for private sector types is often – ‘you found us here, you are likely to leave us here’.
This is government-speak for ‘do not try to push us around since we have seen Ministers and even Presidents come and go’.
But this is where Victor Kyalo, the nominee for Principal Secretary, ICT & Innovations comes in handy.
Victor, as he is known within ICT circles, is already in government as the CEO of the ICT Authority. He has been in government ever since he was poached from the University of Nairobi ten years ago, where he was a lecturer at the Electrical Engineering department.
Before becoming the CEO of ICT Authority, Victor was the Deputy CEO of the prefunct ICT Board, in charge of ICT projects.
He was instrumental in setting up the first submarine cable that saw the East African coast finally get connected to the global internet, TEAMS, through fast fibre as opposed to the previously slower satellite connections.
He was also involved in the setting up KENET (Kenya Education Network), a national research and educational network that provides digital academic and internet resources to all universities and tertiary institutions in the country.
WEZESHA PROJECT
Another successful project was the WEZESHA project that saw close to fifteen thousand laptops sold and delivered to university students across the country at a subsidised rate.
Perhaps the President tas taken the cue and decided to move the explosive primary school Laptop project to the ICT Authority, where Victor’s experience in handling and delivering on big budget projects may come in handy.
As an experienced government insider and accounting officer, Victor may provide indispensible insights necessary for the new CS to navigate through intricate government bureaucracies – both within and beyond the ICT ministry.
In summary, these two are well placed to stimulate positive energy within the sector, reminiscence of the so-called golden era days of Hon Mutahi Kagwe, James Rege and Bitange Ndemo.
Those days saw rapid developments in the ICT sector that were largely attributed to an open-door government attitude where any and all stakeholders from the industry, media, academia, regulators amongst others were welcome to contribute ideas in equal measure.
GOLDEN ERA
Whereas Mr Mucheru and Mr Kyalo were actively involved and engaged during those “golden era” days, it remains to be seen if and how they intend to bring back those days.
The biggest challenge they are likely to face in their line of duty is the one that afflicts everyone who rises to the top.
Will they surround themselves with sycophants who cannot dare criticise them or will they be open to accommodating opposing views that may sound harsh or uncomfortable, but eventually add value?
Prof Bitange Ndemo, the former PS, ICT is on record for saying that his best decisions were made after listening to his harshest critics.
The truth always lies between the sycophant and the critic. Ignoring critics leaves you with half the truth, denying yourself the benefit of working with the full spectrum of the truth.
Kenya’s ICT sector may be excited, but it still be cautiously watching to see if the new team will actually steer it to the next level, that of Government 2.0.
