Mercy Wanjau replaces Francis Wangusi as CA director general

Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) Centre in Nairobi. Legal Services Director Mercy Wanjau has been appointed as acting CA director general, replacing Francis Wangusi. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mr Wangusi has been the boss of the communications regulator since 2012.
  • CA is a state parastatal mandated with regulating telco, ICT, postal, broadcasting services and courier sectors.
  • Mr Wangusi presided over the country's transition from analogue to digital transmission.

The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has appointed Legal Services Director Mercy Wanjau as acting director general, replacing Francis Wangusi whose term expires on August 23, 2019 after serving for eight years.

Prior to her appointment to CA as legal services director, Ms Wanjau served as a consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and KPMG South Africa.

She also worked for the International Telecommunications Union.

LAWYER

"Ms Mercy Wanjau is a commercial lawyer, a regulatory and governance professional currently working with the Communications Authority of Kenya as the Di-rector Legal Services and Board Secretary. She has been involved in designing and harmonising policy and regulation in the ICT sector at the local, regional and international level for over 15 years," CA Board Chairman Ngene Gituku said in a statement.

She has a law degree from the University of Nairobi and a master's degrees from the University of Cape Town and Strathmore Business School.

Mr Wangusi has been the boss of the communications regulator since 2012 when he took over from Mr Charles Njoroge.

CA is a state parastatal mandated with regulating telco, ICT, postal, broadcasting services and courier sectors.

MADE MARK

"There is no doubt Wangusi has made a mark in the sector and will remain an important footnote in the history of the ICT industry for a long time," Mr Gituku said.

He was re-appointed director general for a second four-year term in 2015.

During his tenure, Mr Wangusi presided over the country's transition from analogue to digital transmission.

DIGITAL MIGRATION

"He is a transformative leader under whose watch over the ICT sector realised significant achievements, including migration of the country from analogue to digital TV broadcasting that expanded competition in the broadcasting industry," the statement said.

The authority also said that Mr Wangusi was responsible for the low mobile charges that subscribers are currently enjoying after the implementation of the mobile termination rates (MTRs).

He was also tasked with addressing several industry disputes – among them the question of Safaricom's dominant position and the CA's award of a 4G license to Jamii Telecommunications Limited.

BOARDROOM WARS

Last year, Mr Wangusi was embroiled in a boardroom battle that ran for months.

The CA board on January 12, 2018 sent Mr Wangusi on a three-month compulsory leave, arguing that they needed him out of the office to allow an independent audit of the regulator’s employment processes.

He moved to court shortly after his suspension and obtained an order reinstating him to the job pending determination of the suit.

After months of standoff, the CA in September last year ended the feud with Mr Wangusi after it signed an agreement not to interfere with his contract.