• Speaking exclusively to the Star on phone, Wangusi said the board has no legal basis to make any appointment.
The Communications Authority on Thursday appointed Mercy Wanjau as its new Acting Director-General replacing Francis Wangusi who term has expired.
Speaking while unveiling the new appointee to media yesterday, CA chairman Ngene Gituku said the interim Director-General will be responsible for coordinating all the day-to-day activities of the organization.
"The appointment takes effect immediately. It follows extensive consultations with relevant stakeholders in order to ensure that CA continues discharging its regulatory mandate seamlessly,’’ Gituku said.
He thanked the outgoing director-general for excellent stewardship of the agency during his two terms stint.
Even so, the outgoing director has vowed not to hand over to the new appointee, saying her appointment is illegal.
Speaking exclusively to the Star on phone, Wangusi who has served the agency since 2012 said the board has no legal basis to make any appointment.
A board member at CAK told the Star that the court only stopped the appointment of new board members and allowed the former board to remain in office.
"The court said status quo remains. That means the old board remains in place and the new one waits until the case is heard and determined," said the board member.
Cofek recently moved to court to stop recruitment of a new director-general at the agency, saying the board spearheading the process is in office illegally.
"The 13-member board, led by Gituku, has no powers to recruit a new director-genera for a state entity, adding that the process should instead be steered by an independent recruiting body,’’Cofek boss Stephen Mutoro said.
A CA insider insider, Wanjau is a commercial lawyer, regulatory and Governance expert working with the agency as the director legal services and board Secretary.
She has been involved in designing and harmonizing policy and regulation in ICT sector at the local, regional and international level for over 15 year.
Prior to this, Mercy consulted with KPMG South Africa, PriceWaterhouseCoopers Kenya and also had a stint in commercial legal practice.
She has served on international secondment at the UN-International Telecommunications Union.
She serves on the Board of the SOS Children’s Villages and is a Council Member of the Institute of Certified secretaries Kenya.
She is a graduate of the University of Nairobi (LLB Hons), University of Cape Town (LLM) and Strathmore Business School. Mercy is a Certified Secretary and a Certified Professional Mediator.