President William Ruto has revoked the appointment of Mary Wambui Mungai as the non-executive chairperson of the Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK), replacing her with Charles Kamau Karondo.
The changes were made through a gazette notice dated August 8, 2025.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 6 (1) (a) of the Kenya Information and Communications Act, as read together with section 51 (1) of the Interpretation and General Provisions Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint—Charles Kamau Karondo to be the non-executive Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Communications Authority, for a period of three (3) years, with effect from 8th August, 2025. The appointment of Mary Wambui Mungai is revoked,” reads the notice signed by the President.
Karondo’s appointment takes effect immediately and will run for three years.
In a separate but related move, Water Cabinet Secretary Eric Murithi Mugaa appointed Mary Wambui to chair the Board of Directors of the Athi Water Works Development Agency.
Her appointment also takes effect from August 8, 2025, and will run for a similar three-year term.
This appointment reversed Karondo’s previous role in the water agency.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 66 (1) (a) of the Water Act, as read together with section 51 (1) of the Interpretation and General Provisions Act, the Cabinet Secretary for Water, Sanitation and Irrigation, appoints—Mary Wambui Mungai to be the non-executive Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Athi Water Works Development Agency... The appointment of Charles Kamau Karondo is revoked,” the gazette notice stated.
Ruto appointed Mungai on December 2, 2022, to replace Gilbert Kibe, who resigned.
In a letter addressed to Ruto and seen by the Star, Kibe said he resigned to pursue personal interests.
"Due to personal interests that I wish to pursue, I hereby tender my resignation as chairman of the Board of Directors of the Communications Authority of Kenya with effect from December 1, 2022," he wrote.
Kibe, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority Director General, was appointed by retired President Uhuru Kenyatta on May 17, 2022.
Mungai is a Chief Executive Officer with over 30 years of success in various industries.
She has served as a Board Member in several entities, including as a Board Member of Kenyatta National Hospital for seven years, where she served as Chair of Finance and all Purposes Committee, and as Chair of Corporate Strategy and Enterprise Committee.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the Kenya Methodist University and a Diploma in Clearing and Forwarding from the Kenya Institute of Clearing and Forwarding.
In a separate notice, President Ruto also reappointed Shallow Abdullahi Yahya to serve another three-year term as the non-executive Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA).
Yahya's reappointment was effected under the National Drought Management Authority Act.
