Businesswoman and United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party Disputes Resolution Committee Vice-Chair Mary Wambui Mungai has replaced Gilbert Kibe as the board chair of the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA).
President William Ruto appointed Ms Wambui hours after Mr Kibe resigned, citing “personal interests”.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 6 (1) (a) of the Kenya Information and Communications Act, I, William Ruto, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces of the Republic of Kenya, appoint Mary Wambui Mungai to be the Chairperson of the Board of Communications Authority of Kenya, for a period of three (3) years, with effect from the December 2, 2022,” states the gazette notice.
“The appointment of Gilbert Kibe is revoked,” it adds.
The notice came barely hours after Mr Kibe quit, just seven months after his appointment.
Mr Kibe quit in a letter dated December 2, 2022, and addressed to President William Ruto.
“Due to personal interests that I wish to pursue, I hereby tender my resignation as chairman … with effect from December 1, 2022,” wrote Kibe in the letter that was also copied to ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo.
“I take this opportunity to sincerely thank you for according me the opportunity to serve in this important and strategic regulatory agency for the last seven months,” said Mr Kibe.
Mr Kibe was appointed as the CA chairman by retired President Uhuru Kenyatta on May 13 for a three-year term.
Before joining the regulator, Mr Kibe was the director-general of the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA). He exited in February this year after serving two three-year terms.
He has previously served as the chief executive of Bahati Ridge Development Limited and Nairobi Flight Training Limited. He was also a chairman of Home Afrika International.
Mr Kibe’s resignation comes in a period when President Ruto, who was sworn in on September 13, is reviewing positions in government including the appointment of cabinet secretaries last month and the swearing-in of principal secretaries on Friday morning.
Just last week, the National Treasury triggered the ouster of Kenya Power board chair Vivienne Yeda ahead of the utility’s AGM set for December 16.
