His return to the limelight has been as dramatic as his unceremonious exit from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) three years ago.
But just like a bad dream to be forgotten fast, Ezra Chiloba Simiyu, the new director-general of the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), says he is keen to rise again.
“Where I am right now, I am focused on the future. The past had its part and it is gone,” he told the Nation in an interview yesterday.
“For three years, I had a great time to reflect, learn and prepare for the next challenge. I can now state that my sword is sharp; my heart satisfied; and my faith sure about the challenge ahead.”
From the timing of his appointment to the agency he has been handed to run, Mr Chiloba is once again the centre of attention.
As the CEO of the IEBC from 2015 to 2018, his infectious enthusiasm charmed him into the hearts of many, as he steered the country through a turbulent leadership transition and complex 2017 elections.
He would be forced out in the middle of a protracted procurement controversy at IEBC and prolonged political pressure from opposition politicians.
“A lot to say about lessons from my time at the IEBC. The question will always be: how do you effectively lead an institution like IEBC in a country like Kenya?” he posed.
After three years in the cold, the smiling lawyer is back, now in charge of an important institution that will once again shape next year’s General Election.
Mr Chiloba says his immediate focus will be to transform CA into a regulatory agency that puts Kenya at the front of technological change.
"(I plan to build) a regulatory institution that is responsive to the challenges and opportunities that the 21st century brings forth, given the ever-changing ICT space. The idea is to ensure that Kenya is at the forefront of the fourth industrial revolution," Mr Chiloba told the Nation as he welcomed his appointment.
The appointment caught many by surprise and was welcomed with mixed emotions. Some, like his former colleague and now fiercest critic Roseline Akombe, did not wait for the ink to dry on the letter.
“And with the appointment of the new CA Director General, 2022 is sealed,” Ms Akombe tweeted.
Before joining IEBC, Mr Chiloba had a distinguished career in the private sector, having worked with reputable international and local organisations, including the United Nations.
“My experience spans over 15 years in public sector management including policy, legislation, financial management, stakeholder management, risk management and leadership,” Mr Chiloba says in his CV.
In the three years he was away from the public eye, he said, he worked in private consultancy, did some farming and served on the board of the Youth Enterprise Development Fund.
Until his latest appointment, he was a principal partner at Chil & Kemp Strategies Ltd, where he oversaw strategy and business development, coordination and supervision of project teams, and partnership development.
He also established a partnership with the Kenya Election Database Project, aimed at the collation and publication of election data since 1945. He also set up a joint venture, Afmetrica, a data platform focused on social, economic and political data across Africa.
He also established a collaboration with Proxon Services Ltd to provide megaproject management and advisory services in Africa.
“I have a deep appreciation of the communication industry; its global and local challenges and opportunities for social-economic growth,” he says.
He holds a master’s degree in programme management from the University of Oxford and another master’s in public policy from Central European University in Hungary.
He studied law at the University of Nairobi and is an advocate of the High Court. He also has a certificate in blockchain technology, a skill that will come in handy as he navigates the regulatory challenges in Kenya.
CA gave Mr Chiloba a four-year renewable term, following a competitive recruitment process to fill the vacant position left by Francis Wangusi.
“As a new graduate in law, Mr Chiloba started his career as a programme officer with the Centre for Minority Rights Development and later joined South Consulting as a research and coordination officer,” said a statement from CA board chairman Kembi Gitura.
Afte Mr Wangusi left CA unceremoniously, the board appointed Mercy Wanjau as acting director-general. Mr Chiloba’s appointment takes effect immediately.
His appointment is a sweet victory for the lawyer, who was pushed out of IEBC in October 2018 following a tumultuous year at the helm of the commission.
Mr Chiloba went on forced leave before the October 26, 2017 repeat presidential election boycotted by the opposition party.
In April of the same year he was sent on compulsory leave to pave the way for an audit of the procurement of election materials, a decision that jolted IEBC as it was followed by coordinated resignations of three commissioners – vice-chairperson Connie Maina, Margaret Mwachanya and Paul Kurgat.
But it is his bitter falling-out with the current IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati that made his stay at the commission untenable. He would resign under the weight of it all.
