The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has appointed former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chief executive officer Ezra Chiloba its new director-general, bringing him back to government after three years in the cold.
Mr Chiloba’s appointment comes into effect immediately.
On Tuesday, the CA board announced that it had appointed Mr Chiloba for a four-year renewable term, following a competitive recruitment process to fill the position left vacant after the retirement of Mr Francis Wangusi.
“Mr Chiloba is a policy consultant and principle partner with Chil and Kemp consultancy and an advocate of the High Court of Kenya,” CA said in a statement sent to newsrooms.
Mr Chiloba holds an undergraduate degree in law from the University of Nairobi, a Master of Arts degree from central European University in Hungary and a Master of Science degree in programme management from the University of Oxford. He has a post graduate diploma in law from the Kenya School of Law and also holds a certificate in blockchain strategy from Oxford.
“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,” the statement signed by CA board chairman Kembi Gitura said.
After Mr Wangusi exited unceremoniously from the communications regulator, the board appointed Mrs Mercy Wanjau as acting director-general.
Mr Chiloba’s appointment as CA boss is a sweet victory for the lawyer who was pushed out of the IEBC in October 2018 following a tumultuous year at the helm of the electoral commission.
He was forced to go on leave before the October 26, 2017 repeat presidential election that was contested by the opposition.
In April 2018, he sent on compulsory leave to pave way for an audit of the procurement for election materials, a decision that jolted IEBC as it was followed by coordinated resignations of three commissioners — vice chairperson Connie Maina, Margaret Mwachanya and Dr Paul Kurgat.
But it is his bitter falling-out with the IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati that made his stay at the commission untenable.
