Industry regulator the Communications Communication of Kenya (CCK) has appointed businessman Ben Gituku as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors after previous incumbent Eng. Philip Okundi left to pursue a political seat.
The CCK announced the three-year appointment via a notice in the Kenya Gazette. Gituku started work at the CCK today.
The appointment has been far smoother than the last significant change within the commission, when the proposed re-appointment of Charles Njoroge as Director General was challenged and dragged through the courts. Francis Wangusi was subsequently appointed Director General last month.
Gituku, a professional marketer, joined the CCK Board in February of this year having previously served on the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation and Kenya Pipeline Company boards. He has a wealth of media industry experience having also worked with various local newspapers.
He takes over as chairman at a time when the body is engaged in several transformation activities, most notably the planned countrywide switch-off of counterfeit mobile phones. Director General Wangusi has already confirmed that there will be no further extensions to the deadline, which has already been subject to postponements. Gituku said cracking down on these handsets was a top priority.
Also in Gituku’s inbox is a decision on Mobile Termination Rates, which has been subject to a two year delay. “The board will meet on the 27th, and make a decision that is final,” he told AllAfrica. Kenya also finds itself in a race against time to meet its deadline for the analogue to digital migration. The international deadline is 2015.
