Cabinet Secretary for Information and Digital Economy Eliud Owalo has distanced his office from the suspension of Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) Director-General Ezra Chiloba.
Speaking in Mombasa, Mr Owalo stated that matters concerning authority governance are handled by the respective authorities. He added that his office has yet to receive formal communication on the matter.
“I’m in Mombasa, I have not received anything concerning that issue. There are procedures in government. Governance of authorities is handled within its authorities, oversight of institutions is done at level of its governance,” he said.
Mr Chiloba was suspended on Monday following allegations of conflict of interest, gross misconduct, and violation of the code of ethics.
The conflict of interest stemmed from his application and approval of his own mortgage, which was inflated by nearly two-thirds, and being both the buyer and seller in a transaction in which the authroity paid Sh25 million.
The revelations came as a result of an audit into the administration of CA’s staff mortgage scheme conducted by the authority’s and National Treasury’s internal audit departments.
“It has not come to my desk. When it comes to my desk I will deal with it. Let’s cross the bridge when we get there. Let’s deal with it when it gets to my desk,” said Mr Owalo.
The CS spoke on the sidelines of the East Africa Communications Organisation’s second Post and Logistics Forum.
Mr Christopher Wambua, the Acting CA Director-General, also attended the event.
Mr. Owalo urged postal and courier services to develop new strategies for survival and success in the world’s competitive digital transformation.
“We cannot continue with the old mode of techniques. We have to create innovative space for the growth of e-commerce not only in our country but also in the region,” he said.
The CS discouraged stakeholders from relying on national government aid and challenged them to come up with innovative ways to leverage the postal and courier services they provide.
Mr Wambua, for his part, stated that the authority had put in place measures to boost the growth of Kenya’s postal sector.
He mentioned initiatives such as reviewing the authority’s legal framework, improving policies to facilitate the growth of digital commerce in the region, supporting Kenya’s address system, and facilitating the growth of digital infrastructure.
