Nairobi, September 28

The former Chief Executive Officer of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Ezra Chiloba, has been appointed the Director General of the Communication Authority of Kenya.

Mr Chiloba, who left the electoral commission after under controversial circumstances after the contested 2017 presidential elections, takes over from Francis Wangusi.

Mr Wangusi was bundled out of office and replaced by Mercy Wanjau on August 22, 2019, on an acting capacity.

Prior to her appointment in the acting role, Ms Wanjau served as the authority's Director of Legal Services.

In December 2020, Chiloba was appointed as a Board Member to the Youth Fund Board.

The Communication Authority, in a statement dated September 28 and signed by its chair Kembi Getura, said Chiloba will serve for a four year term, renewable upon satisfactory performance.

"The appointment follows after a competitive recruitment process to fill the position left vacant after the retirement of former Director General, Francis Wangusi," read the appointment notice.

Currently, Mr Chiloba is a principal partner at Chil and Kemp Consultancy, a firm that specialises in policy development, governance, projects management, leadership and monitoring and evaluation.

He is a holder of a Masters of Art degree from Central European University in Hungary, a Masters of science degree in Program Management from Oxford University, UK, a Bachelors of Law degree from the University of Nairobi and a diploma in law from the Kenya School of Law.

Mr Chiloba is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya.

It will be remembered that after the controversial 2017 General Election, the IEBC - in which Mr Chiloba was the CEO - disintegrated fast with four commissioners resigned. The four included Roselyne Akombe in 2017, Connie Nkatha Maina (Vice Chair), Margaret Mwachanya and Paul Kurgat in 2018.

The three commissioners who resigned on April 16, 2018, accused the commission's chair, Wafula Chebukati, of being unable to lead the polls agency out of the crisis it was in.

IEBC was then under sharp criticism over its perceived role in bungling the presidential elections in which President Uhuru Kenyatta of Jubilee Party defeated Mr Raila Odinga of then National Super Alliance (NASA).

Mr Odinga contested the results at the Supreme Court under Chief Justice (Rtd.) David Maraga twice, but his second petition would be thrown out for lack of merit and on a technical basis.

The appointment of Mr Chiloba is likely to generate more heat than light bearing in mind that the announcement has been made by Mr Getura who is facing graft allegations over his role as the chairperson of the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (KEMSA) Board.