The Computer Society of Kenya

Since 1986

WangusiCAKBUSINESS DAILY By OKUTTAH MARK

Wednesday June 24, 2015

Fighting cybercrime, spreading the reach of ICT services to more Kenyans and overseeing the completion of migration to digital TV broadcasting will top Francis Wangusi’s agenda following his appointment as director general of the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) for a fresh four-year term.

The CA board on Tuesday announced Mr Wangusi’s appointment with effect from August 22, marking continuity at the regulatory body’s helm as the director general’s contract was set to expire on August 21.

“The board would want the director general to deal with post-digital migration issues such as electronic waste dumping and set-top boxes distribution in the country to ensure that the gadgets reaches those who don’t have access to them,” said the CA board chairman Ben Gituku in an interview.

Mr Wangusi technically becomes the first director general under the new Kenya Information Communications Amendment KICA Act 2013, which gave the CA board powers to hire the regulatory agency’s boss in consultation with the Public Service Commission.

Mr Wangusi had served a three-year term under the previous legal dispensation.

He beat five other candidates who were on the shortlist for the top CA position that had attracted 29 contestants. The board re-advertised the position after the first call for applicants failed to attract enough candidates.

The KICA Act 2013 allows Mr Wangusi to apply for yet another four-year term in August 2019.

Mr Gituku said cybercrime was becoming a big threat to the online delivery of government services besides the increased electronic commercial transactions.

“Most urban areas are currently served by the commercial telcos. However, there are those areas that these telcos still view as non-commercially viable. It is these areas that we would want to see the director general give his full focus on going forward,” said Mr Gituku.

Kenya is among the few Africa countries that met the June 17 deadline for migration to digital TV broadcasting.

However more than 1.3 million Kenya households no longer watch television as they are yet buy the signal converter boxes to enable them access the digital television broadcasts.

CA statistics indicate that 2.2 million households have purchased the set-top boxes out of the 3.5 million households estimated to own television sets in the country.

The Consumer Federation of Kenya says the major reason why so many households do not have the digital boxes is the high cost of the devices – especially those that offer free-to-air – and the monthly subscription fees charged by the pay television broadcasters.

Mr Wangusi is expected to initiate rural connection projects using the Sh2.5 billion Universal Service Fund to increase ICT penetration in the under-served areas.

Among the key issues that the government wants to address with the funds from the kitty includes increasing high-speed Internet access, erecting mobile telephony masts in north-eastern Kenya, and upgrading data masts in remote areas.
Telcos consider such areas commercially non-viable.

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