New management for Kenyan regulator

Johannesburg, 12 May 2005

The Kenyan regulator, the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), will have a new board by the end of this week.

In a shock decision in March, the Kenyan government dissolved the CCK, supposedly due to investigations into improprieties in the selection of the country`s second national operator, despite no evidence being produced as to what the alleged improprieties were.

The country`s information and communications permanent secretary, James Rege, acknowledged it has taken too long to appoint a new board, but denied claims that the lack of a functional board had hindered service delivery.

This followed claims in some quarters that there had been a number of delays in the issuance of new licences to potential operators.

"All the paper work that needed attention has been done, because we immediately appointed James Kulubi, head of the national commission secretariat at the ministry, as acting director general," says Rege.

The disbanding of the CCK was referred to by the head of one Kenyan industry body as being "one of the darkest days in both Kenya`s and Africa`s communications sectors history".

Many people suspect that the issue has to do with Tuju`s long-running and bitter row with Econet Wireless, the company licensed by the former CCK board as the nation`s third mobile operator.

As recently as last week, Econet went to court to challenge the minister`s decision to deny them the chance to rollout their network.