President William Ruto has officially Ruto Revokes Mary Wambui from her position as Chairperson of the Communications Authority (CA), replacing her with Charles Karondo, a former aide to Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro.
The change was announced through a gazette notice on Friday, August 8, with Karondo appointed to serve a three-year term as the new CA Board Chair. Karondo, a former student leader at Mount Kenya University, rose to political prominence while serving as Nyoro’s Personal Assistant before joining the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) during Ruto’s 2022 presidential campaign.
In 2022, Karondo was appointed Chairperson of the Athi Water Works Agency, becoming one of the youngest board chairs in Kenya. His new role as CA Chair will see him oversee licensing in the communications sector, the development of a national cybersecurity framework, and the facilitation of e-commerce growth.
The gazette notice read in part:
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 6(1)(a) of the Kenya Information and Communications Act, as read together with section 51(1) of the Interpretation and General Provisions Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint Charles Kamau Karondo to be the non-executive Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Communications Authority, for three (3) years. The appointment of Mary Wambui Mungai is revoked.”
Mary Wambui, also known as “Wambui wa Ruto,” is a billionaire businesswoman and long-time ally of Ruto. She was appointed CA Board Chair in December 2022, replacing Gilbert Kibe after his retirement. Her appointment, however, sparked controversy as she was facing a Ksh2.2 billion tax evasion case at the time.
The case, which accused her of failing to submit income tax returns between 2014 and 2019, was later withdrawn in January 2023 after the Director of Public Prosecutions dropped the charges. Despite the legal reprieve, her appointment was challenged in court by activists seeking to block her from assuming office.
With Karondo now at the helm, the Communications Authority will continue its mandate of regulating Kenya’s communication services, enhancing cybersecurity measures, and supporting digital economy initiatives.
