In a surprising turn of events, the Director General of the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), Ezra Chiloba, has been suspended from his position with immediate effect, according to an internal memo issued by the CA's chairperson, Mary Mungai Wambui.

The suspension, which was announced on Monday, comes without the specification of any particular reasons for the decision.

Wambui conveyed this significant development to all CA staff via an internal memo following a board meeting.

In the same statement, the CAK Board chair appointed Christopher Wambua to assume the role of Director General albeit in an acting capacity.

"Following a meeting of the Authority’s Board held on 18th September 2023, resulting in the suspension of the Director General, I am pleased to inform all staff of the appointment of  Christopher Wambua as a Director General in Acting Capacity effective today until further notice. I trust that you will accord him the necessary support," Wambui stated.

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Christopher Wambua, who will take over the responsibilities of Director General, has been serving as the Director of Consumer and Public Affairs at CA since 2016.

The reasons for Ezra Chiloba's suspension, however, remain undisclosed, leaving the public and CA staff in anticipation of further information regarding this matter.

Chiloba's tenure as Director General has come to a halt approximately two years after he assumed the position, succeeding Francis Wangusi following Wangusi's retirement in 2021.

Chiloba's appointment to the role was the result of a competitive recruitment process in which he emerged as the preferred candidate from a pool of more than 100 applicants.


Prior to his role at CA, Chiloba served as a board member of the Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF), a state agency dedicated to providing loans and grants to young entrepreneurs.

Additionally, Chiloba held the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), where he supervised the contentious 2017 general elections and the subsequent repeat presidential election.

However, his tenure at IEBC was marked by controversy, culminating in his dismissal in 2018 following the revelation of procurement irregularities during the electoral process.

The authority, tasked with regulating the communications sector encompassing broadcasting, telecommunications, postal, and courier services, is yet to divulge the specific grounds for Chiloba's suspension or the anticipated duration of any ongoing investigation.

Chiloba was initially appointed to serve as Director General for a renewable period of four years, according to his appointment letter.