Joe Mucheru was vetted today by Parliament for the position of CS at the ministry if ICT.

His achievements are major. It is good to see youthful people takeup leadership positions in the country, especially at Cabinet level. Joe is a man who believes in himself. He addressed issues very articulately and has good grasp of the industry.

I liked the way he addressed issues of dominance by Safaricom and realisation of the Konza dream.

On Safaricom, he stated in many words that there is no need to stiffle our companies, which in the larger world view are actually not that big. There is room for growth and ensuring our companies cross the border and operate in other markets. He stated his commitment to ensure fair competition in the industry and infrastructure sharing. This is what we have been advocating for at Kictanet.

On Konza, he stated that he is committed to ensure the project goes through. His view was that there are not that many large ICT companies in Kenya. Many investors come around with bagloads of money, like $20m but they leave frustrated because of lack of investment opportunities. Konza will be that stepping stone for startups and entrepreneurs to get into the big league.

I believe if he puts his energy in the ministry, we will see tremendous change in the sector. Too bad the current regime has less than two years in power.

Do you think the ICT industry is moving in the right direction?

Regards