Ezra Chiloba’s tenure at the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) was cut short due to a myriad of controversies exposed by the board.
On Wednesday, October 18, Chiloba threw in the towel and handed in his resignation letter which was received by the Board of Directors of the Communications Authority of Kenya led by the board’s chairperson, Mary Mungai.
‘On behalf of the Authority, I wish the outgoing Director General success in his future endeavours and appreciate his invaluable contribution to the organization and the wider ICT sector,’ said the CA Board Chairperson.
His resignation marked the end of his two-year tenure at CA, which began in October 2021.
Controversies
Chiloba had not worked for the Agency since September 18, 2023, when an internal audit allegedly revealed significant losses in the CA scheme during his tenure.
As a result, he was suspended indefinitely for, among other things, allegations of abuse of office and conflict of interest.
In a letter dated October 2 and addressed to CA Board Chair Mary Mungai, Chiloba refuted the accusations as baseless and inaccurate while underscoring that all actions taken in relation to the management of the said mortgage scheme strictly adhered to relevant policies and guidelines.
“I wish to state that the allegations leveled against me, (Conflict of Interest, abuse of office, intent to defraud the authority, lack of professionalism and integrity and negligence of duty and failure to show due care are unfounded, incorrect, and unjustified,” Chiloba stated.
“I wish to reiterate that all steps with respect to Staff mortgage administration were undertaken in compliance with applicable framework and policies.”
Chiloba likewise raised concerns about how the scheme’s audit was undertaken, further claiming that the process was interfered with.
“In the present case, one of the glaring anomalies is that non-members of the Audit Committee actively influenced and participated in the drafting of the Audit Committee report which was presented to the Board and used as the basis for the disciplinary action,” he said.
Chiloba was suspended over alleged abuse of the authority’s mortgage scheme. A report of a ninth special Board Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (Barac) meeting held on August 8, indicates that Chiloba alongside nine others “fundamentally breached their obligations arising under the contract of service”.
Chiloba is accused of applying for and self-approving a mortgage loan without exercising due process.The loan was to reportedly facilitate the purchase of a property between Chiloba and another individual.
He is also said to have purchased a house and acquired land of seven acres beyond the allowed one-acre limit under the Civil Servants Housing Scheme requirement.
On matters regarding the loan application process, the authority stated no due diligence was exercised leading to the omitting of relevant information.
