FIRED CEO GETS REPRIEVE AMID GACHAGUA-KABOGO CLASH

The Employment and Labour Relations Court has temporarily halted the appointment of Zilpher Owiti as the new Chief Executive Officer of the ICT Authority, granting a reprieve to outgoing CEO Stanley Kamanguya. The court issued conservatory orders suspending the appointment and any further recruitment pending the hearing of a petition challenging Kamanguya’s dismissal.
The ruling comes against the backdrop of a political standoff between Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and ICT Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo, with Gachagua alleging that Kamanguya’s removal was part of a broader purge targeting civil servants from the Mt Kenya region.
Gachagua, currently on an official tour of the U.S., accused President William Ruto’s administration of engineering the firing, saying it was aimed at sidelining officials from Central Kenya. However, Kabogo dismissed the claims, insisting the decision was made independently by the ministry and had nothing to do with regional politics.
“There is no tribal agenda. The leadership of the ICT Authority must be based on merit and performance,” Kabogo said, urging leaders to avoid stoking ethnic tensions.
The court directed that the matter be heard on September 29, 2025, and barred the ICT Authority from advertising or recruiting for the CEO position in the meantime.
The case has added fuel to growing political tensions within the Kenya Kwanza administration, with Gachagua positioning himself as a defender of Mt Kenya interests ahead of the 2027 general elections.