Kenya Eyeing top African Telecommunications Union seat, seeks to be re-elected to ITU council
Kenya is fronting the current Director of Legal Services at the Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK), Mr. John Omo to be elected as the Secretary General’s of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU). The country is also seeking to be re-elected to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Council, a key decision making organ of the UN specialized agency for ICTs.
For the two positions, Kenya is banking on its strong and vibrant ICT industry in the region as a launch pad for the leadership positions.
At the ITU, Kenya is seeking to get one of the 13 slots reserved to the African continent out of the 48 seats of the Council. Kenya has been a member of the Council since 1982. The ITU Council oversees the affairs of the Union in between Plenipotentiary Conferences usually held every four years.
Since the beginning of 2018, Kenya has mounted intensive campaigns for the ATU and ITU positions at various regional and global forums.
Elections for the ATU Secretary General’s position will be held on 17th August 2018 in Nairobi during the ATU Conference of Plenipotentiaries, the top decision making organ of the ATU. Kenya is currently hosting the ATU headquarters on a temporary basis.
The ATU elections will be preceded by a series of other meetings, that will discuss pertinent issues on the development of ICTs on the continent, from 9th August 2018 at the Safari Park Hotel and Casino.
On the other hand, elections for the ITU Council will be held in November 2018 during the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference scheduled to be held in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
The ATU Secretary General contest has also attracted candidates from Chad, Nigeria, Republic of Congo and Burundi. It is currently being held by Mr.Abdulakarim Soumaila a national of Niger, who is currently serving his second and final four-year term.
