BUSINESSMAN Ben Gituku is the new Communication Commission of Kenya board chairman. He takes over from Phillip Okundi who has quit to join politics. Gituku has been a CCK director since February this year and has previously served on the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation and Kenya Pipeline Company boards. Gituku has also worked with various local newspapers.

He holds a BSc degree in Mathematics and Meteorology from the University of Nairobi and a diploma in marketing. Gituku takes over the regulatory body when it is undertaking key transformation activities. The most urgent is the planned switch-off of counterfeit phones. Gituku said stopping the entry of these handsets is top priority.

The industry is also awaiting CCK's decision on the Mobile Termination Rates, after a two year delay. "The board will meet on the 27th, and make a decision that is final," he said on phone. The country is also trying to beat a self imposed 2012 deadline to migrate from analogue to digital before the 2015 international deadline.