Sammy Itemere finally eased out of his PS position at Ministry of ICT

Sammy Itemere, who joined the government in early 2016 as the PS in charge of Telecommunications and Broadcasting at the Ministry of ICT, has finally been replaced by Fatuma Hirsi. Ms Hirsi moves to Telposta Plaza from Utalii House where she’s been based where she had served for almost 3 years in a similar capacity since late 2015.

With the changes at ministry of ICT, Hirsi has now moved from her previous work station along Utalii Lane and crossed over to Kenyatta Avenue where she will partner with Jerome Ochieng’, the PS for ICT who joined the ICT docket from Treasury’s IFMIS department in March this year, in helping the person in overall charge of the ministry Joe Mucheru, in executing his mandate.

(TOP: Sammy Itemere. Photo: Hope FM / Facebook). 

In the previous changes announced in March, many believed that Mr Itemere and Victor Kyalo’s roles as PSes at the ministry would henceforth be merged into one one single position to be handled Ochieng’. This was however not to be as Itemere still continued to report at his station and represented the ministry at various formal functions as the PS in charge of Telecoms and Broadcasting.

Itemere joined the public service from the private sector where he had served in various capacities in the banking and financial services industry since 2002.

He was appointed together with Victor Kyalo as the two Principal Secretaries in the ICT Ministry with the latter being responsible for ICT matters while the former was left to grapple with issues related to Telecoms and Broadcasting players in the country.

Earlier this year however, there were speculations that the outgoing PS was behind the troubles then bedeviling Francis Wangusi, the director general at the Communications Authority who had been suspended from office. Wangusi went to court over his suspension from office terming it “unprocedural” and has since been reinstated into his office, currently discharging his official duties.

In the changes made which included Ms. Hirsi’s move to the ministry of ICT, Mr Itemere’s name was conspicuously missing. Earlier on when Jerome Ochieng’ was appointed the ICT PS in the same ministry, some thought that Itemere would be appointed to the role of Chief Assistant Secretary (CAS), the position created after last year’s General Elections which is similar to the previous role of Assistant Minister and therefore higher in hierarchy than a PS. For now, we can only to see and hear where Mr Itemere will end up next, whether in public service or private sector.