Speaker Bio

Principal Secretary,
State Department for Information Communications Technology (ICT) and Digital Economy,
Kenya

Eng. John Tanui, MBS is the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy in charge of the State Department for ICT and the Digital Economy. Prior to joining the Ministry, Eng. Tanui was the Chief Executive Officer of the Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KoTDA) for over 7 years, Deputy Country CEO and Vice President of Huawei Technologies responsible for Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia and Djibouti and the Director of Technical Service Department in the same organization that he served for over of 15 years.

With over 17 years in the ICT industry and international business management, Eng. Tanui has worked in several countries in Africa and also in China acquiring knowledge and experience in Business and project management, he has keen interest and expertise in Engineering Turnkey Projects, Innovations, setup and management of industry collaborations and partnerships. He is passionate about how technology can be utilized to solve challenges facing economies.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree of Technology in Electrical and Communication Engineering from Moi University and MBA in International Business from the University of Nairobi where he is currently pursuing PhD in global business management. He is a member of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (MIEK), a registered engineer and a member of the Academy of International Business.

Eng. Tanui is an active ICT professional who was profiled as tenth in the 2012 Top 40 under 40 by the Business Daily (Nation Media Group). He is a Council Member of Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology, a council member of IEK (Institution of Engineers of Kenya) where he chairs industrialization, Environment and quality assurance committee and also serves as committee member for Advocacy, Journal and Publicity. Previously, he served as the University Council Vice Chairman at Technical University of Kenya and also as an Advisory Council Member of the Presidential Digital Talent Program.