Mercy Wanjau, MBS

Mercy Wanjau, MBS

Secretary to the Cabinet, Republic of Kenya

Mercy Wanjau is a Kenyan leader with over 20 years of experience in law, regulation, and governance. She is currently the Secretary to the Cabinet of Kenya, a position she has held since October 2022.

She began her career as a commercial lawyer, working for both private firms and the Kenyan government. She has gained a reputation for her expertise in the technology sector, and hasplayed a key role in shaping Kenya’s regulatory agenda for ICT.

In 2019, Mrs. Wanjau was appointed as the Acting Director General of the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA). In this role, she oversaw the development and implementation of policies that helped to make Kenya a leading digital hub in Africa. In recognition of her distinguished and outstanding service in the ICT sector, she was feted with the Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear (MBS) in 2020.

She has also served on a number of boards and advisory committees, including the Taskforce for the Development of a Data Protection and Privacy Framework for Kenya, which culminated into Kenya’s Data Protection Act of 2019. 

Mrs. Wanjau is a graduate of the University of Nairobi and the University of Cape Town. She has contributed as an author to publications by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). She is also an Eisenhower Fellow.