Mr.John Kiria

John Kiria is the Director of ICT in charge Partnership, Research and Emerging Technology Division at the State Department for ICT and Digital Economy. With over 20 years of combined public and private sector experience, he leads the strategic development and implementation of national policies on e-commerce, digital entrepreneurship, business process outsourcing (BPO), IT-enabled services (ITES), AI and Emerging Technology policy and digital trade.

His role also involves oversight of flagship initiatives including the National E-Commerce Strategy, AI Strategy, the Digital Economy Blueprint, and the BPO Policy. A seasoned ICT policy expert, project manager and strategic planner, he has played a pivotal role in the design and implementation of critical ICT infrastructure projects across Kenya and the broader IGAD region. His contributions include in the development and implementation of the IGAD Regional Infrastructure Masterplan as the ICT focal point and the Regional East African Community E-commerce policy implementation John holds a Master of Science in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence from the European Business Institute of Luxembourg and a Master of Science in Information Technology- Information system security and audit from Strathmore University.

He has a Bachelor's degree in Information Technology and a diploma in Electrical Engineering. He has various professional certifications in specialist areas in Project Management, ICT Networks and infrastructure architectural design and management, Cybersecurity, Principles of Management and Ethical Hacking and AI. Throughout his career, he has championed initiatives supporting ICT infrastructure development and innovation, digital skills development, Tech-MSME support, and inclusion to mitigate the digital divide.

His multi-disciplinary expertise and collaborative leadership make him a strong voice on digital economy transformation, locally, regionally and internationally. He serves as a member of the Finance, Infrastructure, Human Resource & Planning (FIHR&P) and Audit, Risk & Compliance (AR&C) Committees of Council.