Ms. Mary N.Kerema, OGW
Alternate Member, State Department for ICT and Digital Economy, The Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy (MICDE)
Ms. Mary N. Kerema is a visionary ICT strategist with over 27 years of experience in leveraging technology to transform public service delivery and advance Kenya’s digital agenda. She currently serves as the Secretary for ICT, E-Government and Digital Economy at the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, where she leads key national initiatives aimed at enhancing service efficiency, transparency, and innovation in government.
Prior to her current role, Ms. Kerema was the Deputy Director of E-Government at the ICT Authority, where she successfully steered high-impact projects across government departments. Her contributions include the development of the national ICT Master Plan, strategic frameworks, policies, standards, and procedures for digital governance.
She has overseen the implementation of major enterprise systems such as the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS), the Electronic Government Procurement System (e-GPS), and the re-engineered Pension Management System. She also played a central role in Kenya’s Digital Identity project and continues to guide the national rollout and governance of the e-Citizen platform.
Ms. Kerema holds a Master’s degree in Information Technology Management from the University of Nairobi and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Information Systems. In recognition of her outstanding contribution to public service and national development through ICT, she was awarded the Order of the Grand Warrior (OGW) in 2020 by His Excellency the President of Kenya.
Internationally, she has been honored by the Global e-Schools and Communities Initiative (GESCI) as an African leader in ICT and was recently appointed as Kenya’s Deputy Ambassador for ID4Africa 2024, reflecting her commitment to inclusive digital identity and governance on the global stage.