Mr Charles Khacheso Washika, the Director ICT and Innovation at the Cooperative Bank of Kenya, has emerged as the CIO of The Year 2023, beating five other contenders for the coveted position among tech leaders in Africa.

Organized by the African digital transformation driver, dx5, the CIO100 Awards celebrate organizations and individuals utilizing IT in innovative ways to deliver business value, whether by creating a competitive advantage, optimizing business processes, enabling growth, improving customer relationships, or digitally transforming the business.

>> A RIDE ON KENYA’S FIRST LOCALLY ASSEMBLED ELECTRIC CAR

The CIO of The Year Award is a peer award where CIOs and judges nominate an individual who has excelled in managing the IT leadership function in an organization. Mr Washika was honoured after outperforming contenders, including Peter Kanda (Getrude’s Children’s Hospital), Gilbert Mutai (Car & General Group), Sachin Samant (NCBA Bank Kenya), Martin Mwarangu (CIO, KTDA), and James Nyakomitta (CIO, APA Insurance).

Previous winners include Moses Okundi (CTO/CIO of Absa Bank), Tom Mboya (Technology Lead for East Africa, Unilever), George Njuguna (Director of Information Technology – CIO, Safaricom PLC), Jaine Mwai (CIO, Standard Chartered Bank), and Kenneth Ogwang’ (Head of Digital and Technology for Eastern & Southern Africa, Diageo).

“I had actually written a speech just in case I won but I can’t even locate it. I’d like to give thanks to God, and to my Dad, who is currently in Mumias. I wouldn’t have gone to a career in IT but my Dad encouraged me. My wife is also around, and I dedicate this award to my family as well,” Mr Washika said after receiving the award.

“Kudos to the trailblazing winner of the CIO100 Awards 2023,” Mr Harry Hare, Chairman at dx5, said. “This event provides the opportunity to recognize what the techies do to improve business turnover. Your tech prowess sets a high bar for innovation. Massive gratitude to our brilliant tech community — delegates and sponsors — for powering this event to success.”

Ms Georgina Mukami, Head ICT Channels Operations, National Bank of Kenya (NBK) was also honoured as the dxNova Award winner, a special recognition for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the tech sector.

>> MEET MOSES OKUNDI, WINNER OF CIO OF THE YEAR 2022 AWARD

The dxNova Awards honour women in technology who have made significant contributions and broken barriers in a traditionally male-dominated industry. The category highlights the importance of diversity and gender equity in technology leadership and innovation.

The awards also recognized winners in different categories, including:

1. CXO of The Year Award – Ashok Shah, APA Insurance.
2. Public Sector Award – Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company.
3. Education Award – Kenya Medical Training College.
4. Local Government Award – County Government of Nyandarua.
5. Manufacturing Sector Award – Car & General Group.
6. Health Sector Award – Getrude’s Children’s Hospital.
7. Insurance Sector Award – APA Insurance.
8. Sacco Sector Award – Kimisitu Sacco.
9. Banking Sector Award – Co-operative Bank of Kenya.

>> FOM 4 JOBS TO ONE: THE ODD TRANSITION OF A CORPORATE LAWYER