Daily Nation ­ Tuesday
Date: 07.03.2017
Page 41
Article size: 398 cm2
ColumnCM: 88.44
AVE: 191040.0
Energy parastatals to wait longer
for substantive chief executives
KenGen has already opened the search
Cabinet secretary plans to make the
appointments at one­go to achieve
constitutional requirements of gender
balance and national diversity
for a new chief executive to succeed Mr
Albert Mugo who is due to hit 60 this
year. He got a one year extension to his
contract in January.
The new KenGen boss is expected
to take office between June and July,
with consultancy firm PKF leading the
BY DAVID HERBLING
talent hunt.
However, the fate of three other
agencies remains unknown for differ­
ent reasons, and will thus wait even
longer.
The Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board
[email protected]
C.
• ash­rich energy parastatals will
have to wait longer to get substantive
chief executives after Energy secretary
Charles Keter said he plans to make the
appointments at one­go to achieve con­
will continue having an acting chief
executive pending the enactment of
the Energy Bill, which transforms the
agency into the Energy and Petroleum
Institute, according to Mr Keter.
The Changamwe­based Kenya Petro­
stitutional requirements on diversity.
Seven out of Kenya's 10 State­backed
energy agencies are currently under
interim managing directors or bosses
leum Refineries will also run with an
who are about to reach the mandatory
retirement age of 60.
Mr Keter said he will appoint new
chief executives at Energy Regulatory
Commission (ERC), Kenya Power,
Kenya Electricity Generating company
(KenGen), National Oil Corporation of
Kenya (Nock), at the same time in order
to meet gender and regional diversity.
"I want to do all these appointments
ALL THESE
at the same time to ensure diversity," Mr
APPOINTMENTS
Keter said in an interview with Smart
I WANT TO DO
AT THE
Company.
The minister confirmed he had re­
ceived a shortlist for the position of
National Oil managing director from
the firm's board of directors.
"I have instructed the other State
SAME TIME
TO ENSURE
DIVERSITY,
corporations to carry out competitive
Energy CS Charles
recruitment and forward me their short­
Keter
lists," said the minister.
The State Corporations Act gives
Cabinet secretaries wide­ranging powers
to appoint chief executives of parastatals
the plum jobs to candidates from Jubilee
strongholds.
under their ministries. They are only
Those in acting capacity at energy
required to consult with directors who
are usually State appointees.
agencies pending fresh recruitment
include ERC's Robert Pavel Oimeke,
previously director for renewable en­
ergy at the regulator, Kenya Power's
Kenneth Tarus and Nock's Mary Jane
Mwangi.
Kenyans will be keenly watching
the upcoming appointments following
concerns that sacked Energy minister
Davis Chirchir, during his tenure, gave
interim boss awaiting transfer of the firm
to Kenya Pipeline, to serve as a fuel stor­
age subsidiary, the minister said.
The nuclear agency is currently
temporarily headed byMr Collins Juma
while the refinery, which shut down in
September 2013, is under Mr Charles
Nguyai as acting managing director.
Rural Electrification Authority board
of directors is yet to make a decision
on the fate of chief executive Ng'ang'a
Munyu who attains the retirement age
of 60 this year.
Kenya Power is yet to publicly adver­
tise the position of CEO, two months
after Dr. Ben Chumo left in January. Dr.
Chumo's bid for a second three­year
term was thwarted by an Industrial
Court ruling asserting that civil serv­
ants must retire at 60.
Kenya Power chairman Kenneth
Marende said "the process is rolling.
It a restricted tender. We've invited six
consultancy firms to bid. The advert
will come out first week of April. This
process will be transparent."
ERC, the energy industry regulator,
is also yet to advertise the position of
director general since departure of Joe
Ng'ang'a in January after attaining the
age of 61, though he hadn't finished
his term.
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