President William Ruto/FILE
The government has moved to realign leadership in key state agencies following a series of fresh appointments and reappointments announced in the latest Kenya Gazette.
President William Ruto, Chief Justice Martha Koome and multiple Cabinet Secretaries named new non-executive chairpersons and board members to strengthen governance in strategic institutions.
Ruto has re-appointed James Dianga as the Non-Executive Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Lake Basin Development Authority (LBDA).
Dianga will serve a three-year term effective November 21, 2025.
The appointment places him at the helm of an authority mandated to spearhead socio-economic development in the Lake Victoria region through coordinated planning and resource management.
In parallel with changes within the agriculture sector, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has reappointed John Mtuta Mruttu as the Non-Executive Chairperson of the Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC).
Mruttu, a former governor and experienced agricultural administrator, will serve another three-year term starting November 21, 2025, continuing his oversight of the corporation responsible for extending credit to farmers and agribusiness enterprises.
At the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, Cabinet Secretary James Opiyo Wandayi invoked Section 58(e)(i) of the Energy Act, 2019 to appoint Francis Agar as a member of the Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA).
Agar’s three-year term also began on November 21, 2025, reinforcing the agency’s technical leadership as Kenya moves forward with its long-term energy diversification plans, including nuclear research and safety preparedness.
The education sector also saw new leadership.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba appointed Peter Keiyoro as the Non-Executive Chairperson of the Council of Tharaka University.
Keiyoro’s three-year term is similarly effective November 21, 2025, and is expected to guide the institution’s governance, academic expansion and alignment with national higher education priorities.
Within the Judiciary, Chief Justice Martha Koome made several key changes to representation in critical committees.
Koome appointed Ilham Hisham Said to represent the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) at the National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ) Working Committee on the review of laws on sexual offences and gender-based violence (SGBV).
Through a notice pursuant to Section 35 of the Judicial Service Act, the CJ revoked the earlier appointment of Irene Ndegwa, made through Gazette Notice No. 12843 of 2025.
Ilham will serve as a member for the remainder of the committee’s term.
In a separate update, the Chief Justice also appointed Harrison Barasa to represent the Judiciary in the committee and revoked the appointment of Thomas Nzioki, signalling a restructuring aimed at enhancing expertise and coherence in the ongoing review of SGBV laws.
