On Monday, February 27, 2023, telecommunications company, Safaricom, published a circular announcing new changes in its board.
The changes comes a month after the company announced the appointment of Adil Khawaja as the new chairman.
In this article, WoK has highlighted the new entrants into the Safaricom board and individuals who have been let go.
Karen Kandie
Karen Kandie was appointed to the Safaricom Board on February 27, 2023.
She will serve as the Alternate Director to Treasury Cabinet Secretary Professor Njuguna Ndung’u, meaning she will represent the CS during meetings and she has the power to act on his behalf.
Kandie holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Nairobi and a Master of Business Administration from Murdoch University in Western Australia.
She is also serving as the Director, Parastatal Reforms (Financial) at the National Treasury and Economic Planning.
Ory Okolloh
Ory Okolloh was appointed to the Safaricom board on February 27, 2023 alongside Kandie.
She joins the board as an Independent Director replacing Kenya’s Ambassador to Belgium, Professor Bitange Ndemo.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh and a Juris Doctor (JD) degree from Harvard Law School.
Okolloh seats in several boards including Thomson Reuters Founders Share Trust, East African Breweries PLC, Deloitte Africa, Stanbic Foundation and Adecco Group Foundation.
Linda Watiri Muriuki
In a statement announcing the above appointments, Safaricom also announced the retirement of Linda Watiri Muriuki effective February 20, 2023.
Linda served as Non-Executive Director for Safaricom.
She has previously served at the same capacity at Old Mutual Life Assurance Company Limited from 2004 to 2010, and the Capital Markets Authority from 2015 to 2017.
She holds a B.A. Economics degree from York University an LLB (Honours) from the University of Leeds and a Master’s Degree as a Graduate of the Global Executive Masters of Business Administration from USIU in collaboration with Columbia University.
Bitange Ndemo
Professor Bitange Ngeml served as the Independent Non-Executive Director at Safaricom until his exit as announced on Monday.
He currently serves as Kenya’s Ambassador to Belgium.
He also serves part-time as a Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Nairobi’s Business School.
Ndemo holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Business Administration University of St. Thomas.
He is also an holder of a PhD in Industrial Economics from the University of Sheffield.
Eng. Stanley Kamau
Eng. Stanley Kamau served in the Safaricom Board as the Alternate Director to National Treasury & Planning Cabinet Secretary.
He is currently the Director General, Public Investments and Portfolio Management Directorate at the National Treasury.
Under this role, Kamau oversaw successful swap of government shares in National Bank of Kenya to Kenya Commercial Bank, the restructuring of Kenya Airways and restructuring of balance sheets for several commercial state corporations.
He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Nairobi and is a registered engineer with Engineers Registration Board of Kenya.
John Ngumi
John Ngumi served as Safaricom’s Board Chairman until January 2023 when he resigned, only six months after joining the company.
Before joining Safaricom, he was the chairman of Kenya Pipeline Company, a state-owned cooperation and spent decades working in the banking industry.
He has chaired the Board of Konza Technopolis Development Authority, and served as an inaugural director on the Board of Communications Authority of Kenya.
Ngumi holds a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from St. Peter’s College, Oxford University, United Kingdom.
