Dr. Julius Kipng’etich is the current regional CEO of Jubilee Holdings Limited. He boasts a wealth of experience as a leader, serving as CEO of Uchumi and KWS in the past.
This is his journey as told by WoK:
Background
Dr. Kipng’etich hails from the serene rural landscape of Iten in Elgeyo Marakwet. In his early years, his dream was to become a teacher – inspired by his mother, who was a dedicated nursery school teacher.
It was only when he joined the prestigious Starehe Boys’ Centre that his aspirations took a different turn. There, he encountered his economics teacher, Joram Ayoo, who would become a significant influence on his life.
“Mr. Ayoo was a very good teacher. I still remember everything he taught me,” Dr. Kipng’etich fondly reminisces.
Ayoo’s influence led him to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce Degree at the University of Nairobi.
Career
The CEO’s first public service job was as a lecturer at the UON in the late 90s. He was on the committee that pioneered parallel degree programs in Kenyan universities.
His faculty was the first to start the first self-sponsored course at UON, which was a Master of Business Administration (MBA).
While still on the committee, he wrote a 17-page paper on the devolution of power. Following his work, the devolution committee in Bomas invited him to explain to them about devolution. He was then appointed as managing director of the Investment Promotion Centre, also called Kenya Invests.
In 2004, he was appointed as an Equity Bank board member. In the same year, he was appointed by former president Mwai Kibaki to head the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS). He was 39 at the time.
“Kibaki chose me because he wanted a non-political person with a background in management to lead the conservancy,” Kipng’etich, who is also an avid golfer, mountain climber, and classical music enthusiast, told Business Daily.
After serving at KWS for 8 years, he resigned in 2012, aged 48. He considers his time there as his most glorious period in life.
According to him, he quit KWS because ‘circumstances’ made it difficult for him to stay. “I could read the signs,” he said.
In 2012, he was appointed as Equity Bank’s chief operating Officer, a position he held until he was appointed Uchumi CEO in 2015.
Before Uchumi, Business Today reported how Kipng’etich was approached by Standard Group in 2017, where he had been serving as executive director. However, he reportedly turned down the offer to be Standard’s CEO, saying the company was too steeped in politics.
His stint at Uchumi was short-lived, lasting only two years. In January 2018, he was appointed as Jubilee Insurance CEO.
Family
Dr. Julius Kipng’etich, who is currently aged 58, has extended his visionary leadership entrepreneur to his family. He has been blessed with two daughters, one a third-year student at Yale University and the other a student at Brookhouse Schools.
His wife, Chemutai Murgor, is the Chief Finance Officer (CFO) at Standard Chartered, a position she has held for 15 years.
According to the CEO, the secret to a happy marriage is decoupling, which means giving your partner the freedom to pursue their interests. The other secret to a happy marriage is having enough resources.
“You must work hard for resources to be put on the table for you to meet the basics of running a household,” Dr. Julius Kipng’etich said.
He considers himself a very guarded man, preferring to keep his private life from the public eye.
According to him, resources can only be acquired through investing smartly. His advice is to avoid investing in dead assets such as building a house in the village, buying land, planting maize, and buying clothes you don’t wear.
