By: OrePulse

Kenya's Ministry of Energy and Petroleum has named new leaders for three state energy bodies, effective immediately, the ministry said in a statement issued September 30.

Tom Odhiambo Imbo was named managing director and chief executive of the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO), the state entity responsible for developing the country's electricity transmission infrastructure. Stephen Kipsang Busieney was named managing director and chief executive of the Geothermal Development Company (GDC), which develops Kenya's geothermal resources. Edward Mwirigi Kinyua was appointed director-general of the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), the body that regulates Kenya's energy and petroleum sectors.

Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi said the selections followed recruitment processes run by each agency's own board. According to the ministry, the recruitment complied with applicable laws and human resource guidelines, and the appointments were approved under the State Corporations Act, the Companies Act and the Energy Act.

Wandayi said he was confident the new appointees could help advance the government's energy sector initiatives.

The appointments put new leadership in place at three bodies with distinct roles in Kenya's energy system. KETRACO builds and maintains the high-voltage lines that move power around the country and connect it to the regional grid, a task tied to the pace at which new generation projects come online. GDC develops geothermal fields, a resource that supplies a significant share of Kenya's electricity generation. EPRA sets and enforces the rules governing the energy and petroleum industries, including tariffs and licensing.

The ministry did not name the outgoing heads of the three organizations or say whether the appointments followed resignations, retirements or the expiry of previous terms.