CS Rebecca Miano appoints Esther Njeri as CEO of Kebs
The Lake Region headquarters of the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs).
What you need to know:
- A court ruling that nullified the appointment of former MD Bernard Njiraini on the grounds of irregularities in the process.
- But the Court of Appeal reinstated Njiraini and the council members, saying their removal had put Kenyans at risk of substandard products.
Cabinet Secretary for Commerce Rebecca Miano has appointed Esther Njeri Ngari as the Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Bureau of Statistics (Kebs).
In a gazette notice dated October 13, Ms Miano said Ms Njeri's appointment as Kebs boss would be for three years.
"In exercise of the powers conferred by section 5 (1) of the Standards Act, the Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade and Industry hereby appoints Esther Njeri Ngari as the Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Bureau of Standards for a period of three (3) years with effect from October 13, 2023," the notice reads.
Until her appointment, Ms Njeri has been the acting CEO of the bureau since July 2022 when she was appointed to the post by former Trade CS Betty Maina following the court ruling that nullified the appointment of former MD Bernard Njiraini on the grounds of irregularities in the process, a decision that also affected seven members appointed to the National Standards Council (NSC).
But the Court of Appeal reinstated Njiraini and the council members in October, saying their removal had put Kenyans at risk of substandard products.
In May this year, however, Njiraini was again suspended by President William Ruto after smuggled sugar was released into the Kenyan market.
Vetting process
Njiraini, along with Geoffrey Murira, Hilda Keror Liston Lagat, Rono Birgen, Stephen Owuor and Peter Olima of Kebs, were among 26 government officials from various institutions who were suspended by the President for facilitating the release of illegal sugar meant for destruction.
Ms Njeri has also been director of standards development and trade at Kebs for the past four years and previously served as quality assurance, research and development manager Quality assurance, research and development manager at the Kenya Meat Commission.
During the vetting process of the candidates for the post, which was conducted by the Council on 13 October, Ms Njeri came second with 77.22 points behind Moses Sudi Otoe who scored 78.78 points.
Dr Muriira Geoffrey Kamau scored 68.33, Dr Mugambi George Kaberia 53.78, Waweru Karanmja 51.78, Luka Kipchumba Kimeli 50.78 while Gordon Onkjore scored 46.56.
The top three names of the candidates were forwarded to the Trace CS for consideration.
