Kenya Power has appointed Joy Brenda Masinde as the chairperson, taking over from Vivianne Yeda who has been at the helm since July 2020.
The sudden change was triggered by the National Treasury which made it clear that it will not support Yeda's re-election at the firm’s AGM held on December 16.
Sources at the power utility reckon that the new government was uncomfortable with her stay at Kenya Power and links with top officials at State House under the Uhuru administration.
Treasury holds 51.01 per cent of Kenya Power's voting rights.
In May, three directors-- Elizabeth Rogo, Abdulrazaq Ali and Caroline Kittony-Waiyaki-- appointed together with Yeda resigned under unclear circumstances, leaving the utility short of independent board members.
This happened just a day after the power utility firm Kenya Power appointed a new acting managing director, Geoffrey Waswa Muli, replacing Rosemary Oduor, who had been acting in the same capacity since August 2021.
The listed power distributor indicated that Oduor has proceeded on annual leave.
Masinde holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi and is currently undertaking a Masters of Arts in Leadership from the International Leadership University.
She is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya of 20 years standing and is a member of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK).
Previously, she served as a Council Member of the LSK, Nairobi Branch. She is the Executive Director of the East Africa Centre for Law and Justice (EACLJ), a position she has held for the last 12 years.
Masinde has over 20 years of experience in civil society and previously served the country as a magistrate.
She was appointed to the Kenya Powerboard alongside six other directors.
They include the Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury; the Principal Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, State Department of Energy; Duncan Ojwang; Albert Mugo; Logan Christi and Veska Kangogo.