The government has appointed Sammy Lemunke Naporos as the new CEO of the troubled Kerio Valley Development Authority.
The authority's operations were disrupted by the Arror and Kimwarer dam scandals.
Naporos has been the acting KVDA CEO since July 2019.
East African Community and Regional Development CS Adan Mohamed appointed Naporos to serve for three years after interviews were conducted last month, and he emerged among the top three. He will replace David Kimosop, who was sacked last year and charged over the Sh22 billion dams scandal.
Kimosop was taken to court alongside former Treasury CS Henry Rotich, his PS Kamau Thugge and almost all senior KVDA staff including Deputy CEO Francis Kipkech.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 9 (1) of the KVDA Act I have appointed Sammy Naporos to be managing director for a period of three years starting February 3,” the gazette notice by the CS read.
Naporos will be installed by the CS within the next two weeks during which the government will outline measures to restructure KVDA and the way forward as concerns the dam projects.
Naporos was appointed to act as CEO at KVDA after the top officials were prosecuted and the authority’s board advertised for the position and carried out interviews in which Naporos emerged top leading the appointed.
Late last year, the CS revoked the nomination of three board members at KVDA in a move to reduce the number of directors at the institution.
Adan had earlier appointed 10 extra board members to add on three who had earlier been gazetted, bringing the number of independent directors at KVDA to 13, which was in excess of the maximum 10 allowed by the KVDA Act.
The CS revoked the nominations of Eric Bett, Dr James Kiprop and Eliud Muriuki. He has, however, appointed former MP Phillip Rotino to join the board t0 represent West Pokot.
A West Pokot resident Daniel Lomukereng, through lawyer Aseso Omollo, had filed a case at the High Court in Eldoret seeking to have the board disbanded because it did not have a representative from West Pokot county. The case was later terminated.
