- She will hold the position for a period of three years.
- Previously, Ngari served as the Director of Standards Development and Trade.
Image: KEBS
Trade Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano has appointed Esther Ngari as the substantive managing director for the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS).
Ngari has been holding the position in an acting capacity since May when the former boss at the agency Bernard Njiraini was kicked out alongside 27 others in a raft of changes affecting the management.
She is among the three candidates whose names were forwarded to the CS by the National Standards Council (NSC) for consideration following the conclusion of the interviews.
“…the cabinet secretary for Investments, Trade and Industry appoints Esther Njeri Ngari to be the chief executive officer for a period of three years with effect October 13, 2023,” reads the Gazette notice in part.
The council is the policy-making body for supervising and controlling the administration and financial management of the bureau.
An extract of minutes from the council’s special meeting showed that Ngari had emerged second with a score of 77.22 after Moses Sudi Otoa who topped the list with 78.78
Suspended Director of Quality Assurance and Inspection Geoffrey Muriira came third with 68.33.
Previously, Ngari served as the Director of Standards Development and Trade.
Others who had been interviewed for the job are Mugambi Kaberia who came forth with a score of 53.78, Waweru Karanja (51.33), Luka Kipchumba (50.78), Gordon Onkjire (46.56) and Bruno Linviru.
The purge at the agency came following the disappearance of 20,000 bags of contaminated sugar.
The sugar is suspected to have found its way into the market despite being condemned and seized by the agency.
The sugar in question was imported to the country in 2018 but was flagged by KEBS for want of expiry date specification.
KEBS had marked the 20,000-50 kilogramme bags of sugar as unfit for human consumption.
It then directed that it be destroyed at the owner's cost by either burning or burying.
It was, however, decided later that the consignment be converted for industrial ethanol use, which was to be implemented under the joint supervision of KEBS and the National Environment Management Authority (Nema), within a multi-agency framework.