The immediate former speaker of Kenya’s National Assembly, Kenneth Marende, has been appointed Chairman of The Kenya Power and Lighting Company Limited.

A laywer by profession, Marende is the twenty-fifth Chairman of the Board in the Company’s 94-year history. He succeeds Eliazar Ochola who served a four-year term as Chairman of the country’s national power distributor.

“Our Board of Directors could not have chosen a more qualified individual to serve as chairman at this momentous time when the company is implementing major projects to improve quality of service and expand the network to meet demands of the growing economy,” said Dr. Ben Chumo, the power firm’s Managing Director and CEO.

Marende was elected  to the Board by the Company’s shareholders during an Annual General Meeting held last month. Other elected Directors include Adil Khawaja of the reputable law firm, Hamilton Harrison & Mathews, and Wilson Kimutai, an investment banker at Quadrix Capital Management.

“I look forward to working with the Board in support of the management and employees of Kenya Power in order to sustain the company’s business growth and enhance customer service for the benefit of shareholders and the economy at large”, said Marende.
Marende was elected the Speaker of the National Assembly in the Grand Coalition government in 2008. He made his debut in politics in 2002 when he was elected as the Member of Parliament for Emuhaya constituency.

What was Maende known for:

• He was a Member of the Standing Order Committee in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Session of the Ninth Parliament.  He served in the Departmental Committee on Administration of Justice and Legal Affairs.  In recognition of his skills and astuteness, the members of that committee elected him as the Vice Chairman.
• he was elected the Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Minimum Reforms of the Kenya Constitution.   He was appointed as a joint Secretary of the Ruling party, NARC, summit in 2004.

• In 2009, he was elected as the President of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.
• The 2009 winner of the Jurist of the Year Award, graduated from the University of Nairobi in 1978 with a Bachelor of Laws Degree and was admitted to the roll of advocates in 1979.

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