NAIROBI, Kenya— President William Ruto has appointed former Bumula Member of Parliament Moses Wekesa Mwambu Mabonga as the new Chairperson of the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), in the latest round of changes affecting the leadership of key state corporations.
The appointment was announced in a Gazette Notice dated July 24, 2026, and takes effect immediately. Mabonga will serve a three-year term as chairperson of the board overseeing Kenya’s energy sector regulator.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 12(1)(a) of the Energy Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of Kenya and Commander in Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint Moses Wekesa Mabonga,” the Gazette Notice states.
As board chair, Mabonga will provide strategic leadership and governance oversight to EPRA, the agency responsible for regulating Kenya’s electricity, petroleum and renewable energy sectors.
The appointment comes amid ongoing leadership changes at the regulator following the resignation of former Director General Daniel Kiptoo in April after his arrest and detention in connection with investigations into the fuel importation saga.
Following Kiptoo’s departure, President Ruto appointed Engineer Joseph Oketch as Acting Director General to steer the authority as investigations and reforms within the energy sector continue.
In a related development, Energy Cabinet Secretary James Opiyo Wandayi appointed Faith Akiru Kuno as a member of the EPRA Board of Directors for a three-year term.
At the same time, Wandayi revoked the appointment of Jennipher Nawoi Long’or to the board with immediate effect, signalling further restructuring within the authority’s leadership.
The changes at EPRA are part of a broader reorganisation across state corporations announced through the latest Gazette Notices.
President Ruto also revoked the appointment of Thuo Mathenge as Chairperson of the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO), less than two years after he assumed the position in November 2024.
Mathenge had been appointed after the revocation of Peter Weru’s tenure at the agricultural research institution.
In the irrigation sector, the President reappointed Gilbert Maluki as the Non-Executive Chairperson of the National Irrigation Authority Board for another three-year term, effective July 24, 2026.
