Agriculture CS finds board seats for Okemo, Wekesa

What you need to know:

Former energy minister Chris Okemo has been appointed to the board of Kitale-based Kenya Seed Company for a period of three years.
Dr Okemo is wanted in the United Kingdom after a warrant of arrest was issued by the Chief Justice of the Island of Jersey in April 2011.

Former energy minister Chris Okemo has been appointed to the board of Kitale-based Kenya Seed Company for a period of three years.

The appointment of Dr Okemo was made by agriculture secretary Felix Koskei, who also appointed former minister for Wildlife Noah Wekesa the chairman of the Bukura Agricultural College.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 6(1) (e) of the State Corporations Act, the Cabinet secretary for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries appoints Chris Okemo to be a member of the board of the Kenya Seed Company for a period of three years,” reads the gazette notice.

The appointment of Dr Okemo takes effect next week Monday, while that of Dr Wekesa took effect on March 16.

Dr Okemo is wanted in the United Kingdom after a warrant of arrest was issued by the Chief Justice of the Island of Jersey in April 2011, who has accused him of money laundering and corruption.

The Jersey Chief Justice issued the arrest warrants over alleged “concealing of transferring the proceeds of crime amounting to Sh900 million” between 1986 and 2002. Dr Okemo was Energy minister from 1999 to 2001 and Finance minister from 2001 to 2003.

He is accused alongside Samuel Gichuru who was the managing director of the Kenya Power and Lighting Company, now Kenya Power, between 1983 and 2003 when it was partially privatised.