Geothermal Development Company (GDC) general manager for drilling and infrastructure, Paul Ngugi, has been tapped to head the State-owed firm, replacing Jared Othieno.
Prior to his appointment, which took effect on April 24, Mr Ngugi was serving as the acting chief executive after the GDC board sent Mr Othieno on terminal leave last month.
Mr Othieno’s term came to an end on April 19 after a three-year stint. He did not submit his application anew for the position declared vacant in January and declined to give more details about why he was not interested in the job.
“On behalf of the board of directors, I am happy to announce to the team that Mr Paul Ngugi has been appointed as the company’s new managing director and CEO for a period of three years with effect from April 24, 2023,” said the board chairman Walter Nyambati in a statement Tuesday.
Mr Ngugi has worked at GDC since its inception in 2009 as a drilling engineer. Before that, he worked as the head of geothermal planning at KenGen.
The board said he has vast experience in drilling technology, business development, strategy, planning and fundraising.
His appointment comes at a time GDC has been facing serious financial constraints, a situation that also saw it default on the payment of workers’ salaries, mainly towards the end of last year.
