Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya has appointed the daughter of former powerful Kibaki-era minister John Michuki to the Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC) board.
The corporation, whose mandate includes the development of agriculture and related industries through lending and providing managerial and technical assistance to farmers, is seen as one of the strategic State-owned entities.
In a gazette notice, Mr Munya appointed Wanja Michuki, a Columbia University-trained financial analyst and wealth coach, effective May 13, 2022. Others are Dr Zablon Ayiera, Julius Kioga Muteithia, Hassan Mohamud Haji and Muriuki Karue.
In 2020, Ms Michuki was tapped by the London-based fair standards lobby, the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP), to lead teams in Kenya, Malawi, and Rwanda to spearhead reforms targeted at improving livelihoods for smallholder farmers and workers.
She was also a member of a government-appointed task force whose mandate was to advise the state on the reforms that could help to streamline the tea sector in the country.
The AFC board is chaired by Franklin Bett, a former Roads minister.
The agency’s mandate includes credit extension and technical assistance to clients covering agriculture, rural development and food security.
In recent times, it has been promoting lending to female-led enterprises as part of its Women Affirmative Action Window.
On the total AFC loans portfolio of Sh8.7 billion, women account for only 25 percent despite their loans being much productive than those of their male counters, the agency said last year.
