Plans to hire a foreigner to head Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) sharply divided the board of the country’s sole power distributor.
The plan, which was being pushed by the ousted chair Vivienne Yeda, received stiff opposition from the government, the largest shareholder of Kenya Power.
This has forced the utility firm back to the drawing board in the search for a substantive CEO, extending a leadership uncertainty that delays critical decision-making the firm needs.
Those who opposed the shortlist of three foreigners may have had good reasons.
Indeed, it is critical that local talents are prioritised when hiring for a public company like KPLC, especially when there are so many qualified Kenyans that can turn around the firm on perennial State bailouts.
But indigenisation should not be used to push the firm into parochialism. Petty politics should not override merit.
Consumers want a competent person to be the next CEO. Kenyans have not been receiving good service from the power distributor because KPLC has for a while had negative working capital. Leadership wrangles have only made the situation worse.
The sooner KPLC’s liquidity position improves the better as taxpayers do not want to continue propping up a monopoly that can stand on its own.
Luckily, things have started to improve with KPLC’s budgetary support being slashed by 75 percent in the current financial year, pointing to improved performance that saw the firm record a net profit of Sh3.5 billion in the year to June. Things can get better with a good boss.
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