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Onyonyi named Libya Oil MD as Murashiki exits

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Former BOC Kenya Managing Director Millicent Onyonyi (centre) at a past event. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Former BOC Kenya Managing Director Millicent Onyonyi has been appointed the managing director at Libya Oil Kenya Limited (LOKL), replacing Zimbabwean national Duncan Murashiki who has recently been dogged by legal troubles.

Ms Onyonyi, an ex-Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) board member, confirmed her appointment to the Business Daily Wednesday but declined to disclose the length of her tenure.

“I take over on August 5. Let’s talk when I take over,” she said in a brief response to queries.

Ms Onyonyi was appointed by Petroleum Cabinet Secretary John Munyes to the board of KPC in February at a time when the State firm was in the eye of a storm following a graft purge affecting several senior managers. She then resigned from the board in July ahead of her appointment to head the oil marketer.

LOKL, which operates under the trade name Ola Energy after rebranding from OiLibya last year, is the local subsidiary of Tamoil Africa Holdings Limited.

In 2018, she resigned from her position as BOC Gases managing director, barely two years after she took the helm of the Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed firm which had seen a downturn in sales due to competition from imports.

Ms Onyonyi, who previously worked at OiLibya as retail coordinator, will be replacing Mr Murashiki whose term at the oil marketer has faced some challenges.

The High Court for instance last month declined to stop the prosecution of Mr Murashiki and four senior LOKL employees accused of breaking into a petrol station and stealing property valued at Sh1.5 million.

Justice Enock Chacha Mwita allowed the move by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji to commence a fresh criminal case against the workers. Mr Murashiki and other staff had opposed a fresh bid by the DPP to charge them after withdrawal of an earlier case against them.

Separately, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) last year asked Immigration officials to stop Mr Murashiki from leaving the country, terming him a flight risk amid an investigation involving a Sh15 billion tax claim on the oil marketer. The travel ban was later lifted by consent of both parties, with Mr Murashiki arguing that his rights had been infringed on since he was not personally liable for unpaid taxes by the firm.

Editor's note: The story has been corrected to clarify that Ms Onyonyi exited the board of KPC in July prior to taking up her appointment at Libya Oil.