Kakuzi appoints Dr John Kimani to its Board as Non-Executive Director alongside Nicholas Nganga named Board Chairman

– KENYA, Nairobi –  Kakuzi Plc (LON: KAKU) today announced the appointment of Nicholas Nganga as Chairman of the Board effective immediately, taking over from Graham Mclean who steps down from the role but will remain a non-executive Director.

Among his other roles, Nicholas Nganga was Chairman of Safaricom, Kenya’s leading telecoms operator, from 2007 until 2020, and is current Chairman of Car & General Kenya Limited and G4S Security.

Dr John Kibunga Kimani has been appointed to the Board of Kakuzi Plc as a non-executive Director with effect from 1 November 2020.

Dr John Kimani has extensive experience in the agricultural sector including planning, development and administration of small-holder agricultural extension programmes at District level, developing and managing small-holder irrigation projects and preparing long-range plans for land and water resources across Kenya. Notably, he led the planning team in the Tana and Athi River basins embracing six districts of what were Central, Eastern and Coast Provinces of Kenya. He has worked with Government agricultural projects aided by the World Bank, SNV of the Netherlands, JICA of Japan, DANIDA of Denmark and GTZ of Germany.

In addition to being a fellow of the Economic Development Institute of the World Bank, Dr John Kimani has a BSc in Agriculture; an MSc in Agricultural Economics and a PhD in Development Studies, Economics and Socio-anthropology. Dr John Kimani is a member of the Agricultural Society of Kenya as well as a member of the Avocado Exporters Association of Kenya.

To enhance governance structures within Kakuzi Plc, the Board is establishing an Independent Human Rights Advisory Committee. The IHRAC will comprise experienced and distinguished individuals drawn from the human rights sector locally and internationally, and representatives of our stakeholders. Andrew Ndegwa Njoroge, a non-executive independent director of Kakuzi Plc, will sit on the IHRAC.

Nick Nganga, Chairman of Kakuzi Plc, said: “Kakuzi sells its products both locally and across the world. We must always ensure our corporate policies and human rights processes evolve to accommodate feedback and input from our employees, communities and other stakeholders, wherever they are based.

The changes and initiatives announced by the Board today are important steps in this regard. Dr Kimani will be a valuable addition to the Kakuzi Board. He knows Kakuzi well having grown up on the farm. He has an impressive and well-respected track record in the agricultural sector of this country which he built up working in private and public sector enterprises and projects.

“The Independent Human Rights Advisory Committee and the Operational-level Grievance Mechanism are significant enhancements to Kakuzi’s governance processes. They underscore our determination to take a ‘belt and braces’ approach to human rights.”

For more information: https://www.kakuzi.co.ke/

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