Murang’a-based agricultural firm Kakuzi has appointed former Safaricom Chairman Nicholas Ng’ang’a to head its board amid a human rights abuse storm.
Ng’ang’a is one of the longest-serving chair for Safaricom.
Now, Kakuzi seeks his expertise in helping the company soar to greater heights as it stares at a human right abuse suit in London and loss of supply deals in Europe.
Ng’ang’a will replace outgoing Kakuzi Board Chair Graham McLean who has opted to step down.
“Among his other roles, Nicholas Ng’ang’a 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,” said Kakuzi in a public notice posted on its website.
Kakuzi has also appointed billionaire John Kibunga Kimani into its board.
As of 2018 Kibunga had a 30.3 per cent stake in Kakuzi.
The appointment of the two Kenyans into Kakuzi’s board brings an end years of calls by Kenyan shareholders who pressed the firm to enlist Kenyans into its board.
Kibunga had been fronted for years by local shareholders to join Kakuzi board given his huge investment shares into the UK-owned company.
“Dr John Kimani has extensive experience in the agricultural sector (public and private) 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,” the statement added.
Kakuzi is battling allegations of violating human rights through its guards who killed, maimed and raped scores of people from the neighbouring village between 2010 and 2020.
Since the suit was filed at the London High Court by Leigh Day law firm, major grocery retailers who sell Kakuzi avocados have frozen supply deals with the Kenyan based agricultural firm.
Germany’s Lidl; UK’s Sainsbury’s and Tesco suspended dealings with Kakuzi until the claims into human abuse are fully investigated.
