Former Principal Secretary Esther Koimett has been appointed chairperson of Lake Turkana Wind Power (LTWP), placing one of Kenya’s most seasoned investment and public policy experts in charge of East Africa’s largest wind energy project.
In a statement on November 4, LTWP announced that Koimett will serve as its new non-executive chairperson, taking over from acting chairman Willy Irei after a recruitment process launched earlier this year.
She will now oversee the 310-megawatt wind farm in Marsabit County, which generates clean electricity for the national grid through 365 wind turbines.
Koimett brings more than 35 years of experience in public policy, investment management, privatisation, and corporate governance, making her one of the most experienced figures to lead a major energy investment in the region.
The company said the former senior government official will guide the board as LTWP continues supplying reliable, low-cost power to the country through what remains Kenya’s largest wind energy installation.
Investment and Reform Veteran
Koimett’s appointment follows a career that includes some of the most influential positions in Kenya’s public and corporate sectors.
She began her professional journey in 1979 at the Kenya Tourist Development Corporation as a Loans Officer before moving into investment promotion roles that laid the foundation for her rise in government.
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In 1994, she joined the Executive Secretariat and Technical Unit of the Parastatal Reform Programme Committee as a Financial Analyst and later became Deputy Coordinator, playing a key role in government reform programmes.
Her experience in state enterprise reforms led to her appointment as Investment Secretary in the Ministry of Finance in 2001, where she oversaw government investments and public sector restructuring initiatives.
She later served as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Information before being appointed Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Kenya Post Office Savings Bank, popularly known as Postbank.
In 2005, she returned to the National Treasury as Investment Secretary and Director General of Public Investments and Portfolio Management, a position she held until 2018.
During that period, she became one of the key figures behind Kenya’s privatisation programme and government investment strategy.
Esther Koimett’s Architecture of Major Deals
Koimett played a leading role in some of the country’s most significant privatisation and capital market transactions.
She was instrumental in the initial public offerings of Safaricom, Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) and Kenya Reinsurance Corporation, transactions that opened share ownership in major companies to thousands of Kenyans.
The Safaricom IPO in particular became one of the largest public share offers in Kenya’s history and remains a landmark transaction in the country’s capital markets.
Esther Koimett’s portfolio also includes transactions involving Telkom Kenya, Kenya Airways, Kenya Commercial Bank, Housing Finance and Mumias Sugar Company.
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Beyond privatisation, she helped develop policy and legal frameworks governing public-private partnerships and investment reforms.
In August 2018, Koimett was appointed Principal Secretary in the State Department for Transport, where she oversaw major infrastructure projects including the Nairobi-Naivasha Standard Gauge Railway section, the Naivasha Inland Container Depot and programmes linked to Lamu Port development.
She later moved to the Ministry of ICT in 2020 as Principal Secretary for Broadcasting and Telecommunications, serving until 2022 when President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration left office.
Since leaving government, she has remained active in corporate leadership.
She chairs AAR Insurance Kenya and M-Pesa Holdings Company Limited, sits on the board of Middle East Bank Kenya where she is the largest individual shareholder, and serves as a director of Car & General and Kenya Airways.
LTWP said Koimett’s experience across government, finance, infrastructure, telecommunications and corporate governance positions her well to lead the board of the wind power company.
Esther Koimett is the eldest daughter of veteran politician the late Nicholas Biwott.
Biwott was one of the most powerful political figures in post-independence Kenya, especially during President Daniel Moi’s rule.
Total Man, as he was popularly known, served in various cabinet roles, including Minister of Energy and Minister of Regional Development.
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