Introduction

Kinuthia N. Murugu, CBS
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of State for Youth Affairs
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Kinuthia Murugu, 44, has until recently been the Regional Director for the World Scout Bureau based at the Africa Regional Office in Nairobi, Kenya. As Regional Director, Kinuthia was charged with the responsibility of developing and expanding scouting in 46 countries of the African continent. Presently, this region has approximately 2 million scouts. In addition to the main office in Nairobi, the Regional Office has two satellite offices in Dakar Senegal, and Cape Town, South Africa.

Kinuthia has a long and varied engagement with youth organisations and youth issues. He started scouting as a young boy at Starehe Boys Centre attaining the highest badge for a young person, the Lion Scout badge, in 1979. He went on to become a Troop Leader and later Rover Crew Leader at the University of Nairobi where he graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Business Administration. Kinuthia is also a Member of the UK Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply.

After university, Kinuthia joined the Kenya Navy where, after a varied career that included command at sea, and United Nations Peace keeping duties in Yugoslavia, he retired in 1996 with the rank of Major. Whilst in the Navy, he attended many military and leadership courses and was awarded the Head of State Commendation medal (HSC) for professional excellence. Later he worked for Maersk Sealand, a leading global shipping line, where he was the General Manager, Operations in East Africa.

Kinuthia is widely travelled, having visited over 60 countries in 4 continents and engaged with Government ministers, Presidents (including former President Mandela) and Royalty including Prince Edward and the King of Sweden. He has strong personal experience and commitment in the development of young people and serves in a voluntary capacity as an Executive Committee member of the President’s Award Scheme in Kenya. He is indeed a Gold Award holder of the President’s Award Scheme.

Kinuthia is fluent in English, French and Swahili. His hobbies include swimming, playing squash and chess, writing articles, speeches, short stories and poems. His collection of poems “Feelings …. Just Feelings” was published in 2003.

Kinuthia is the current Chairman of the 12,000 strong Old Starehean Society and serves as a member in the Managing Committee of Starehe Boys Centre. He is married with four sons.

Irfan Keshavjee
Managing Director, White Rose Dry Cleaners
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Irfan Keshavjee, 36, currently serves in several capacities. He is the Managing Director of White Rose Drycleaners, East Africa’s largest branded dry cleaning chain with over 40 outlets spanning every major town and city in Kenya and Uganda and employing over 200 people. Irfan is also the Co-founder and Director of Honey Care Africa Limited, a multiple award winning social enterprise working across Kenya and Tanzania with small holder farmers to enhance incomes of people below the poverty line. He is a Co-Founder and Director of Shaanti Holistic Health Retreat, Diani Beach, Mombasa, ranked among the world’s most prestigious resorts and is also the Director of the East African Film Academy Limited.

Irfan holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil-Environmental Engineering from Queen’s University, Canada and a Masters in Business Administration MBA from the University of Oxford, UK.

Despite his busy schedule, Irfan has devoted himself to several philanthropic activities that include serving in the Board of Trustees for the Kibera Community Radio, serving in the Board of Directors for the Hawkers Market Girls Center for which he is a winner of the World Bank Development Marketplace Award for successfully initiating funding for the establishment of “Learn and Earn” Centers for under privileged and orphaned girls at the Hawkers Market Centre in Nairobi. He was a volunteer to the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (Humanities Project for Central Asia) in Dushanbe and Khorog, Tajikistan in 1998 and 2001. Irfan has also worked on a voluntary basis as a Business Counselor for the Kenya Management Assistance Programme (KMAP) and the Jomo Kenyatta University Business Start-Up Programme from 1996 to 1998.  

Irfan loves the outdoors and has participated in several organized activities from mountain biking and mountain climbing to white water rafting and parachuting.

Fred Ogana
Country Director, TechnoServe Kenya
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Fred Ogana serves as the Country Director of TechnoServe Kenya. Based in Nairobi, he’s responsibilities include overall strategic management of all programmes, ensuring country programs are in sync with TechnoServe’s corporate strategic direction.  He also holds executive-level responsibility for finance, marketing, operations and human resources development.

Prior to his appointment as Country Director in January 2007, Fred served in various capacities in the organization. Some of his positions have included Senior Business Manager Dairy, Legumes and ICT Projects where his main responsibilities included conducting industry-specific competitiveness and value chain analysis, business development modelling, concept and proposal development. Some typical tasks included market research, identifying high-value agribusiness opportunities, and establishing new and productive market linkages.
 
Fred Ogana joined TechnoServe in 1998 as a Business Services Centre Manager –Micro-Private Enterprise Development. Other positions held include; Senior Business Advisor & Team leader –Dairy Projects and the Project Coordinator –Small Enterprise Dairy Expansion Program.

Prior to joining TechnoServe, Fred run an international Import and Exports firm where he was the founder and director. During his tenure the company merged with a group of Eastern European investors to set up joint venture enterprise based in Prague, Czech Republic with an office in Nairobi. The company was involved in the export of flowers from Kenya and importation of medical supplies. He is a graduate and holds an Honorary Bachelor of Commerce degree in Business Management from University of South Africa, Pretoria, Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Business Studies and Sociology, from Kenyatta University, Nairobi, and pursuing a Master of Commerce in Business Management MBA from the University of South Africa.

Fred is motivated by a passionate belief that the key to poverty alleviation lies in entrepreneurship and business development, he continues to strive for positive impact among clients and entrepreneurs. 

Professor David Sperling
Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Strathmore University
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Nyambura Koigi
Managing Director, Postbank
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Nyambura serves as the Managing Director of the Kenya Post Office Savings Bank [Postbank].She holds a MBA in Strategic Management and B.A. from University of Nairobi. Prior to her current responsibilities, she had a varied career as Data Processing Manager, General Manager Business Development and International Affairs and Director Operations in Postbank. She is the current Chairman of the World Savings Bank Institute [WSBI] Africa Group – a member association of savings banks from 37 African countries. She is also a Board member of WSBI which has its Headquarters in Brussels and a member of the WSBI Coordinating Committee. WSBI is a global movement of 103 savings and other proximity and retail banks from 86 countries. Nyambura is involved in promoting entrepreneurship among the youth on voluntary basis through her participation in Students-In-Free-Enterprise [SIFE], a global movement that encourages entrepreneurship, business ethics and success factors among university students in 1,800 universities from 46 countries. She is the Chairman, SIFE Kenya Business Advisory Council. She has a strong commitment to the promotion of entrepreneurship among the youth and is a SIFE project judge at the local and international level and was indeed awarded the Champion of SIFE Award in 2006. Nyambura was nominated to serve in the SIFE International Business Advisory Council Board in April, 2007. Nyambura has served as a volunteer business counselor under the Kenya Management Assistant Program[ K-MAP] and is involved in other voluntary work at community level. She is married and has three sons.