President William Ruto has appointed Sitati Olando as the new acting head of the Government Delivery Unit (GDU), effective immediately.
Olando’s appointment was formally communicated through a letter signed by the Principal Administrative Secretary in the Executive Office of the President, Arthur Osiya, on behalf of the Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service, Felix Koskei.
In his new role, Olando will report to Eliud Owalo, the Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Delivery and Government Efficiency at the Executive Office of the President.
Before this appointment, Olando served as Director of Delivery in the GDU. His appointment triggered the immediate revocation of Lee Kyonze, who was serving in an acting capacity.
While announcing Olando’s appointment, Ruto’s office stated that the process of recruiting a substantive Head of the Government Delivery Unit had been initiated in consultation with the Public Service Commission.
About Olando & the GDU
In his new role, Olando will be responsible for monitoring and evaluation, problem solving, accountability, coordination, and communication.
Primarily, the GDU tracks the progress of flagship projects and reports on their implementation to the Head of State and other key stakeholders.
Key to the delivery of its mandate is working closely with various government ministries, departments, and agencies to ensure a coordinated approach to project implementation at both the national and county levels.
Olando is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with almost two decades of experience in the public, private, and development sectors.
His education includes a Ph.D. candidacy in Project Management (Financing), a Master of Business Administration in Management, and a Master of Arts in Project Planning and Management. He also has a strong understanding of "deliverology", a key methodology used by delivery units to ensure the implementation of government priorities.
GDU's Leadership
Olando is set to be the third head of the GDU, after Peter Mbae resigned in January, citing unresolved issues raised to Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei.
In a letter dated January 9 to Koskei, Mbae resigned from his senior position just under a year after his appointment, voicing his concerns over unfavourable working conditions in his office.
“Despite my passion, focus and consistency, for reasons and issues that I have consistently brought to your attention and have not been resolved to date, it has not been possible to carry out my duties as intended, and my position as the Head of Government Delivery Unit is no longer tenable,” the letter read in part.
“In order to be accountable to the people of Kenya, owing to the fact that the appointment was widely circulated, I therefore request to formally disengage from this appointment so as to pursue other interests,” Mbae added.
