A Kenyan chief executive officer, narrated a time he was convinced by the government to walk away from the private sector for a plum role in government.
Speaking to K24 TV in 2011, current Telkom CEO Mugo Kibati disclosed that the then Kibaki government had offered him a lucrative position at Vision 2030 as a director.
Kibati further revealed that he was reluctant to take up the role, arguing that he enjoyed working in the private sector and was nervous about how government agencies operate.
He also pointed out that he later agreed to take up the position after a series of talks with the government that ran into late nights.
"I am a private sector guy. For me, there is so much opportunity in Africa. I started a business and the idea I had was to identify many small to medium-size enterprises. When I started I found many, a healthcare company and what they would need is to scale up.
"I was in the middle of doing all that and I had risen in the private sector. I was in the Federation of Kenyan Employers as the deputy chairman. We used to go to ILO (International Labour Organization) every year," stated Kibati.
"While I was doing that in Geneva, I got a call from a PS of Urban Planning and he told me, 'Mugo, we would like to come and talk to you'," he disclosed.
At the time, his plate was full because he would be attending events for two weeks in a row but when he returned, the government still wanted his service.
"We sat together (with the then chairman of Vision 2030) and he really talked to me about how much they wanted me to become the CEO. When I came back, I sat with the head of public service.
"He was very patient about explaining to me what that would mean because I was very anxious about leaving the private sector to come to government. Government is very difficult because of all the bureaucracy and the hierarchy. As a CEO in the private sector, I make a decision and off I go," explained a cheerful Kibati.
"We had a long discussion with him, actually three nights and, eventually, I was like 'this role is something I would really like to do'," he continued.
After the agreement, Kibati became the director general (DG) of Kenya Vision 2030's delivery secretariat until his term ended in 2013 after serving for four years.
His role involved driving Kenya towards the realization of Vision 2030.
In 2012, Kibati announced that various flagship projects were either completed or at an advanced stage in line with the vision's realisation.
"Overall, there have been good achievements in the social pillar flagship projects. Despite Kenya’s economy being affected by multiple adverse domestic and external shocks, significant progress has been made in implementing the Medium Term Plan for 2008-2012.
“We have made strides in education reforms, housing, gender mainstreaming among other gains,” stated Kabati at the time.
