Former Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua was on Friday, March 24, appointed to the Board of Directors of the Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) Group Plc.
Group Company Secretary Bonnie Okumu confirmed that Kinyua will serve as a non-executive director of the board. following approval from the relevant regulatory groups.
Okumu explained that the bank would capitalise on the new director's illustrious career and track record spanning 44 years.
"He is credited with effectively holding a pivotal role in implementing key government initiatives and reforms including the liberalisation of the banking sector, the foreign exchange market, and the trade and capital accounts of the balance of payments among other initiatives
"The Board takes this opportunity to welcome FCS Dr Joseph Kinyua, EGH, to the Board of KCB Group Plc.," the notice read in part.
Kinyua has an illustrious career spanning 44 years. A graduate of finance, he started off as an assistant lecturer at the University of Nairobi in 1978.
In 1980, Kinyua joined the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) as an attaché, then moved to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a brief stint between 1985 and 1990.
He then returned to CBK where he rose up the ranks to become a member of its board of directors. During his term, he became a signatory to the old-generation Ksh1,000 note.
Over the two decades, he served three presidents in various positions. In 2002, President (Rtd.) the late Mwai Kibaki appointed him as the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance and was moved to the Ministry of Planning in the same capacity in 2003.
Kibaki appointed him as PS to the Ministry of Agriculture before he recalled him back to the Ministry of Finance in July 2004.
In 2013, Kinyua made headlines when former President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed him as the Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service.
While naming his cabinet for his second term, Uhuru retained the finance guru as Head of Public Service but appointed Nzioka Waita as his Chief of Staff.
Between 2017 and 2022, he also doubled as the secretary to the Cabinet. Kinyua was part of the transition committee that oversaw the handing over of power to President William Ruto.
Ruto retained him in the same position until October 2022, when he named Felix Koskei to the position.
