Nyanza International Investment Conference

Speakers

Chairman Conference Organizing Committee

Over 36 years’ experience in the insurance industry, 19 years of which as Regional CEO of AIG East Africa, during which time he led both AIG Kenya and Uganda to top leadership positions in the industry. During the same time, he led the AIG EMEA team in developing a worldwide framework for implementation of a robust microinsurance program. He served on the boards of AIG Kenya and Uganda. He was the Regional Director of the Alpha Group for a period of three years and is the founder and CEO of OBG Company, a business consultancy firm, and the co-founder and director of Jumbo Chem Kenya Ltd, a manufacturer of building materials. He serves as a non-executive director of Absa Bank PLC and is the chairman of the Credit Committee. Additionally, he is the chairman of Absa Bancassurance Company Ltd and a non-executive director of Absa Asset Management Company. He is the current director of the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation and has previously served as a director of the Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA) Kenya and the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics

Chief Development Officer Victory Farms

Economist with focus on sustainable & inclusive development. +20 yrs senior level experience in private, government, NGO, and political
sectors. Chairman, Africa Aquaculture Business Leaders Forum. Board Member, Lake Victoria Association. Board Member, Commercial Aquaculture Association of Kenya. Other interests: Food & Nutrition Security, Environmental Conservation, and Youth Empowerment.

Principal Secretary, Housing & Urban Development

Mr. Charles M. Hinga is the Principal Secretary, the State Department for Housing and Urban Development, under the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development in the Government of Kenya. In this role, Mr. Hinga leads the SDHUD team in undertaking housing policy management, management of various housing schemes for civil servants and disciplined forces, development and management of government pool housing, public accommodation lease and management, maintenance of inventory of government housing property as well as development and management of affordable housing.

The State Department of Housing and Urban Development is also charged with urban planning and development, shelter and slum upgrading. Most importantly, SDHUD is championing the delivery of 250,000 affordable homes per annum as articulated under the current administration’s manifesto. For distinguished and exemplary public service to the nation, Mr. Mwaura was awarded the Chief of the Order of the Burning Spear (CBS).

Governance, Public Policy, and Political Economy Practitioner.

Mr. Con Omore Osendo is a governance, public policy, and political economy practitioner with 22 years post-university experience and currently an Associate Consultant at SOUTH Consulting, a leading governance, policy and development think tank working in East and Southern Africa.
 
Previously, he has worked as the Governance Adviser and Devolution Technical Lead at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO); as the Governance Programme Manager at the Danish Embassy in Nairobi; and as a Programme Officer with USAID’s Parliamentary Support Programme and Transparency International – Kenya.


Micro, Small, And Medium Enterprises (Msmes) Expert.

Dr. Evans Geoffrey Mogeni, Ph.D., is a distinguished development economist and climate change expert, focusing on the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector. With over two decades of experience in both the private and public sectors, he currently serves as Regional Director at the Micro and Small Enterprise Authority (MSEA). Dr. Mogeni has a rich academic background, having been an economics lecturer and department chairman at a university and an administrator in the Ministry of Interior and Government Coordination. He holds a Ph.D. from Kenyatta University, and a master’s and bachelor’s degrees in development economics from the University of Nairobi, alongside a diploma in Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation & Resilience from Danida Fellowship Center, Denmark, and training in Intellectual Property Rights from ICRISAT, India. Dr. Mogeni is committed to promoting sustainable development through innovative research and advocacy, aiming to empower MSMEs Investment and drive economic growth.

Lecturer and Director Quality Assurance


Dr. Daniel Barante is a lecturer and director quality assurance at Scott Christian University. He is a consultant in areas of governance, strategic management and organizational development.

Former Dean School of Law and Lecturer

Former Dean School of law and lecturer in  law and development and marginalization issues.  BA Indiana University , JD Illinois, LLM Indiana university and SJD University of Arizona

President, Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK)

Eng. Shammah Kiteme is the President of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK). He is a skilled civil structural engineer in practice. He has more than 15 years of experience in the fields of waste water treatment and structural engineering.
He has provided consultations in Kenya and other African nations. Using diverse teams of engineers from several nations, he has completed important projects.
Eng. Shammah holds certifications from Project Management International—USA as a qualified PMP®’ and the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) as a licensed consulting engineer.

CEO- KDIC

Mrs. Hellen Chepchumba Chepkwony is a seasoned professional with over two decades of remarkable achievements in strategic leadership and management. Her journey, rooted in a profound understanding of economics and risk management, showcases her as an exceptional leader with a transformative vision.
Educated at the University of Nairobi, Mrs. Chepkwony holds both M.A and B.A degrees in Economics, which have laid the foundation for her deep insights into economic dynamics. Her illustrious career has spanned both the public and private sectors, where she has adeptly navigated diverse environments, displaying remarkable leadership prowess.

Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of The President.

Eliud has 23 years’ experience as an Economist, Management Consultant and Strategy Expert with  Core-Competency in Macro and Micro-Economics; Strategic Planning; Business Planning; Organizational Re-structuring; Job Evaluation and Pay Structure Architecture; Performance Management; Management of Strategic Change; Training Needs Assessment (T.N.A.);Organizational Design/Development; Executive Search, Selection and Placement (Recruitment);Human Resource Audit; Market Research/Surveys; and Feasibility Studies.

Zamaleo Arts & Culture Trust

Aghan Odero Agan is an internationally profiled multi-skilled Artistic Performance Creator, African Storyteller, Theatre/Screen Actor, Director and Writer. He a professional Arts & Culture Management Consultant with a wide experience in both visual and performance arts programs across African continent over the past two and a half decades. He is associated with several leading Kenyan arts organizations in various governance capacities as a founder, trustee and director.
Aghan Odero is a former Executive Director/CEO of The Kenya Cultural Centre/National Theatre. He is affiliated with The Orature Collective (TOC) and currently runs Zamaleo Arts & Culture Trust (www.zamaleoact.org) in Nairobi, Kenya.

 Diplomatic Representative Of The Aga Khan  Development Network

Amin Mawji Obe is the Diplomatic Representative of the Aga Khan Development Network accredited to Kenya and Uganda.
 
Mr. Mawji was previously a senior Partner at Ernst & Young (EY) in the UK, where he held a number of leadership positions. He graduated in Economics from the London School of Economics and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales. Over a professional career spanning 35 years, he has advised on several corporate transactions, mergers and acquisitions.

Founder of Nyangorora Banana Processors

Askah K Nyakwara is the founder of Nyangorora Banana Processors and is highly experienced in the production of value-added agriculture products. She is trained in banana processing and marketing and added value in producing banana crisps, complimentary flour, baby foods, military rations, wine, soap, and Composites flour. She has managed the production of NBP since its inception and has been featured in several news articles and interviewed on television for her work as a female entrepreneur.
She has worked different development partners in the region among them being KIRDI, Kebs ,KIPI, USAID, IICA, EU, etc. She has worked in KIRDI Kisii for the last 12 years along the banana value chain to develop banana products for the market. She is also the 2015 Women in Business winner for East Africa and won Best Innovator in the 2016 Kisii Entrepreneurship
Summit.

Executive Director at Absolute Sports Solutions

Executive Director at Absolute Sports Solutions – Specializes in sports infrastructure advisory and international and corporate sports events organization.
 
Team Services Manager for the African Football League. FIFA and CAFs premier football interclub competition. She handle team services. Literally incharge of all the participating teams in Africa, team venues at stadiums etc.
 
Also a member of the First Instance Board that handles team compliance for all Kenyan Football teams, give licenses to Kenyan clubs to participate in all local and international competitions and charge of sporting compliance.

Lecturer at Taita Taveta University

Nashon Adero, a lecturer at Taita Taveta University, is a geospatial engineering and systems modelling expert with cross-sector experience in engineering, academia, public policy research and analysis, and research consultancy. His teaching and research specialties are in engineering and mining surveys, GIS, and multicriteria spatial decision support models, applying system dynamics to natural resource management, development planning, and policy decision support.
 
He is the founder of Impact Borderless Digital (IBD), a youth mentorship programme on skills and career development. He has been active as a volunteer youth mentor for Kenya Presidential Digital Talent Programme and FIG Mentoring Programme for Africa. His key achievements include co-authoring the books Project Design for Geomatics Engineers and Surveyors (Taylor & Francis, 2023) and The Future of Africa in the Post-COVID-19 World (IREN, 2021), and international awards, e.g., the 2008 US Barry Richmond Award for Systems Thinking and 2020 ACCESS Ideas Competition for African lecturers.

Kenya’s Ambassador To Belgium

Bitange Ndemo’s career spans academia, government service, advisory roles, and entrepreneurship. He is Kenya’s Ambassador to Belgium and is also responsible for representing NDEMOthe country’s interests at the Mission to the European Union. Before assuming his current diplomatic assignment, Ndemo served as a distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences at the University of Nairobi. During this tenure, his research focused on exploring the critical connection between Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and the growth of small and medium enterprises. His work highlighted the significant role of ICTs in influencing economic development in Africa.

Additionally, he served as the Chairman of the Kenya Distributed Ledgers and Artificial Intelligence Taskforce. This task force played a vital role in developing a comprehensive digital transformation roadmap, charting the course for Kenya’s technological advancement. Throughout his career, Ndemo has been actively involved as an advisor and board member for various organizations. Notably, he is a panel member of the MIT Artificial Intelligence Policy Forum (MIT AIPF) and an expert panel member for the OECD on Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain. Prior to his academic role, Ndemo held the esteemed position of Permanent Secretary at Kenya’s Ministry of Information and Communication.

Associate Professor University of Nairobi

Tom Odhiambo is an Associate Professor in the Department of Literature at the University of Nairobi. He teaches literature, performance arts, and media. He is also an amateur journalist who has written for various publications in Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. He is a columnist with the Nation newspapers, writing on literature, arts, and culture.

Newby Development And Consulting

Sabrina is a dynamic force in strategy and development, with over 20 years of professional and entrepreneurial experience. Always pushing boundaries, Sabrina went on to establish the Coastal Georgia Minority Chamber of Commerce in 2015, the first coastal economic development chamber of commerce in Southeast Georgia.

In addition to her entrepreneurial ventures, Sabrina has served on local and regional development boards. She holds a bachelor’s degree and a law and policy degree, as well as a Juris Masters from Liberty University. Sabrina is currently pursuing her Doctoral degree and holds an Executive Leadership Certificate from Harvard Kennedy School, Lean Six Sigma Yellow Certification from the University of South Florida, and a CORE scholar from Alabama University. Sabrina’s influence was recognized in 2023 when she was named one of Georgia Trend’s top 500 Influential People and nominated for GAIN’s Powerful Idea Award. She has also played a key role in grassroots voting efforts in Georgia’s 1st Congressional District

Vice-Chancellor(Ag) Open University Of Kenya

Professor Elijah I. Omwenga is the Vice-Chancellor (Ag.) of the Open University of Kenya. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Nairobi and has published over sixty scholarly articles in high-impact journals and academic platforms. His areas of interest include innovative integration of ICT in Education, eLearning, and digital technologies. He is a Commonwealth and VLIR Scholar and a distinguished Advantage Corporate Governance Training Alumni of South Africa.

Founder & CEO Ustawi Organic Farms

Miss Bella Kipruto is a dynamic entrepreneur and the visionary founder of Ustawi Organic Farms, a company dedicated to sustainable agriculture and organic solutions. With a strong passion for empowering communities and advancing environmental stewardship, she has positioned her business as a leader in promoting eco-friendly farming practices.

Beyond her entrepreneurial pursuits, Miss Kipruto is a vocal advocate for youth empowerment and gender equality, using her platform to inspire and mentor young women. She is also a dedicated learner, currently engaged in personal growth initiatives and rebranding her professional image.

An avid reader of self-development books, Miss Kipruto combines her knowledge with her love for fashion and cultural exploration to leave a lasting impact on the communities she engages with. Her vision is to grow Ustawi Organic Farms into a multinational enterprise while becoming a global speaker and cultural ambassador.