The Authority has welcomed the appointment of a new Chairperson of the Board, Ms. Mercy Okiro. Ms. Okiro’s appointment was gazetted on 15th November 2024, effective for a period of three years. She makes history as the first woman Chairperson in the Authority’s history, and the first sitting Chair in two years.

Ms. Okiro previously served as Vice Chair, representing the Law Society of Kenya. Speaking on her landmark appointment, she noted that this signals a new era for construction. “I don’t look at this appointment as being made due to the fact that I am a woman. However, I remain cognisant of the fact that construction is a male dominated field, and at these high levels you rarely find women leading. As the first women in this position, I am honoured.”

Ms. Okiro, an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, is an Accredited Tutor, Assessor and Accredited Mediator of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (London) and the Nairobi Centre for International Arbitration (NCIA) as well as an Adjunct Faculty Member at the Kenya School of Law and Strathmore University. She holds a Master of Arts degree in International Studies from the University of Nairobi and a Master of Laws degree in International Commercial and Investment Arbitration from Queen Mary University of London. She holds professional certifications in corporate governance, trade law and policy, ESG governance, legal audits, arbitration, mediation and sports dispute resolution. She is currently getting her certifications in FIDIC contracts management and construction adjudication.

Ms. Okiro is a former Vice Chairperson of the KEPSA Gender Sector Board and sits on the Council of the Association of Young Arbitrators and the ADR Committee of East Africa Law Society. She was feted in 2019 as the The Young African Arbitration Practitioner of the Year and was listed as one of Africa’s Most Promising Young Arbitrators for three years running.

The current Board is fully constituted, meeting the constitutional gender threshold. 5 out of the 14 members are women. “The Board has met all thresholds when it comes to diversity and representation, and we are more than ready to take on any challenges towards growth and expansion of the construction industry,” Ms. Okiro said.

New additions to the Board include Arch. Florence Nyole, representing the Architectural Association of Kenya, Qs. Mutinda Mutuku, representing the Institute of Quantity Surveyors of Kenya, Eng. Catherine Munyi, representing the Institution of Engineers of Kenya, Ms. Ivy Kimani, representing the Kenya Federation of Master Builders and the alternates to the Principal Secretaries for Public Works and Devolution, Qs. Rose Kotut and Mr. John Mokomani, respectively. Mr. Kalpesh Hirani, representing the Kenya Association of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors and Mr. Peter Musango, representing the Roads and Civil Engineering Contractors Association have both returned to serve their second terms.

View Ms. Okiro’s full interview.