Rift Valley Railways appoints new CEO

Isaiah Otieno Okoth, the General Electric general manager in charge of Healthcare and Business Operations, for East and Central Africa, has been appointed as the Group Chief Executive Officer for Rift Valley Railways (RVR).

The appointment takes effect on March 1, 2016. According to Sharon Kakai the client Services manager WMC Africa Ltd.

Okoth, who was appointed on Friday is expected to resign his General Electric position by the end of March such that his placement at RVR takes a permanent course in April.

According to the press release, Okoth will be responsible for the overall management of the business. Together with the executive team, he will ensure that the company achieves its mission and strategic objectives.

"Isaiah comes with over 20 years of high level strategic leadership and business management experience having worked with a number of leading regional and international companies," reads the press statement.

The statement also points out that Okoth has come at a time when RVR is completing a five year investment and transformation programme that has seen it purchase a significant amount of new rolling stock, invest in automated management systems and rehabilitate key sections of the railway infrastructure.

He holds a master of business administration in corporate strategy & Finance from the Business school at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom.