By Kelly Were
President William Ruto has named former Taita Taveta Governor Granton Samboja as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Pyrethrum Processing Company of Kenya.
The appointment, announced through a gazette notice, will see Samboja serve in the position for a three-year term.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 6 of the State Corporations Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint—Granton Samboja to be the Non-Executive Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Pyrethrum Processing Company of Kenya, for a period of three (3) years,” the official notice stated.
Samboja served as Taita Taveta’s second governor from 2017 to 2022 under the Wiper Democratic Movement ticket.
His tenure was marked by a near-impeachment after 30 out of 33 county assembly members voted for his removal, citing alleged mismanagement and abuse of office.
The Senate, however, cleared him, allowing him to finish his term. Samboja lost his re-election bid in 2022 to Andrew Mwadime.
Following his exit from politics, he returned to his media roots and currently hosts a gospel show on Anguo FM—a station he owns—and also works as a preacher.
Alongside Samboja, President Ruto also appointed retired Lieutenant General Adan Mulata as the Non-Executive Chairperson of the National Youth Service Council, also for a three-year period. Mulata is currently the Executive Chairman of Peace Prospect Institute-Africa (PPI-Africa).
His extensive military background includes key roles in strategy, counterterrorism, election security, and inter-agency coordination.
Mulata notably escaped execution during the 1982 coup after refusing an order from coup leader Hezekiah Ochuka to fly a helicopter.
In a third appointment, Ruto named John Mwangi Karondo to the State Corporations Advisory Committee for a similar three-year term. His selection came with the revocation of Joseph Kimani Machiri’s appointment.
