Jane Karuku appointed Kenya Association of Manufacturers Chairperson

By Peter Ochieng

Jane Karuku has been appointed the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) national Chairperson.

Karuku, who has served as Vice Chairperson since July 2022, will lead the Association’s Board of Directors for a two-year term, succeeding Mr. Rajan Shah, whose term has come to an end.

The new board Chairperson is also the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of East African Breweries Limited (EABL). She has been described as a dynamic business leader, with strong management experience spanning over 25 years in Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and non-governmental organisations.

She is the second woman business leader to chair the KAM board since its inception in 1959, after Flora Mutahi who was appointed Chairperson 8 years ago. Expressing her enthusiasm for the role, Karuku said she will be committed to the Association’s goals.

“As I take up the mantle, I am looking forward to contributing to the growth of the Association in line with our purpose of creating prosperity for the nation through sustainable industrialization. Cognizant of our ambition to grow the contribution of manufacturing to Kenya’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to 20% by 2030, it is clear we have a lot to do to lead the manufacturing sector towards this ambition,” she said.

“Our first agenda is to industrialise this country and make sure that through KAM, industrialization is more significant than it has ever been. The second agenda is to meet members’ needs, thereby supporting them to realise our purpose for industrialization.”

“Thirdly, is to engage all our stakeholders in realising our industrialization agenda. I am looking to build an organisation that is inclusive internally and externally, including our membership and all other stakeholders,” she added.

The new chairperson has been drafted in to focus on driving Kenya’s industrialization agenda, driving membership growth and enhancing stakeholder engagement.

She will be deputised by Hitesh Mediratta, the Managing Director for PG Bison (Kenya) Limited. The Vice Chairperson has served on the KAM Board in various capacities, including providing strategic guidance on trade and tax matters affecting the manufacturing sector.

On the other hand, the outgoing Chairman, Rajan Shah, will remain an Ex-Officio member of the Board, playing an advisory role in directing the growth of the Association.