Rift Valley Railways appoints new CEO

Rift Valley Railways (RVR) has appointed a new Chief Executive Officer, Isaiah Otieno Okoth, to take over from Carlos De Andrade who served three years at the helm of the company.

Making the announcement, RVR Chairman Titus Naikuni stated that Okoth’s appointment would give the executive management team and the company in general the leadership and focus it needed.

In a statement to newsrooms on Monday, Naikuni said that Okoth’s appointment comes at a time when RVR has reached a pivotal stage in its development after completing a five-year programme that saw the company increase its locomotive & wagon carrying capacity, rehabilitate key sections of the rail infrastructure and introduce modern rail management systems.

“The past five years have been challenging for everyone involved in the concession because of the sorry state the railway was in, however given the investments made and progress registered we believe RVR has finally turned the corner, the appointment of a new CEO is a very clear sign of this and we anticipate exponential growth under his leadership,” read the statement in part.

Okoth has previously served as a general manager in charge of healthcare for East Africa with General Electric. He will join RVR on March 1, 2016 to commence the management transition and is expected to take over on a full time basis on April 1, 2016.