Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi has appointed Edward Mwirigi Kinyua as the new Director General of the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).
Kinyua takes over after the departure of former Director General Daniel Kiptoo, with the authority having been under interim leadership by Dr Joseph Oketch.
He moves into the position from his previous role as EPRA’s Director of Petroleum and Gas. As Director General, Kinyua will serve as the authority’s chief executive and accounting officer, with responsibility for overseeing its day-to-day operations, administration and regulatory functions.
Kinyua brings extensive experience in petroleum regulation, engineering and logistics, having spent more than a decade working in Kenya’s energy sector.
He has served as EPRA’s Director of Petroleum and Gas since August 2019. Before the establishment of EPRA, he worked at the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), where he was Acting Director of Petroleum between April 2015 and July 2019. He had earlier served as Senior Manager, Petroleum, from October 2014 to April 2015.
During his time at the ERC, Kinyua was involved in petroleum regulation and enforcement, development of industry standards, licensing, inspection of petroleum infrastructure, petroleum pricing and review of proposed infrastructure designs.
He joined the ERC in February 2010 as a Technical Officer, Petroleum, a position he held until September 2014.
Kinyua’s earlier private-sector experience includes a stint at Total Kenya Limited, where he worked as an LPG Supervisor from September 2009 to January 2010 and as a Lubricants Logistics Officer from December 2007 to August 2009.
He began his professional career at Mabati Rolling Mills, where he worked as a Quality Assurance Trainee Engineer from April 2006 to November 2007. He previously served as a Workshop Supervisor at Friendly Autoworks in Mombasa between October 2005 and March 2006.
Kinyua holds a Master of Science degree in Energy Management from the University of Nairobi, which he pursued between 2012 and 2016.
He also holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in Mechanical and Production Engineering from Moi University, where he studied from 2000 to 2005 and graduated with Second Class Honours, Upper Division.
Earlier, he studied Certified Public Accountant Part 1 in Accounting at Strathmore College of Accountancy between 1999 and 2000, covering financial accounting, law and business finance.
Kinyua is a registered professional engineer with the Engineers Board of Kenya and a corporate member of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya.
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