Othieno departs GDC amid fresh recruitment

Geothermal Development Company’s (GDC) outgoing managing director, Jared Othieno. FILE PHOTO | NMG

The Geothermal Development Company’s (GDC) outgoing managing director, Jared Othieno, did not submit his application anew for the position declared vacant in January following the lapse of his first three-year contract.

Mr Othieno said his contract had ended at the State corporation. He had been sent on terminal leave by the board last month, and his position was taken over in an acting capacity by the general manager for drilling and infrastructure, Paul Ngugi.

Read: GDC picks energy insider Jared Othieno as CEO

He, however, declined to give more details about why he was not interested in applying for the job afresh.

“I did not apply for the GDC managing director position afresh,” he said.

Mr Othieno joined the GDC as its managing director on April 19, 2020. He replaced Johnson ole Nchoe at the time.

Mr Nchoe’s term had come to an end in the same month after a three-year stint but was extended for one year following a dispute between the GDC board and the then Energy Cabinet secretary, Charles Keter.

The minister extended Mr Nchoe’s contract despite the board’s verdict to seek a new managing director.

Mr Othieno’s departure heralds another change in the leadership of the company at a time when there is a general increase in executive and boardroom turnover at State-owned corporations.

The new administration has been making changes at scores of parastatals where the incumbents have been replaced or their appointments revoked.

Read: Marked parastatal CEOs as Ruto team eyes fresh faces

Mr Othieno’s departure comes at a time when the GDC has been going through serious financial constraints, a situation that also saw it default on the payment of workers’ salaries, mainly towards the end of last year.

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