Kenya: Court Asked to Block Extension of National Oil Acting CEO Term

What the report says

A petitioner has gone to Kenya’s High Court seeking orders to prevent National Oil Corporation of Kenya from extending the acting term of Duncan Waziri as chief executive, according to Capital FM’s report distributed by AllAfrica. The filing also asks the court to stop any appointment of Waziri as the corporation’s substantive CEO until the petition is heard and decided.

The dispute follows National Oil’s recent recruitment drive for the permanent chief executive post, which the corporation later cancelled without explaining why. Waziri is serving in an acting capacity after Gideon ole Morintat’s six-year tenure ended. Capital FM said Morintat had held the role since 2020.

The petitioner is asking for conservatory and interim relief under Kenya’s constitutional procedure rules, arguing that the court should pause any extension of Waziri’s tenure pending the outcome of the case. The development places the leadership of the state-owned fuel company under legal scrutiny at a time when the recruitment process for a permanent head has been left unresolved.

More broadly, disputes over acting appointments and cancelled public recruitment exercises can raise questions about transparency and continuity in state-owned enterprises. In this case, the immediate issue is whether the court will intervene before National Oil makes any further decision on its top management role.