President William Ruto has appointed former Kipkelion East MP Joseph Kirui Limo as the new Non-Executive Chairperson of the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA), replacing Jane Mwikali Makau, who has been reassigned to another state agency.
Key appointments
In a Gazette Notice dated 24 October 2025, the President confirmed that Limo’s three-year term takes effect immediately under the Gambling Control Act, 2025. The appointment simultaneously revokes Makau’s tenure, which began in 2022.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 7(1)(a) of the Gambling Control Act, as read together with section 51(1) of the Interpretation and General Provisions Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya, appoint Joseph Kirui Limo to be the Non-Executive Chairperson of the Gambling Regulatory Authority for a period of three years, with effect from October 24, 2025,” the Gazette reads in part.
Limo, who served as MP for Kipkelion East between 2017 and 2022, will oversee the GRA’s mandate to regulate Kenya’s betting and gaming industry following the dissolution of the former Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB). The GRA replaces BCLB in supervising and regulating licensed Kenyan betting sites.
Makau reassigned to Water Authority
Former GRA chair Jane Mwikali Makau, a governance and policy expert, has been reassigned as Non-Executive Chairperson of the National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority under the Water Act (Cap. 372). Her new appointment also runs for three years from 24 October 2025.
Makau previously chaired both the BCLB and later the GRA after its establishment in 2022, where she oversaw Kenya’s transition to a new gaming regulatory framework.
Other parastatal reshuffles
The Gazette notice also announced several leadership changes across key state agencies:
- Ali Wario becomes the new Non-Executive Chairperson of the National Council for Population and Development (NCPD), replacing Gen. (Rtd.) Julius Waweru Karangi.
- Public Service CS Geoffrey Ruku appointed four new GRA Board members — Emma Wambui Mbugua, Anne Derasso Illo, Fredrick Odumo Nying’uro, and Valarie Angela Akinyi Lomosi — all to serve three-year terms under the Gambling Control Act (No. 14 of 2025).
- The outgoing GRA members — Anne Too, Innocent Muganda, Ernest Kamau, Janet Mwawasi Oben, and Edwin Irungu Gikunju — had their appointments revoked.
- Education CS Julius Ogamba appointed Prof. Kellen Kathure Kiambati as the new Non-Executive Chairperson of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA) for a four-year term.
- ICT CS William Kabogo appointed Stephen Ngari Njuki to the Communications Authority of Kenya board for a three-year term.
- Water CS Eric Muuga named Innocent Muganda to the National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority board — a move linking back to the broader reshuffle of former GRA board members.
Aligning with BETA reforms
The changes are part of the Ruto administration’s wider leadership realignment across state corporations under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
Government officials say the new appointments aim to enhance institutional efficiency, strengthen regulatory oversight, and drive reform in key sectors such as gaming regulation, water resource management, and population policy.
“These appointments are meant to align parastatal leadership with the government’s transformative agenda and ensure that state agencies deliver effectively on national priorities,” a senior official at the Public Service Commission told Betting Companies Africa News.
