In the backdrop of the Olkaria Geothermal Power plant, Naivasha, the KenGen Foundation’s Managing Trustee Mike njeru was honoured during the 6th KenGen Awards ceremony. He has served the Company for 26 years to date.

Mike’s background is in communications, both corporate and media and had managed the Company’s Corporate Affairs for over 15 years before moving to establish the Foundation two and half years ago.

Mike joined the company on September 1989 when it was part of the Kenya Power and Lighting Company as head of Public Relations, later attaining the title of Corporate Affairs Manager.

At the separation of KenGen from KPLC, Mike’s main task was to give the new company a distinct corporate identity that would wean it from KPLC as soon as possible. “KenGen was known as Kenya power Company while the big brother was called Kenya Power & Lighting Company. At the onset, I decided the new name of the company should not include the word ‘power.’

He recalls it took him and a team of consultants 8 months to come up with the new name, KenGen and corporate identity, which was launched at the Hilton Hotel in September 1998. “…it was a proud moment for me…I had delivered the identity of what I believed would grow to be a great company”, he says.