The Public Service Commission (PSC) has appointed Eng. Kepha Seda as the new Director General of the Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) Directorate under the National Treasury. His appointment follows a competitive recruitment process conducted by the PSC, which is constitutionally mandated to hire State officers.
Eng. Seda takes over from his predecessors, Eng. Stanley Kamau and Kirigwa, becoming the third person to hold this position. He is expected to officially assume office on April 1, 2025.
A registered professional engineer with the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) and a member of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK), Eng. Seda brings over two decades of experience in public infrastructure. He holds an MBA from Strathmore Business School and has PPP certifications from both the World Bank (APMG) and the Institute for Public-Private Partnerships (IP3), USA.
Before this appointment, Eng. Seda led PPP Construction at the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), where he contributed to the development of Kenya’s PPP tolling framework and the institutional setup of the KeNHA PPP Directorate. He has been involved in several flagship projects, including the Nairobi Expressway and the Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau Summit Highway.
While Kenya’s PPP framework has enabled delivery of major infrastructure projects, especially in transport and energy, concerns persist about fiscal risk exposure and long-term sustainability. The government currently outlines some of these risks in the annual Budget Policy Statement (BPS), but analysts have noted gaps in how PPP-specific risks are assessed and disclosed.
Eng. Seda steps into the role at a time when balancing infrastructure expansion with fiscal responsibility is increasingly important. Expectations for his term include not only improving efficiency and delivery of PPP projects, but also strengthening transparency and oversight—particularly around risk management and long-term commitments tied to these partnerships.
His leadership will likely influence how future PPPs are structured, evaluated, and monitored, especially as Kenya continues to seek private investment in public infrastructure amidst budget constraints and shifting economic conditions.
