President Ruto Appoints Joseph Kirui Limo as Chair of Gambling Regulatory Authority
President William Ruto has named Joseph Kirui Limo, the former Member of Parliament for Kipkelion East, as the Non-Executive Chairperson of the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA), succeeding Jane Mwikali Makau.
The appointment, published in the Kenya Gazette on October 24, 2025, takes effect immediately and will run for three years under the Gambling Control Act, 2025. The notice also marks the end of Makau’s tenure, which began in 2022.
Joseph Limo, who served as MP between 2017 and 2022, will now steer the GRA the national body mandated to oversee Kenya’s betting, lotteries, and gaming industry. His appointment comes as the Authority assumes full regulatory powers following the transition from the former Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB).
Outgoing chairperson Jane Mwikali Makau has been reassigned to serve as Non-Executive Chairperson of the National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority (NWHSA) for a similar three-year term, effective October 24, 2025. Makau previously led both the BCLB and later the GRA, playing a key role in Kenya’s shift to a unified gaming regulatory system. Her new assignment places her within a strategic agency governed by the Water Act (Cap. 372).
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The same Gazette Notice also confirmed new appointments to the GRA Board by Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku. The new members, Emma Wambui Mbugua, Anne Derasso Illo, Fredrick Odumo Nying’uro, and Valarie Angela Akinyi Lomosi, will each serve for three years.
Their appointment ends the tenure of Anne Too, Innocent Muganda, Ernest Kamau, Janet Mwawasi Oben, and Edwin Irungu Gikunju, who previously sat on the Authority’s board.
The reshuffles are part of the Ruto administration’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), which seeks to strengthen governance and improve service delivery across state corporations. According to senior government sources, the leadership changes are meant to enhance institutional accountability and ensure that key public agencies including those regulating gaming, water, and other sectors, deliver effectively on national development priorities.
