James Karari Wahogo appointed as new Secretary General of Eastern Africa Power Pool

The Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP) is pleased to announce the appointment of Eng. James Karari Wahogo as the new Secretary General succeeding Eng. Lebbi Mwendavanu Changullah. James is well-poised to lead EAPP towards achieving its goals of facilitating a reliable, safe, and efficient operation of the interconnected electrical system and the development as well as operation of a competitive electricity market in the Eastern Africa region. He takes leadership at a time when the EAPP region is about to be fully interconnected except for a few countries, and the Day Ahead Market (DAM), is about to be launched. 

With his extensive experience in the power sector, he brings a wealth of knowledge and leadership to the organization, and we look forward to his contributions in his new role. James has over 30 years of experience in the power sector and started his career as a graduate trainee engineer at Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC), he rose through the ranks to head Corporate Planning and Strategy at Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), thereafter worked for General Electric(GE), and later as an independent energy consultant. His experience cuts across various aspects including utility management, power system planning, project development from conceptualization, feasibility studies, designs, through construction supervision and commissioning, to power purchase agreements as well as tariffs formulation. For the last three years, he has overseen the World Bank Technical Assistance to EAPP and the Horn of Africa Regional Integration for Sustainable Energy Systems projects as the Project Manager. The two projects cover institutional strengthening, capacity building, operationalization of the market, strengthening of the Independent Regulatory Board (IRB), and a facility to undertake feasibility studies for transmission interconnectors among member countries. 

His knowledge of power trade, power system planning and operations, and renewable energy will be invaluable to EAPP as the organization works towards facilitating power trade, increasing access to reliable and affordable energy, at a time the region is facing the vagaries of climate change. James holds a BSc (Hons) in Electrical Engineering and an MBA in Strategic Management from the University of Nairobi.

We would like to thank the outgoing Secretary General, Eng. Lebbi Mwendavanu Changullah for his outstanding leadership and immense contribution to EAPP’s success over the last eight years and wish him success in his future endeavors.