Ogutu Okudo: Sakaja Picks 30-Year-Old Oil Expert Featured In Bomas Chaos

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja on Tuesday, December 13 nominated 30-year-old Lucky Ogutu Okudo as the County Chief Officer in charge of Energy and Lighting.

Okudo was among 33 nominees selected for the county government role as Sakaja seeks to complete his new-look administration before 2022 comes to a close.

The oil executive and energy access expert went viral when she was filmed by national TV cameras inside the Bomas of Kenya in the middle of chaos at the National Tallying Centre which began on Saturday night, August 13, with her name trending subsequently on social media.

Nairobi Woman Representative, Esther Passaris was among the highlights of the scuffle as multiple videos showed her dragging an individual across the hall before he was saved by police officers who separated her from him.

It was alleged that the individual was in possession of a suspicious gadget which raised alarm with regard to rigging suspicions. But during the brief action, something else happened.

A video by Citizen TV captured a man wearing a black cap appearing to have snatched the device from the official who then turned and handed it over to an unidentified woman. Viral Tea could not independently identify at the time whether or not Okudo was the woman in a cream cap captured during the melee at the tallying centre, nor establish her whereabouts during the dramatic clash.

Okudo is nonetheless known in the energy industry and has worked in top oil companies.

She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Foreign Policy and Diplomacy from the United States International University- Africa (USIU) in 2013 and a Master of Science degree in Oil and Gas Enterprise Management from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.

Throughout her career, she has held multiple roles, including being an energy advisor at the county government of Siaya between August 2014 and December 2017. She was a board member of the Association of Women in Energy and Extractives in Kenya (AWEIK) for two years before working as a consultant at the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining.

Her real dive into the Kenyan government came when she was appointed the Lead Researcher and Strategic Communications in President Uhuru Kenyatta's administration. Her main focus was the Maritime Delimitation in the Indian Ocean (Somalia v Kenya): Oral Proceedings before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which saw the court taking Somalia's side.

Okudo then worked as an Executive Board Member at the National Oil Corporation of Kenya (NOCK) in a baord that consisted of chairman Patrick Obath, Cecilia Ng'itit, Mundia Geteria, Surea Roble, Michael Rubia, Dorothy Marami, Robai Musilivi (company secretary), Godfrey Waluse and Victoria Karugu.

Notably, she has worked as the country manager for SpringRock Energy, an international oilfield and servicing company.

She is also the founder and CEO of Women in Energy and Extractives Africa (WEX Africa), a Nairobi-based non-government organisation, with members in eight African countries and membership in excess of 3,500. This was a drive that saw her recognised by CNN Africa Voices, who referred to her as “the woman on a mission to disrupt the energy sector”.

Other roles she has held include the London, UK-based off-grid power utility, Bboxx as a Non-Executive Director, an Advisory Board Member at Africa’s leading energy association The African Energy Chamber and the Chief Executive Officer at Guuru Energy. 

"Guuru Energy founded by leading oil and energy access expert Ogutu Okudo, is now steering the change of narrative, in the Africa Energy Transition Agenda. The integrated energy service company and specialist advisory firm works with companies and governments across the continent placing sustainability at the core of their business strategy.

"Guuru Energy creates shared value for their clients; mapping out ESG risks, technical expertise for natural resource strategic development, draft and lobby energy policy legislation and build PPP’s for decentralized energy solutions targeting the over 600,000 Africans with no access to electricity," describes the company on her LinkedIn bio.

Ogutu was recognised by Forbes Africa, as part of their 2020, 30 Under 30 Class for her work in the energy sector.

A photo of Ogutu Okudo taken on February 9, 2019. /FACEBOOK