Dr James Mworia Appointed Founding CEO Of National Infrastructure Fund

The National Infrastructure Fund (NIF) has appointed Dr James Mworia, MBS, as its founding Chief Executive Officer, marking a major step towards operationalising the newly established investment vehicle.

The NIF Board announced that Mworia’s appointment followed a competitive recruitment process and will take effect on September 7, 2026.

The Fund has been established under the National Infrastructure Fund Act, 2026, with a mandate to scale up and accelerate infrastructure development, mobilise private capital and other non-traditional sources of infrastructure financing, and reduce reliance on public debt to finance commercially viable projects.

The Fund will focus on critical infrastructure needs in transport and logistics, energy, ICT, water and agriculture, with the broader objective of removing constraints to enterprise, improving productivity and strengthening Kenya’s competitiveness.

According to the Board, NIF will adopt an investment and capital-recycling model that will turn identified infrastructure needs into financeable projects, investable assets and successful enterprises.

It will mobilise both domestic and international capital and establish professionally governed enterprises capable of attracting long-term investors.

The Fund will support projects throughout their development cycle—from converting national priorities into bankable projects and scaling ventures into investable infrastructure assets to transitioning them to long-term ownership or capital markets.

Successful asset realisations will, according to the Board, deepen Kenya’s capital markets and enable the recycling of capital into future infrastructure projects.

Mworia takes over with more than 25 years of professional experience in investment management, enterprise development and capital allocation. He has operated at principal-investment level since 2005.

He is currently Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Centum Investment Plc, a position he has held for 17 years.

The Board said Mworia brings a track record of building investment institutions and viable enterprises, allocating and recycling capital and bringing investable assets to market.

During his tenure at Centum, he built the company into a professional investment, development and capital-allocation institution, growing shareholders’ funds to approximately 11 times their opening value without raising additional shareholder equity at the holding-company level.

His experience spans multiple industries, including the establishment, acquisition and transformation of enterprises and investment platforms.

The Board said his expertise covers investment origination, evaluation, structuring and execution, as well as assembling management teams, establishing governance and operating systems, mobilising financing, active portfolio management, value creation and preparing enterprises for long-term ownership or successful exit.

Mworia has also previously served on the boards of the Nairobi Securities Exchange and the Central Depository and Settlement Corporation, giving him experience in capital markets and investor engagement.

The Board said he has mobilised financing from commercial banks, development finance institutions, debt capital markets, institutional investors and strategic partners, while engaging both domestic and international capital providers.

His immediate priorities at NIF will include establishing the organisation’s people, systems and institutional culture, operationalising its governance, investment and risk-management frameworks, developing a credible project pipeline, mobilising co-investment capital and advancing priority projects through rigorous appraisal, structuring and execution.

The Board said NIF will pursue its mandate with commercial discipline, professionalism, integrity, transparency and accountability while building partnerships with government, investors, financiers, developers, regulators and communities.

Mworia holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi and is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya. He is also a Certified Public Accountant, a Chartered Global Management Accountant and a CFA charterholder.

The Board expressed confidence that his record in building institutions and enterprises, mobilising capital and bringing investments to market will enable NIF to deliver critical infrastructure, deepen Kenya’s capital markets, raise productivity and strengthen the country’s competitiveness.