Nairobi — Few people will remember names of pioneer administrators in the Kenyan corporate world whose names dotted news pages in the first decade after independence.

They were so few that they became the most sought- after by corporations in the newly independent country after - 44 years ago - which were keen to Africanise.

The companies were also keen that Kenyans should identify with the companies rather than the previous image of foreign firms run by foreigners.

The times have since changed as a new generation of executives have emerged. The league of the first decade sat on almost every big company's boards and continued to dominate the corporate world even in the second decade.

Foremost were Joe Wanjui, now chancellor of the University of Nairobi who was synonymous with Kimbo at the then East African Industries - now Unilever Ltd.

Mr Hannington Awori, a former chairman of the Nation Media board.

Then, Mr A. A. A. Ekirapa who rose from the Kenyanisation of Personnel Bureau - a government department set up to Africanise jobs- to become the executive chairman of Nation Newspapers Ltd, the precursor to the Nation Media Group.

Mr Richard Kemoli joined the Commonwealth Development Corporation soon after graduating from Makerere in 1959 and went on to dominate it for nearly three decades.

In the banking industry, Mr Peter Nyakiamo and Mr Sam Ambundo stick out having gone to Barclays and rose through ranks before independence. Mr Nyakiamo was once appointed Cabinet minister in the Moi government.

In the same institution was Mrs Mary Okello who has the distinction of having been the first Kenyan woman to become a bank manager.

Mr Robert Gachecheh was among the pioneer bankers who moved from Barclays to Housing Finance.

At the BAT there was Mr B.M Gecaga and Evanson Mwaniki who were administrators.

Mr Nick Muriuki Mugwandia was is the same league at the Shell/BP and Mr Matu Wamae at the ICDC.

But they would be shocked if they return to manage the same companies today. With free market, advanced technology, new business challenges, they would require few new tricks to survive.

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