Ndii appointed non-executive director on Kenya Airways board

Economist David Ndii. /FILE

Economist David Ndii has been appointed a non-executive director on the board of management of Kenya Airways.

A brief announcement on the changes also confirmed the appointment of Kiprono Kittony, chairman of the Nairobi Securities Exchange, as the airline’s board chairperson and independent non-executive director.

Joining them on the board as independent non-executive directors are Chris Diaz, chairman of Adili Group, and Winnie Iminza Nyamute, an associate professor at the University of Nairobi.

Company secretary Habil Waswani said the appointments were made pursuant to the Capital Markets Regulations 2023 promulgated under the Capital Markets Act.

"The board, management and staff of Kenya Airways hereby congratulate them on their appointment and wish them success in their new roles," Waswani said.

Ndii’s appointment comes just over a month after the High Court declared the establishment of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, which he chaired, unconstitutional.

The advisory team had been responsible for counselling the President on the implementation of the country’s economic transformation agenda, known as the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).

On January 22, 2026, Justice Bahati Mwamuye ruled that the advisory offices in the office of President William Ruto were unconstitutional.

The court cited lack of public participation, the bypassing of the Public Service Commission (PSC) and the unlawful creation of the roles.

The judge found that the offices had been created without parliamentary approval or clearance from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), and that the appointments sidestepped the requirement for competitive recruitment, violating principles of fairness and transparency.

The court also held that the advisory positions overlapped with the mandates of existing offices and duplicated the roles of Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries.

The ruling effectively quashed the appointments of 21 individuals who had been serving in advisory capacities and issued a permanent injunction blocking the payment of their salaries.

Government lawyers, however, indicated their intention to appeal the decision.

The ruling by Justice Mwamuye arose from a petition filed by the Katiba Institute.

A central pillar of the judgment was the finding that the PSC had failed to provide a genuine recommendation, instead acting as a facilitator for what the court described as a predetermined political outcome.

Without a competitive recruitment process, the court concluded that the Executive had effectively handpicked the advisers in contravention of Article 132(4)(a) and the Public Service Commission Act on procedural requirements.

Ndii downplayed the decision, saying it would not stop him and other advisers from offering counsel to the President.

In a social media post, he described the ruling as a “pyrrhic victory”, arguing that the advisers could still continue to provide economic guidance informally as a “kitchen Cabinet”. 

Ndii has more than three decades of experience as an economist, author and political strategist.

Over the years, he has played key roles in shaping national economic policy, including leading the Economic Recovery Strategy during the administration of National Rainbow Coalition.

He also contributed to the country’s constitutional review process that culminated in the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya 2010.

Beyond Kenya, Ndii has served as an adviser to the President of Rwanda, consulted for international financial institutions and held senior positions including chief economist at Equity Bank and economist at the World Bank.

He is also known for founding the Institute of Economic Affairs (Kenya) and Africa Economics.

Ndii holds advanced degrees from the University of Oxford and the University of Nairobi and is a Rhodes Scholar as well as an Eisenhower Fellow.