Skills like risk mitigation, strategic communication, innovation, and emotional intelligence are critical. As Kenyans recently debated the Court of Appeal ruling on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) , an interesting argument was raging in the National Assembly.
The house is currently discussing a slew of proposed amendments to the Kenya Roads Bill, 2021.
One of the hot issues is a proposal to amend a provision in the Kenya Roads Act, 2007 requiring the chief executive officers (CEOs) of the road sector agencies – Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) and Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) to be holders of at least a degree in civil engineering.
In their submissions to Parliament, certain professional bodies have taken the unusual stance that the role of “management, development, rehabilitation and maintenance of respective road networks” does not require civil engineering expertise. READ MORE
Traditionally, and in Kenya, people perceive leaders with technical expertise as more professional, credible and successful.
Performance motivation
However, recent experiences and studies have shown that leaders who rely solely on technical expertise in a particular field tend to be caught up in the details instead of thinking strategically and holistically to build a culture of performance motivation and inspiring teams to achieve the vision of the organisation.
The Institute of Human Resource Management (IHRM), Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK) and the Kenya Institute of Supplies Management (KISM) among other bodies, postulated that a CEO’s job, regardless of industry, is more strategic than technical.
The holder of such a position, they noted should be able to lead technical teams to achieve the objectives of the institution.
However, the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK) argued that the road sector CEOs should be experts in civil engineering to avoid being misguided on technical matters such as road design, preparation of bills of quantity and budgets, among others.
This, however, begs the question: What exactly, is the day-to-day role of a CEO?Does a CEO at KeNHA, KeRRA or KURA get involved in an operational scope like the review of road designs, preparation of bills of quantity or even the development of tender documents?The CEO’s key responsibilities are decision-making, ensuring performance, motivating teams, communication, and stakeholder engagement and building momentum to achieve an organisation’s strategic corporate goals.In today’s changing business environment, effective leaders will be those who can identify the technical skills required and ensure that they are surrounded by experts needed […]