MESPT BoT
The founders of the Trust (GoK & Royal Danish Embassy) identified and appointed a very able BoT of 5 members which has been overseeing the organization while working closely with the Chief Executive Officer.
The founders of the Trust (GoK & Royal Danish Embassy) identified and appointed a very able BoT of 5 members which has been overseeing the organization while working closely with the Chief Executive Officer.
Mr. Meely is a career investment banker and financial Consultant with proven experience and capability. His career spans over 20 years in treasury, risk management and financial markets. Additionally, he has expertise in balance sheet management as well as hedging financial risks. He has been a team leader in global markets analysis, and customer relationship and orientation. Previously, Mr. Meely served as a Director and Country treasurer with Citibank Uganda from 2010 to 2016. Before that he was the head of fixed income currencies and commodities as well as head of customer sales and derivatives marketing in Citibank Kenya from 2004 to 2010. He also served in various other senior roles in Citibank and ABN Amro Bank over the span of his banking career. He holds a Bachelor of Arts, Economics and Philosophy from the University of Nairobi.
Ms. Asuna is a seasoned economist with 22 years’ experience specifically under the Ministry of Finance, which is now the National Treasury. She is the Director of Planning and the Head of UN Agencies Division and Development Effectiveness Secretariat, in the Resource Mobilization Department, Directorate of Public Debt Management Office at the National Treasury and Planning.
Previously, she worked in the areas of discouraging Restrictive Trade Practices, Review of Mergers and Acquisitions applications (1998 -2007); Resource mobilization, policy formulation, policy analysis, Strategic Planning, Medium Term Planning, budgeting, performance reviews and donor relations (2007 to date). She has been the Head of Development Effectiveness Secretariat since its establishment in 2010. Monica coordinated the development of the Kenya External Resources Policy that was approved by Cabinet in 2014 and coordinated the hosting of the Second-High Level meeting of the Global partnership for Effective Development Cooperation in 2016 by the Government of Kenya.
Currently, Ms. Asuna is also leading the Investor Relations Unit and representing the National Treasury and Planning in various local organizations’ boards. Monica also sits in various International Task Teams representing the Government of Kenya.
She holds a Master of Arts Degree in Economics from Chancellor College, University of Malawi and Bachelor of Arts from Moi University Kenya.
Thomas has a strong business and strategic management orientation nurtured over the last 26 years in various capacities, and engagements in both Kenya and Eastern and Southern Africa region. Having worked for international development partners including Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN in Kenya and SNV – Netherlands Development Organization in Kenya and Zambia, Thomas has over 20 years’ wealth of experience in successfully leading and managing diverse development programmes in areas of private sector led agriculture, agribusiness, food security, value chains and market systems resilience and economic growth development in the region funded by USAID, ECHO, EKN, DGIS, IFAD, FAO, AfDB, GIZ and Mastercard Foundation amongst others.
He has previously served on various boards steering enterprise development including the World bank funded Jitihada programme under the Ministry of Industrialization in partnership with Kenya Institute of management and as an External Advisory Board member on the Green to Grow Project, implemented by Etimos Foundation with funding from EU-financed SWITCH Africa Green Programme. Mr. Thomas Were is a Co-founder and Director of Agile Consulting that so far pans African recognition in development consulting and works with institutions to bridge the proficiency gap, and to propel them to new heights of growth and stability. Mr. Were holds a BSc in Agriculture Economics from Egerton University and an MBA in Strategic Management from University of Nairobi.
David Cracknell is a financial inclusion and digital finance expert with over 35 years of international experience spanning Africa, Asia, and Europe. He is currently the Director of First Principles Consulting Limited, where he leads high-level consulting engagements in financial inclusion, agricultural finance, fintech strategy, digital transformation, and regulatory frameworks across multiple developing economies.
Mr. Cracknell previously served as Global Technical Director at MicroSave Consulting (MSC) and as Managing Director of MicroSave Africa, where he led a team of over 45 consultants across the continent to deliver transformative projects in digital finance, banking innovation, SACCO transformation, and financial sector deepening. He has advised governments, regulators, donors, and financial institutions and has worked in more than 25 countries across Africa.
A Chartered Accountant (ICAEW, 1990), Mr. Cracknell holds a BA in Economics (University of Leicester), a Postgraduate Diploma in Bank Financial Management (University of Sri Jayawardenapura, Sri Lanka), and an Oxford Fintech Programme Certificate (Saïd Business School, 2020). As a thought leader, David has authored over 40 influential blogs on digital finance, fintech regulation, inclusive banking, and customer-centric innovation, hosted on First Principles in Finance. He has served as a judge for the Think Business Banking Awards (2018–2022) and as an advisor to the AITEC Banking & IT Conference (2010–2018), reinforcing his reputation as a global leader in the financial sector.
Dorothy Nduku Kipsang is a highly accomplished development professional with over 24 years of experience in programme design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and learning across Eastern Africa. Her expertise spans sustainable livelihoods, food systems, inclusive value chains, financial inclusion, cooperative development, entrepreneurship, and social protection. She currently serves as the Global Advisor for Sustainable Livelihoods in one of the leading International Development Organization, where she provides strategic and technical leadership in value chain development, market systems, financial inclusion, and resilience-building initiatives.
Her qualifications include a Master of Science in Agricultural/Rural Development and a Postgraduate Diploma in Food Science and Nutrition from Ghent University (Belgium), and a Bachelor of Education (Home Economics) from Kenyatta University. She has also completed numerous executive and professional courses, including leadership, policy, market systems development, and resource mobilization.
Ms. Nduku’s governance and leadership experience is extensive, she is the Chairperson of Precious Ventures, a Trustee and Chair of the Finance Committee at the Makueni Development Trust (MADET), and Vice Chairperson of Kitoto Secondary School Board of Management.
Prof. Robert Mwadime Ngolo (PhD) is a distinguished Kenyan development leader and agribusiness expert with over 25 years of regional experience in East Africa. He holds a PhD in Economic Development and Public Nutrition from Wageningen Agricultural University (Netherlands), an MPH in Health Economics/International Health from Johns Hopkins University (USA), an MSc in Applied Human Nutrition from the University of Nairobi, and a BSc in Food Science and Technology. Prof. Mwadime has successfully led six USAID-funded programmes as Chief of Party across Kenya, Uganda, and Somalia, managing portfolios valued between USD 23–71 million, and overseeing multi-country teams. His leadership has delivered tangible results in agribusiness transformation, market systems development, and food security, empowering hundreds of thousands of farmers and SMEs through innovation, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, and financial inclusion.
Prof. Mwadime’s strategic contributions have strengthened national policy frameworks, including Kenya’s Food, Drugs, and Chemical Substances Act (2012), and supported multi-sectoral nutrition and agribusiness strategies in more than ten African countries.
A respected Scholar, he serves as an Adjunct Professor at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (Tanzania) and a Visiting Lecturer at Makerere University (Uganda), mentoring postgraduate students in nutrition policy and agribusiness. His professional governance experience includes board service with the Kenya National AIDS Control Council, the Kenya Nutrition and Dietetics Board, and as President of the Uganda Nutrition Society.
A respected Scholar, he serves as an Adjunct Professor at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (Tanzania) and a Visiting Lecturer at Makerere University (Uganda), mentoring postgraduate students in nutrition policy and agribusiness. His professional governance experience includes board service with the Kenya National AIDS Control Council, the Kenya Nutrition and Dietetics Board, and as President of the Uganda Nutrition Society.
Rebecca Amukhoye is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Micro Enterprise Support Programme Trust (MESPT). She is an agriculturalist and a business development practitioner with vast experience in the development sector. She has over 20 years work experience successfully directing impact oriented programmes that have empowered smallholder farmers on areas of food security, agriculture and enterprise development in Kenya and other East African countries.
Her background is in Agriculture, Rural Development and Strategic Management. In her career, she has been instrumental in providing leadership, planning, implementing projects and ensuring that the operations of the organization are aligned to its vision and strategic direction.
Prior to joining MESPT, Ms. Rebecca served as a Country director and Regional director in a renowned INGO in Kenya and the Eastern Africa, respectively.
Ms. Rebecca holds an MBA in Strategic Management from the University of Nairobi, MSc. Agriculture & Rural development from Kenya Methodist University and BSc. Agriculture and Home Economics from Egerton University.