Dr Kenneth Chelule

Biography

Dr. Kenneth Chelule, PhD, EBS is the Chief Executive Officer of the Special Economic Zones Authority (SEZA), where he leads Kenya’s strategy to attract global investment, accelerate export-oriented industrialization, and position the country as a competitive manufacturing and logistics hub in Africa.

With over 20 years of experience in industrial research, technology development, and enterprise growth, Dr. Chelule is driving the expansion of Special Economic Zones across Kenya to support high-value investments in sectors such as manufacturing, textiles and apparel, logistics, agribusiness, and ICT-enabled services. Under his leadership, SEZA is strengthening investor facilitation, developing world-class industrial infrastructure, and promoting Kenya as a gateway for regional and global value chains.

Dr. Chelule holds a PhD and MSc in Mechanical Engineering from Staffordshire University (UK) and an Executive MBA from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT). He is a Registered Professional Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (FIET). Prior to joining SEZA, he held senior leadership roles at the Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI), where he championed industrial innovation, technology transfer, and SME development.

Through his leadership at SEZA, Dr. Chelule is advancing Kenya’s vision of sustainable industrial development, export growth, and investment-led economic transformation, positioning the SEZ programme as a key driver of the country’s industrial and trade agenda.