Economist with a passion for rural development

CHRIS KIPTOO is a brilliant economist who has worked for the Central Bank, the IMF and the former PM’s Office. He has also been involved in development projects that many people thought he was preparing for a political career. But Kiptoo has other plans, as he told JAMES MBAKA.

Many would pass him in the streets, perhaps for the obvious reason that they do not know him. But Dr Chris Kiptoo, a tall, slender and bespectacled economist, is one of Kenya’s unsung heroes — what with his enormous achievements that have put a smile on the faces of many Kenyans.

For this reason, emissaries were dispatched to ask him to join the contest for political office in the last General Election, as governor or MP, in either of the border counties of Uasin Gishu and Elgeyo Marakwet.

“Before the March 4 polls, my rural home was a hive of activity, with groups of people from different areas of the expansive Uasin Gishu and Elgeyo Marakwet counties calling on me to urge me to consider a stab at politics,” recalls Kiptoo.

Unlike many who cannot resist the political bug — which is usually taken to mean a direct path to amassing some wealth and commanding some respect in the community — the 44-year-old Trade Mark East Africa country director, laughs off any possibility of joining that murky world.

“I want to transform the lives of our people, and I don’t think one can only do that by being in politics. But don’t get me wrong, politicians can and also transform Kenya if they put their hearts to it,” says Kiptoo. “Maybe one day I will join politics, but for now, I am comfortable where I am.”

Married to Priscilla, a banker, his other main goal is to see his three children through university. He speaks fondly of his wife and children, whom he says inspire him to serve God and humanity.

Water

Kiptoo has marshalled support for various socio-economic projects to uplift the livelihoods of locals in Uasin Gishu and Elgeyo Marakwet.

One of his quests is to ensure that women and children do not walk long distances in search of water. To this end, he initiated Chepkosom Water Project, in conjunction with the Government, to supply irrigation and drinking water to households.

“Most dams and pans that the colonialists constructed in the White Highlands (more than 200 of which are in Uasin Gishu) are in a state of disrepair and yet they can be used to harvest water for irrigation and home use,” he says.

Apart from his firm belief in a responsibility to help the needy, he was also motivated by his mentors — Commission on Revenue Allocation chairman Micah Cheserem, Equity Bank chief executive James Mwangi, and Kass International chairman Joshua Chepkwony — who are also involved in charity work.

Kiptoo is the chairman of several boards of secondary schools, including St Patrick’s High School Iten, and is the patron of Kapkoi Primary School. At St Patrick’s High School Iten, he leads a project to construct a double storey administration block, as part of his corporate social responsibility and community work.

He has also helped St Patrick’s access clean water through a water tank project that will also benefit Iten and Tambach towns. Kiptoo also has a passion for helping communities to attain food self-sufficiency, and has initiated a project that seeks to utilise the school’s 100-acre school farm.

He has had a good working relationship with Cord leader Raila Odinga, and was instrumental in organising the St Patrick’s 2011 golden jubilee presided over by the former PM. Such associations fuelled the idea that he was preparing to enter politics.

Farm

“When I started some of the projects, people thought I would run for political office, so they would line up in my village for handouts, but after I started my green house project, the hangers-on disappeared… They are now employees since I pay them for the work they do on my little farm,” he says.

The fact that he did not run for office has not stopped him from associating with political leaders, as evidenced by a phone call from an MP during our interview.

“We must work hand-in-hand with them for development in our rural villages,” Kiptoo says as we resume our chat.

The father of three wistfully recalls his path to success, and is from the school of thought that believes life is not how you begin, but how you finish.

“I used to live in a singira (grass-thatched mud house) and often used a small tin lamp for my studies. During my leisure hours in the scorching sun, I would construct a makeshift shelter of tree leaves to create an environment conducive for my private studies,” he recalls.

His resolve to change the community took shape as he walked along the rough terrain of his Kapkoi Village to and from school as a young boy. It was hardened after several of his age-mates dropped out of school due to poverty.

“Although my father was a policeman, the time I spent with my mother, while he was away on duty, motivated my thirst for education, mostly to help my siblings,” says Kiptoo, who is the eldest in his family.

He attributes his success to his ability to multi-task, discipline and hard work.

His efforts secured him a place at Kapsabet Boys High School in Nandi County, where he met Deputy President William Ruto, then two classes ahead, and secretary-general of the school’s Christian Union (CU). In 1986, he was declared the school’s best all-round student.

This excellence is what he strives to rubber stamp all his work with.

After his A-levels at St Patrick’s Iten, Kiptoo studied Economics at Egerton University, and later acquired a Master’s degree from the same university.

He was thereafter employed as an economist at the National Cereals and Produce Board.

Afterwards, he worked as an economist at the Central Bank of Kenya, before enrolling for his doctoral course in Finance at the University of Nairobi.

While at the CBK, Kiptoo was seconded to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regional office as a research and administrative assistant.

The accredited fellow of the prestigious Macroeconomic and Financial Management Institute of Eastern and Southern Africa, and associate of the Kenya Institute of Bankers, says his many international assignments have helped shape his perception and hopes.

Resilience

“I have learnt a lot in my career and I believe that with focus, determination and resilience, all is possible,” he says.

He was part of a team, while serving as the director of economic policy co-ordination in the former Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), that developed Kenya’s regional integration strategy.

The vision was to have all regional integration issues handled under one umbrella ministry as part of efforts to prioritise regional integration in Kenya’s economic agenda.

As national chairman of the Regional Integration Taskforce in the OPM, Kiptoo was instrumental in the establishment of the National Assembly’s Regional Integration Committee, which plays a critical role in harnessing strengths to spur growth in the region through appropriate legislation.

Policies

The committee also performs an oversight role in increasing regional integration activities by government.

In addition, Kiptoo helped in the formation and signing of the Special Status Agreement between Ethiopia and Kenya, whose main focus was on food and security, sustainable livelihoods and border communities, infrastructure as well as trade and investment. While serving as an economic adviser to former PM Raila Odinga, he worked with a team to institute economic policies that saw the shilling regain stability after months of chaos following a disputed election in 2007.

“My resolve is to improve the prosperity of Kenyans, East Africans and mankind in general through creating trade and investment opportunities,” he says.

“Kenya has people with big ideas, and I was honoured to hear that I was among those touted for appointment to the Cabinet, even though it never came to be.”