Citizen TV’s Mercy Oburu has been appointed as a Board member for the National Cancer Institute.
Ms. Oburu, a cancer survivor, is the Digital Content Manager at Royal Media Services which owns Citizen TV and other top television and radio stations in Kenya.
She previously served as Editor in Chief.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 6 (2) of the Cancer Prevention and Control Act (2012), the Cabinet Secretary (Sicily Kariuki) appoints David Makumi, Mercy Oburu, Bob Collymore and Evangeline Njiru,” the Gazette notice reads.
Mercy Oburu is also a Board member at the Africa Cancer Foundation.
On Wednesday, it was announced that Ms. Oburu and the three other appointees will serve as Board members of the National Cancer Institute for three years.
“The National Cancer Institute is a corporate body established under the Cancer Control Act and serves as the coordinating body for all cancer control activities in Kenya. The institute’s main mandate is to advise the Cabinet Secretary of Health on the overall priorities that should be accorded to cancer prevention and control in Kenya,” a statement on the website reads.
Collymore, Safaricom’s chief executive, recently revealed plans to step down in August due to health reasons.
The government’s insistence that he be succeeded by a Kenyan has delayed the announcement of his successor.
He took a nine-month medical leave in late 2017 to return to his native England to battle cancer.
“He wants to concentrate on his health so he did not wish to renew his contract,” a source told Reuters.
