National Oil boss, Sumayya Athmani quits eight months to end of tenure

National Oil Corporation (NOCK) chief executive officer Sumayya Athmani has resigned following internal wrangling that has led to her exit.

Athmani, who has been at the helm since 2011, was in her second term and leaves the firm eight months before the end of her tenure.

She has had run-ins with the board, which in February suspended her pending investigations into the company’s performance. While no specific accusations were leveled against her, the board is believed to have been intrigued by a loss booked by the company during the 2015/16 financial year.

Her tenure even took a political twist following her suspension after deputy president William Ruto ordered her reinstatement after she was suspended.

Athmani joined NOCK in 2004 as the company secretary and legal affairs manager before rising through the ranks to CEO. Her term was set to expire in March 2017.

The board has appointed downstream operations General Manager MaryJane Mwangi as the acting chief executive pending recruitment of a substantive replacement.

“The Board of Directors, Management and Staff of National Oil wish Ms Sumayya Hassan-Athmani the best of luck in her future endeavors,” reads a statement from National Oil.

National Oil is the government’s key player in the retail petroleum market that is dominated by Total which controls 18.5 percent of the market.  NOCK operates a total of 99 service stations and has moved into franchising to speed up expansion.