Cabinet makes key appointments, KC will lead University Grants Commission, Ukyab named Investment Board CEO

Kathmandu / Aug. 05: The government on Wednesday appointed former Tribhuvan University rector Khadga Bahadur KC as chairperson of the University Grants Commission (UGC), while also naming development economist Yanki Ukyab as the new chief executive officer of the Investment Board Nepal.

The appointments were approved at a Cabinet meeting, according to Minister for Education and Sports, Sasmit Pokharel.

KC, a professor at Tribhuvan University’s Central Department of International Relations and Diplomacy, previously served as the university’s rector. He resigned from the post in April after the government introduced an ordinance requiring the removal of office bearers at universities and other public institutions. He had been appointed rector in April 2024.

The UGC chairperson’s position had remained vacant since former chairperson Dev Raj Adhikari stepped down following the promulgation of the same ordinance.

The Cabinet also appointed Professor Roji Shrestha, a nursing academic, as the commission’s member secretary, Minister Pokharel said.

The Ministry of Education had invited applications for both positions, receiving around 60 applications. KC and Shrestha were ultimately appointed without facing a competitive selection.

In a separate decision, the Cabinet appointed development economist Ukyab as chief executive officer of the Investment Board Nepal, the country’s investment promotion agency.

Pokharel, also the government spokesperson, announced the appointment after the Cabinet meeting.

A recommendation committee led by Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle, who also serves as vice chairperson of the Investment Board, had shortlisted candidates for the post. The committee also included Gunakar Bhatta, vice chair of the National Planning Commission and the prime minister’s adviser on policy, administration and good governance, Sudip Dhakal, as an expert member.

Ukyab was selected from a field of eight candidates. The other contenders were Manman Singh Basnyat, Jitendra Dhital, Mukunda Prasad Poudyal, Saroj Koirala, Bakhat Bahadur Shahi, Manoj Paudel and Madhu Prasad Bhetuwal.

A development economist by training, Ukyab has served as a senior policy adviser for the United Nations Development Programme’s Asia-Pacific regional office. She has also worked with UN agencies in several countries, including Fiji and Cambodia.

She holds a master’s degree in public policy and governance from the University of Oxford and a master’s degree in economics from the University of Missouri.