Stella Opakas is the current Acting Director, Petroleum & Gas, responsible for providing strategic leadership in the technical and economic regulation of Kenya’s petroleum sector. In this capacity, she oversees the implementation of strategies aimed at ensuring effective regulation of the upstream, midstream, and downstream petroleum sectors.

Stella is a Chemical Engineer with over 20 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, gained across a diverse range of institutions and roles. Her professional experience spans oil marketing companies, the Kenya Petroleum Refinery, the County Government of Turkana, and the Authority, where she also serves as Deputy Director, Midstream and Downstream Petroleum.

She holds a Master of Science (MSc) and a Bachelor of Science (BSc) from the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas in Moscow, Russia. She is also a qualified Scenario Planning practitioner, having completed the Oxford Scenario Programme (OSP) at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.