The fact that Micah Cheserem is still Kenya's central bank governor is one of the few reasons why the IMF can convince itself there's an economic team in Nairobi with which it can work. Appointed in 1993 and reappointed last July for a further four-year term, Cheserem has won admiration for his judicious influence on monetary and fiscal policy - inflation has fallen from 101% to 11% during his time as governor - and for his outspoken support for the IMF's new and tougher stance against institutionalized corruption.
Along with former finance minister Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi, he has been a beacon of hope for foreign investors. "It's greatly reassuring that you've got a sensible chap like that standing guard at the central bank," says Michael Power, director of the institutional group at Baring Asset Management in London.
Cheserem has spent almost all his career in the private sector and is seen as a technocrat untainted by politics, secure in his intelligence and ability. He has the added benefit of being charming, with no tendency to stand on ceremony. Though slightly bookish, he is not without humour.