Hon. James E.O. Ongwae, EGH, was appointed the Chairman of the Universal Service Advisory Council on 15th November 2023 for a period of three years.

Prior to his appointment to the Universal Service Advisory Council, he was the Governor of the County Government of Kisii from March 2013 to August 2022. He has over 35 years of experience in public service where has served in various capacities. He has served as Permanent Secretary, of the Ministry of Agriculture, Chief Executive Officer/Secretary of the Teachers Service Commission, Permanent Secretary/Director of Personnel Management, Office of the President, as well as Programme Director, of the Civil Service Reform Programme, where he was in charge of all government reform initiatives.

He was also a Chief Management Analyst, Management Consultancy Services, Office of the President. Hon. Ongwae has served as a board member of the following state corporations: Member of the Board of the Commission of Adult Education; Member of the Board of the Commission of Higher Education; Member of the Board of the Kenya National Examination Council; Member of the Board of the Directorate of Industrial Training; Member of the Council of the University of Nairobi; Member of the Council of Maseno University; Member of the Council of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology; Member of the Council of Egerton University; and Associate Member of Kenya Institute of Management (KIM).

He holds a Masters in Public Policy and Administration from the Institute of Social Studies—The Hague, Holland; a Post Graduate Diploma in Management (East and Southern Management Institute—Arusha, Tanzania); and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics, Government, and Sociology (University of Nairobi, Kenya).