Turkestan Region: New Akim Chosen, Former Receives New Position

Darkhan Satybaldy has stepped down as the head of Kazakhstan's Turkestan region to take on a new role as first deputy head of the presidential administration, reports Orda.kz.

Nuralkhan Kusherov has become his successor.

Satybaldy, who has led the region since August 2022, brings a diverse background to his new position.

Born in 1974 in the village of Abay in Saryagash district, he previously served as Shymkent's akim, a senator, and Kazakhstan's ambassador to Uzbekistan. The official speaks Kazakh, Uzbek, Russian, and English, holds a doctorate in economics, and is married with four children.

However, his tenure as regional head was not without controversy.

In June 2023, he faced public criticism after complaints about poor conditions and food quality in private children's camps, despite video evidence shared on social media showing children's grievances. 

His response that inspections found no violations left parents dissatisfied.

Meanwhile, his brothers' companies — Fitness Palace, Nomad Stroy Company, and SAT-NS — were scrutinized for alleged tax evasion.

When asked by journalists, Satybaldy maintained that while his brothers had been in business since the 1990s, they had agreed not to bid for contracts in the Turkestan region during his leadership.

The regional head also faced an incident where farmers were filmed kneeling and addressing him with, "Oh, my khan!" 

Satybaldy later explained that the farmers sought his intervention over the drop in cotton prices and that he had successfully negotiated higher advance payments from processing companies.

Original Author: Ruslan Loginov