Kenya Airways has accelerated efforts to turn around the loss-stricken carrier and secure a new strategic investor by appointing Kiprono Kittony as board chairman and three new directors in a sweeping leadership overhaul.
- •Economist David Ndii, corporate strategist Chris Diaz, and finance scholar Winnie Iminza Nyamute join the board as the airline intensifies restructuring efforts following a profit warning and the exit of its chief executive.
- •The appointments took effect on 5 March 2026 and follow remarks by William Ruto that the government would refresh the airline’s leadership as part of a broader push to stabilise the carrier and attract new capital.
- •The appointments follow the earlier addition of Esther Koimett to the board in January 2026 as a non-executive director representing KQ Lenders Company 2017 Limited, the entity through which several Kenyan banks hold a significant stake in the airline following its financial restructuring.
The board changes come at a critical moment for Kenya Airways as it seeks to restore operational reliability, strengthen governance and rebuild investor confidence.
Kittony has extensive capital markets experience, including as the current Board Chair at the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) and a long career in the private sector. Diaz, who once worked as the airline's marketing director, has more than three decades of experience in corporate strategy and board leadership, including ALN Kenya, Bidco, and Adili Group.
Nyamute, an associate professor at the University of Nairobi and certified public accountant, adds expertise in finance and governance, while Ndii, chairperson of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors and a former economist at Equity Bank and the World Bank, joins as a non-executive director.
The airline's C-suite has also been in transition after the exit of former Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Allan Kilavuka last December. George Kamal, previously chief operating officer, assumed the role of acting chief executive while the board conducts a search for a substantive appointment.
