Kenya Airways announces CEO shake-up as Kamal exits, Waswani takes over

Kenya Airways announces CEO shake-up as Kamal exits, Waswani takes over

Kenya Airways announced that Acting Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Capt. George Kamal will leave the position, with Company Secretary and Director of Legal Services Habil Waswani appointed as Acting GMD/CEO.

Waswani will assume the position effective September 15, 2026, according to a communication to Kenya Airways staff signed by Board Chairman Kiprono Kittony.

Kamal is being thanked for his four years of service, during which the airline says he helped stabilise operations and guided the company through its most recent executive leadership transition.

Waswani has more than 24 years of corporate and commercial legal experience and has worked at Kenya Airways for more than five years. He holds an LL.B from the University of Nairobi, a Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law and a Global Executive MBA from USIU-Africa in collaboration with Columbia Business School in New York.

He is also a Certified Public Secretary and a member of the Law Society of Kenya, Institute of Certified Secretaries of Kenya and Institute of Directors of Kenya.

The airline said its Board has already begun a competitive recruitment process for a substantive GMD/CEO, which is expected to conclude in the near term.

The leadership transition comes as Kenya Airways pursues a turnaround strategy focused on operational reliability, network and fleet optimisation, sustainability, growth and finding a suitable strategic investor.