The national carrier, Kenya Airways, has announced that Group Managing Director and CEO Allan Kilavuka has exited and proceeded on terminal leave, barely a month after the airline issued a profit warning.
- •The board appointed Chief Operating Officer Captain George Kamal as acting Group MD and CEO with effect from 16 December 2025, according to a public announcement by the airline.
- •Kilavuka’s exit comes after nearly six years at the helm, a period dominated by crisis management, restructuring, and a partial recovery.
- •Kenya Airways said the process to recruit a substantive chief executive will begin immediately through a competitive search.
Captain Kamal, who now steps into the top role on an acting basis, joined Kenya Airways as COO in March 2023 after the airline reinstated the position. A career pilot and aviation executive, Kamal has overseen flight operations, safety, and network execution during a period of operational stabilisation. His appointment signals board preference for continuity as the airline navigates a sensitive transition.
Kilavuka took over as acting CEO in January 2020 and was confirmed as substantive Group MD and CEO in April 2020, weeks before global aviation collapsed under COVID-19 travel restrictions. His contract had been extended in 2024 to run through April 2026.
During his tenure, Kenya Airways undertook aggressive cost-cutting, fleet rationalisation, route restructuring, and debt reprofiling under a state-backed turnaround plan. The airline returned to a pretax profit in 2024, its first in more than a decade, helped by higher passenger volumes, stronger yields, and foreign-exchange gains. However, performance remained volatile, with the airline issuing a profit warning in late 2025, citing pressure on earnings.
Leadership turnover has been a recurring feature at the national carrier over the past decade. Before Kilavuka, Sebastian Mikosz served as CEO from mid-2017 to the end of 2019 before leaving ahead of contract expiry, while Mbuvi Ngunze held the role for about two years until 2016. The last long tenure was under Titus Naikuni, who led the airline for more than a decade until 2014.
