Kenya Airways has appointed its Company Secretary and Director of Legal Services Habil Waswani as the acting Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, replacing Captain George Kamal, who is leaving the national carrier after four years.
The appointment takes effect on September 15, according to a communication by Kenya Airways chairman Kiprono Kittony to staff on Tuesday.
Waswani takes over as the airline's board pursues the recruitment of a substantive Group Managing Director and CEO.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I wish to communicate the following important leadership changes within our organisation,” Kittony said in the message to the Kenya Airways family.
Kamal, who has been serving as acting GMD and CEO, will transition from the role after steering the airline through a period of leadership transition.
“During his tenure, he brought extensive aviation expertise to bear in stabilising the airline’s operations and successfully steered the company through the most recent executive leadership transition,” Kittony said.
“The Board and Management express their sincere gratitude to Capt. Kamal for his four years of dedicated service and wish him every success in his future roles.”
Waswani, a corporate and commercial legal practitioner with more than 24 years of multi-sectoral experience, has served at Kenya Airways for more than five years.
He holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi, a Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law and a Global Executive MBA from the United States International University in collaboration with Columbia Business School in New York.
The incoming acting CEO is also a Certified Public Secretary and a member of the Law Society of Kenya, the Institute of Certified Secretaries of Kenya and the Institute of Directors of Kenya.
According to the board, Waswani's career includes senior corporate governance roles in leading banking and insurance institutions.
He has also been recognised among recipients of the Legal 500 GC Powerlist East Africa awards since 2004.
“The Board has appointed Mr Habil Waswani, currently Company Secretary and Director of Legal Services, as Acting GMD/CEO effective 15th September 2026,” Kittony said.
The changes come as Kenya Airways continues to implement a turnaround strategy focused on improving operational reliability, optimising its network and fleet, strengthening sustainability and identifying a suitable strategic investor.
“The Board have initiated a competitive recruitment process for a substantive GMD/CEO, which is expected to conclude in the near term,” Kittony said.
He added that the board remained firmly focused on executing the airline's turnaround strategy.
The search for a strategic investor is expected to be a key component of Kenya Airways' efforts to strengthen its financial position and secure its long-term future in the highly competitive aviation industry.
Kittony called on employees to support Waswani as he takes over the acting role.
“Please join me in thanking Capt. George Kamal for his tenure and congratulating Mr Habil Waswani as he assumes this role,” he said.
“With your continued support and collaboration, we are confident of a smooth transition and sustained progress toward our shared goals.”
The latest leadership changes mark another transition at the top of the national carrier as its board moves to fill the CEO position substantively while pushing ahead with efforts to return Kenya Airways to sustained profitability and operational stability.
