The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
Kenya Airways has appointed Habil Waswani, the airline’s Company Secretary and Director of Legal Services, as Acting Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. He will take over from Captain George Kamal, who is leaving the national carrier after four years.
According to a staff communication from Kenya Airways Chairman Kiprono Kittony on Tuesday, Waswani will assume the position on September 15, 2026.
His appointment is temporary as the airline’s board continues its search for a permanent Group Managing Director and CEO.
Kittony said Kamal played an important role in maintaining operational stability and guiding the airline through its latest executive leadership transition. The board and management thanked him for his four years of service and wished him well in his future endeavours.
Waswani has more than 24 years of experience in corporate and commercial law across various sectors and has worked at Kenya Airways for over five years.
He earned 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 partnership with Columbia Business School in New York.
He is also a Certified Public Secretary and belongs to the Law Society of Kenya, the Institute of Certified Secretaries of Kenya and the Institute of Directors of Kenya.
The board said Waswani has held senior corporate governance positions in major banking and insurance organisations and has been recognised on the Legal 500 GC Powerlist East Africa since 2004.
His appointment comes as Kenya Airways continues with a broad turnaround programme aimed at boosting operational reliability, reviewing its route network and fleet, improving sustainability and attracting a strategic investor.
The board has launched a competitive search for a permanent CEO, which it expects to complete soon.
Kittony said the board remains committed to implementing the airline’s recovery strategy, with securing a strategic investor seen as an important step toward improving its financial strength and long-term competitiveness.
He urged Kenya Airways employees to support Waswani during the transition and expressed confidence that the change in leadership would be smooth.
The latest appointment represents another change at the top of Kenya’s national airline as the board works to install a permanent CEO and advance efforts to achieve lasting financial stability, operational efficiency and profitability.
