Habil Waswani appointed KQ acting CEO

Captain George Kamal will remain at the airline for a 30-day transition period before his formal exit on September 30, 2026.

Kenya Airways has appointed its Company Secretary, Habil Waswani, to take over as the acting CEO following the resignation of Captain George Kamal.

The national carrier’s Board of Directors said Capt Kamal had resigned for personal reasons after serving in the airline’s executive leadership for more than a year.

According to the Board, Kamal will remain at the airline for a 30-day transition period before his formal exit on September 30, 2026.

“During his tenure, Capt. Kamal served with commitment, dedication, honour and diligence, bringing in his immense and expansive expertise and experience in aviation,” the Board said.

It credited him with helping stabilise the airline’s operations during his tenure as COO and subsequently leading the company through its previous executive leadership transition.

The Board also said Kamal had recently led the executive team in implementing Kenya Airways’ ongoing turnaround strategy.

“The Board and management of the Company hereby express their gratitude to Capt. Kamal for his diligence, service, leadership, and dedication to the Airline over the years,” the statement said.

A Kenya Airways plane at Heathrow Airport, London. [Mate Tongola, Standard]

Kamal joined the airline’s executive leadership as Chief Operating Officer (COO), a position he held for three years before becoming Acting Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.

Waswani, who currently serves as Company Secretary and Director of Legal Services and Regulatory Compliance, will assume the acting CEO role on September 15.

The Board said it had already begun the process of competitively recruiting a substantive Group Managing Director and CEO, with the exercise expected to be completed in the near term.

Waswani brings more than 24 years of experience in corporate and commercial law and has worked at Kenya Airways for more than five years, where he has overseen aviation and airline-related legal matters as well as commercial and corporate law.

The Board described him as an experienced corporate governance practitioner with previous experience in the banking and insurance sectors.

It said Waswani had the full backing of the Board as he takes charge of the airline during the interim period.

“The Board fully supports the appointment of Mr. Waswani as he takes over the organisation’s executive leadership during this interim period and wishes him well in the new role,” the statement said.

Kenya Airways said it would continue implementing its turnaround strategy, whose key objectives include improving operational reliability, returning the airline to sustainable positive financial performance and achieving its growth ambitions.

“The Company remains focused on the ongoing turnaround strategy of the airline,” the Board said, adding that shareholders fully support the strategy.