KQ CEO Allan Kilavuka to Exit as Carrier Issues Profit Warning

Kenya Airways said on Monday that Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Allan Kilavuka will exit the airline as he proceeds on terminal leave ahead of the expiry of his contract, ending a six-year tenure that culminated in the carrier’s first return to profitability in decades.

His exit comes at a time when the national carrier has issued a profit warning, flagging pressure on earnings amid rising costs and operational constraints.

The board appointed Chief Operating Officer Captain George Kamal as acting CEO with effect from Dec 16, 2025, and said it would launch a competitive process to recruit a substantive chief executive.

Kilavuka, who took over in 2020, steered the airline through the COVID-19 pandemic that crippled global air travel and later oversaw a rebound in revenues and cargo volumes.

He became the first chief executive in decades to lead Kenya Airways back to profitability, a milestone for the loss-making airline.

His tenure was also marked by challenges, including labour unrest that led to employee strikes, as well as persistent shortages of aircraft spare parts that constrained fleet availability and limited growth as global aviation supply chains tightened.

Before his appointment at Kenya Airways, Kilavuka served as chief executive of Jambojet, the airline’s low-cost subsidiary, where he was credited with stabilising operations and expanding the domestic and regional network.

Kamal, a veteran aviation executive with nearly three decades of experience across Africa and the Middle East, previously held senior leadership roles at Air Arabia and Iraqi Airways.

He joined Kenya Airways as chief operating officer earlier this year.

Kenya Airways, which is partly owned by the Kenyan government, is pursuing a turnaround strategy aimed at strengthening operational reliability, sustainability and long-term growth as it works to stabilise earnings following years of losses.

gandae@businessdayafrica.org