Kenya Airways acting CEO George Kamal resigns

Kenya Airways acting Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Capt. George Kamal has resigned from the airline over what he terms as personal reasons, bringing to an end his brief tenure at the helm of the national carrier.

In a statement on Tuesday, KQ said Kamal, who has been serving as acting CEO since December 16, 2025, will remain at the airline for a 30-day transition period before his formal exit on September 30, 2026.

Kamal previously served as Kenya Airways' Chief Operating Officer for three years before taking over the acting CEO role. 

During his time in executive leadership, the airline credited him with helping stabilise its operations and leading the implementation of its ongoing turnaround strategy.

The board expressed its gratitude to Kamal for his service, leadership and dedication to the airline, wishing him well in his future endeavours.

Following his resignation, the board has appointed KQ Company Secretary and Director of Legal Services and Regulatory Compliance Habil Waswani as acting Group Managing Director and CEO, effective September 15, 2026.

Waswani has worked at Kenya Airways for more than five years, overseeing aviation and airline-related legal matters as well as commercial and corporate law.

He brings more than 24 years of experience as a corporate and commercial legal practitioner, having also held senior roles in listed banking and insurance institutions.

Waswani holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi, a Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law and is a Certified Public Secretary.

He also holds a Global Executive Master of Business Administration degree from the United States International University, earned in collaboration with Columbia Business School at Columbia University in New York.

Further, the board has initiated the process of competitively recruiting a substantive Group Managing Director and CEO, which it expects to complete in the near term.

"The company remains focused on the ongoing turnaround strategy of the airline whose primary objective is to secure its operational reliability, return to positive financial performance sustainability and achievement of its targeted growth ambitions, and this has the full support of the shareholders," the statement read in part.