In a major shake-up at the national carrier, Kenya Airways (KQ) Group Managing Director and CEO Allan Kilavuka is exiting the airline, TechTrends Media can reveal.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the airline’s Chief Operating Officer, Captain George Kamal, will take over immediately in an acting capacity as the Board of Directors initiates the search for a substantive replacement.
The departure comes at a pivotal moment for the airline, which has been navigating a complex financial recovery path under Kilavuka’s leadership since 2020. While the specific reasons for Kilavuka’s exit remain undisclosed, the transition marks the end of a tenure defined by the aggressive restructuring plan known as “Project Kifaru.”
Allan Kilavuka, who previously led KQ’s low-cost subsidiary Jambojet, took the helm at Kenya Airways in January 2020, just months before the COVID-19 pandemic grounded global aviation. His leadership was essentially a crisis management masterclass; he is credited with steering the “Pride of Africa” through its most turbulent operational period in history.
Kilavuka’s flagship legacy is Project Kifaru, a strategic turnaround plan he launched to stabilize the airline. The strategy bore fruit earlier this year when KQ reported a historic operating profit of KES 10.5 billion and a net profit of KES 5.4 billion for the financial year ending December 2023, the airline’s first profit in over a decade.
However, the recovery has faced fresh headwinds in 2025. Recent reports indicate the airline slipped back into loss-making territory in the first half of the year, driven by the grounding of critical Dreamliner aircraft due to global spare parts shortages and currency volatility. Kilavuka leaves with the airline’s hunt for a strategic equity partner, a key pillar of his long-term vision, still unfinalized.
Taking over in acting capacity is Captain George Kamal, a seasoned aviation veteran who has served as KQ’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) since March 2023.
Unlike a traditional corporate appointee, Kamal is an aviator at heart. He holds an MSc in Aviation Management from London Metropolitan University and brings decades of operational experience. Before joining Kenya Airways, he served as the COO of Iraqi Airways and held the position of Operations Director at Air Arabia. His resume also includes a stint as a Captain and Type Rating Instructor at Etihad Airways, giving him deep technical insight into flight operations.
Since joining KQ, Kamal has been the engine room behind the airline’s operational efficiency drive. He has been a vocal advocate for sustainability, recently representing the airline at global forums to discuss the adoption of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in Africa.
The Board is expected to issue a formal statement regarding the transition and the recruitment timeline for a permanent CEO in the coming days.
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