Anne Kinuthia Otieno steps down as Managing Director of Airtel Money Kenya

Anne Kinuthia Otieno announced on 25 July 2026 via LinkedIn that she is leaving her role as Managing Director of Airtel Money Kenya after nearly five years. No successor has been named. She had joined Airtel in 2021 from Absa Bank Kenya and became MD when the mobile‑money unit was spun off as a separate licensed payment service provider in 2022.

During her tenure Airtel Money’s market share rose from roughly 2 % to over 10 % of active mobile‑money subscriptions, reaching 10.9 % in the latest regulator report (Jan‑Mar 2026). The growth was driven by a core platform transformation, expansion of the merchant and agent ecosystem, and partnerships such as the June 2026 deal with KCB Bank that added more than 22 000 cash‑access points. The company also opened new customer service centres in Nairobi and Mombasa and is preparing for a planned London listing.

Kinuthia Otieno’s departure marks a leadership change at a key player in Kenya’s highly competitive digital‑finance market, where Safaricom’s M‑PESA still dominates with about 89 % share.