Kiprono Kittony steps down as Radio Africa chairman after 25 years to take over as Kenya Airways board chair

Kiprono Kittony has stepped down as chairman of Radio Africa Group after 25 years at the helm of Kenya's most commercially successful private media house, with the businessman and co-founder set to take over as board chairman of Kenya Airways in what amounts to one of the most consequential leadership transitions in Kenyan business this year.

Kittony announced his departure from the Radio Africa board in June 2026, with tributes flowing from colleagues across the organisation's media properties including Kiss FM, Classic 105, Radio Jambo, East FM and The Star newspaper. The farewell, published across The Star and Radio Africa's digital platforms under the "Asante Sana Kip" banner, described a leader who shaped not just a media company but an entire generation of Kenyan broadcast journalism.

The numbers tell the story. When Kittony co-founded Radio Africa Group in 2000 alongside Ghanaian-Kenyan broadcaster Patrick Quarcoo and businessman William Pike, private radio was still finding its footing in Kenya. At exit, Radio Africa Group commands more than 10 million digital followers, owns some of the country's most recognised media brands, and generates annual revenues of approximately $27 million. Kiss FM became Kenya's dominant pop radio station. Classic 105 defined the adult contemporary format. East FM grew into the country's leading Asian radio station. The Star newspaper provided the print anchor. All of it was built and sustained under the governance architecture Kittony presided over for a quarter of a century.

Francis Mureithi, Radio Africa Group's Digital Editor, recalled first knowing Kittony long before joining the company, describing him as a familiar figure in Kenya's media and business circles whose reputation preceded him. "I knew him as this smart guy, always in very crisp suits, one of the smartest people I have ever met," Mureithi said. The head of human resources at Radio Africa Group noted that culture flows from the chair downwards, and that Kittony's leadership had given the organisation a culture worth protecting, one built on respect, excellence and the understanding that people are not merely resources.

Kittony, 61, was born in Kericho County and holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Nairobi, as well as a Global Executive MBA from the United States International University. He began his career as a farmer before becoming a serial entrepreneur, with Radio Africa as his most visible but far from only venture. He served as National President of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is credited with saving the institution from near collapse and restoring its international standing, and was awarded the Elder of the Order of the Burning Spear in 2019 for his public service contributions. He serves as Chairman of the Nairobi Securities Exchange, a position he has held since July 2020, and also chairs CreditInfo CRB Kenya, AAR Insurance Kenya and Mtech Limited.

The Kenya Airways appointment adds a new and considerably more complex mandate to that portfolio. Kenya's national carrier has weathered years of financial turbulence, posting consecutive losses that have tested successive management teams and required repeated government bailouts. The airline operates in a regional market that has seen Ethiopian Airlines and RwandAir consolidate significant competitive advantages while Kenya Airways has struggled to maintain its historical position as East Africa's premium carrier. Whether Kittony can bring to Kenya Airways the same long-term governance discipline that transformed Radio Africa from a startup into a media conglomerate is the question the aviation and business community will be watching as his tenure begins.

His departure from Radio Africa closes a chapter that began at a moment when Kenya's media landscape was just liberalising and ends with the organisation he helped build standing as the country's most commercially resilient private media group. The organisation released him, as his colleagues wrote, with pride.