Kenya Airways (KQ) has made changes to its top management team, partly responding to demands by the Senate, which wants the airline to restructure its operations before it can benefit from a taxpayer-funded bailout.
The national carrier last month promoted four managers to existing and newly-created positions as one executive left the loss-making airline that is also deeply indebted.
KQ appointed Thomas Omondi to the new position of director of strategy and performance.
“The role reports to the chief executive officer and will oversee the airline’s turnaround strategy – a programme that has already secured board approval,” the Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed firm said in a statement.
Prior to his appointment, Mr Omondi was the head of human resource at the carrier where has also held several other positions including head of operations control, cargo operations and general manager at the airline’s low-cost subsidiary JamboJet.
Mr Omondi has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Nairobi and an MBA in accounting and finance from the same institution. He is also a part-time lecturer at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology where he teaches project management.
He is now tasked with crafting strategies that will help save the airline that is relying on new debt and goodwill of creditors to stay afloat after previous heavy borrowing wiped out its equity and sunk it into record losses.
Besides the new position, Mr Omondi has also been appointed the airline’s commercial director in an acting capacity.
KQ says it will make a substantive appointment to the position next year, replacing the former office holder Gerard Clarke who left in October.
The airline appointed Francis Musila as the director of ground services from his previous role as the company’s head of operations.
He has also previously served as head of fleet development, presiding over the airline’s acquisition of aircraft and spare parts.
Mr Musila holds a degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Manchester and a Master of Science degree in engineering from Cranfield University.
He will report to the chief operating officer Yves Guibert who replaced KQ’s CEO Mbuvi Ngunze in that position.
The national carrier appointed Tom Ogendo as the head of passenger services from his previous role as the manager ground services and equipment. KQ has also appointed Emmy Letting as head of the newly created corporate quality division. She was previously the head of inflight services.
