Djibril Tobe Takes Over as Airtel Kenya Managing Director

By Our Reporter Maurice Momanyi

Airtel Kenya has appointed Djibril Tobe as its new Managing Director, taking over from Ashish Malhotra, who has been named Chief Executive Officer of Indus Towers Africa.
The appointment, announced by the Board of Airtel Networks Kenya Limited on Tuesday, marks a leadership transition after four years under Malhotra, during which the telecommunications company recorded significant growth in subscribers, network coverage and mobile financial services.
Tobe brings more than two decades of leadership experience spanning the telecommunications, consumer goods and consulting industries across Africa. Before his appointment to Kenya, he served as Managing Director of Airtel Congo B from May 2023. He has also held senior positions within the Airtel Group, including Managing Director of Airtel Chad and Commercial Director at Airtel Burkina Faso. Earlier in his career, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Expresso Guinea and held leadership roles at Ernst & Young and Coca-Cola.
The Board expressed confidence that Tobe’s extensive experience in business transformation and commercial growth will help drive Airtel Kenya’s next phase of expansion, innovation and customer-focused service delivery.
His predecessor, Ashish Malhotra, leaves behind a record of rapid growth at the company. During his tenure, Airtel Kenya rolled out more than 2,000 network sites, the largest expansion in the company’s history, helping improve digital connectivity and financial inclusion across the country. Airtel ney also increased its market share from 2 per cent to 11 per cent, while the company’s subscriber base grew from 16 million to more than 24 million customers. Over the same period, Airtel Kenya doubled its revenues.
Malhotra also oversaw the introduction of several new technologies and services, including 5G connectivity, eSIM technology, fibre internet solutions, Spam Alert services and the Home & Office Smart Connect broadband platform. In a statement, the Board thanked him for his contribution to the company’s growth and wished him success in his new role, expressing confidence that Tobe will build on the momentum to further strengthen Airtel Kenya’s position in the market