Anne Kinuthia Otieno has left Airtel Kenya after overseeing a period of rapid growth that transformed Airtel Money from a small participant in Kenya’s mobile money sector into a stronger competitor with increased market share, millions of active users and a significantly expanded agent network.
Kinuthia-Otieno announced her exit on Saturday, July 25, 2026, through LinkedIn, concluding a tenure that began in August 2021. During her leadership, Airtel Money Kenya recorded growth across customer adoption, distribution infrastructure, product innovation and financial services.
Her departure comes months before parent company Airtel Africa’s planned initial public offering (IPO) in London. Following her exit, Airtel Kenya appointed Bonke Michael as Acting Managing Director to guide the company through the leadership transition.
Building Airtel Money into a Mobile Money Challenger
When Kinuthia Otieno joined Airtel Kenya in August 2021, Airtel Money operated as a minor player in Kenya’s mobile money market.
At the time, Airtel Money held approximately 2.9% of mobile money subscription market share, while Safaricom’s M-Pesa controlled more than 96% of the market.
Under her leadership, Airtel Money expanded its position and increased its market share to 10.9% by 2026.
The growth represented one of the biggest shifts in Kenya’s mobile money sector, with Airtel becoming the first competitor to achieve a sustained double-digit market share against the long-established dominance of M-Pesa.
Kinuthia Otieno attributed the expansion to a combination of network investment, affordable pricing, customer experience improvements and increased adoption of mobile money interoperability.
The Three-Part Strategy Behind Airtel Money’s Growth
In profile interviews and leadership discussions, Kinuthia Otieno outlined the approach that supported Airtel Money’s expansion in Kenya.
She identified three main areas that shaped the company’s growth strategy: expanding network infrastructure, introducing affordable transaction pricing and improving customer experience.
The company increased access points across the country while introducing campaigns aimed at reducing transaction costs, including free Airtel-to-Airtel transfers.
She also highlighted the role of the Central Bank of Kenya’s interoperability framework, which allowed customers to use mobile money services across different networks and supported greater integration of Airtel Money into Kenya’s digital payments ecosystem.
The approach focused on making Airtel Money more accessible while increasing its relevance among consumers, merchants and businesses.
Active Users Increased from 400,000 to More Than Five Million
Before Anne Kinuthia Otieno’s appointment, Airtel Money Kenya faced challenges related to customer engagement and retention. The platform had approximately 400,000 active monthly users at the beginning of her tenure.
Through initiatives such as the Rudishiwa campaign, which returned withdrawal fees to customers’ Airtel Money wallets, Airtel increased customer activity and encouraged greater usage of the platform. The campaign contributed to active users growing to more than five million.
The increase in Kenya also supported Airtel Africa’s wider mobile money business, with the company reporting 41.5 million active mobile money customers during the first half of 2026.
Agent Network Expanded from 18,000 to 170,000 Locations
One of Airtel Money’s major challenges was limited physical access points for customers seeking cash-in and cash-out services. When Kinuthia Otieno took over leadership, Airtel Money operated through approximately 18,000 agents nationwide.
During her tenure, the company expanded the network to 170,000 active outlets across Kenya. The expansion improved access to mobile financial services, particularly in rural communities, while also creating opportunities for thousands of micro-entrepreneurs, including women operating as agents.
Kinuthia Otieno highlighted agent network expansion as part of Airtel Money’s contribution to digital inclusion by increasing participation in Kenya’s mobile financial services ecosystem.
KCB Partnership Expanded Airtel Money Accessibility
Airtel Kenya also strengthened its distribution network through partnerships aimed at improving customer access. The company entered into an interoperability partnership with KCB Bank Kenya that allowed Airtel Money customers to access an additional 22,000 KCB Bank agents.
The agreement increased the number of locations where customers could access mobile money services and helped address the challenge of liquidity availability, where users may have digital funds but limited nearby withdrawal points.
Transforming Airtel Money from a Wallet into a Financial Platform
Beyond customer and agent growth, Kinuthia Otieno oversaw changes aimed at expanding Airtel Money’s role beyond basic peer-to-peer transfers. In leadership profiles and executive discussions, she highlighted efforts to modernise Airtel Money’s platform and develop it into a broader financial services hub.
The platform upgrades supported new services and contributed to Airtel Money receiving recognition for innovation in mobile money. The changes positioned Airtel Money as a platform supporting payments, merchant transactions, financial services and other digital solutions.
Leadership Philosophy Focused on Building Sustainable Systems
In the Once Upon a Leader in Africa podcast hosted by executive coach George M. Nuthu, Anne Kinuthia Otieno discussed her leadership approach and the principles that guided her time at Airtel Kenya.
She described her executive role using a “ship captain” analogy, explaining that leaders must navigate challenging market conditions while guiding teams toward long-term objectives.
She also spoke about building sustainable systems, developing people and creating structures that could continue delivering results beyond individual leadership tenures. Her leadership approach focused on mentorship, empathy and strengthening local capabilities within the organisation.
Airtel Money Growth Boosted Airtel Africa’s Fintech Business
The expansion of Airtel Money Kenya contributed to Airtel Africa’s overall fintech performance. For the quarter ending June 2026, East Africa generated $297 million of Airtel Africa’s total fintech revenue of $404 million.
The region became the largest contributor to the group’s mobile money business, supported by increased customer adoption and transaction activity. Airtel Africa’s annualised transaction value also reached $245 billion, supported by growth in mobile payments, merchant transactions, bill payments and cross-border remittances.
Jefferson Wachira is a writer at Africa Digest News, specializing in banking and finance trends, and their impact on African economies.