Kenyan operator, Safaricom’s chairman John Ngumi has resigned from the role barely six months after his appointment in July 2022.
Safaricom said in a statement that Ngumi’s resignation took effect on 22 December 2022 and a new chairman will be elected in the coming weeks.
Ngumi leaves the board to focus on developing green energy generation across Africa with an emphasis on green hydrogen.
Company Secretary, Kathryne Maundu noted that Ngumi strongly supported the repositioning of the Fuliza product to better serve Kenyans, and was also an ardent enthusiast for Safaricom’s entry into Ethiopia.
As part of the new board changes, Safaricom also announced the appointment of Adil Arshed Khawaja (MBS) as a director in Safaricom with effect from 22 December 2022. The appointment which was approved by the board on January 5 is subject to regulatory approval.
Khawaja is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya with over 30 years work experience in the legal profession ranging from dispute resolution to commercial and real estate.
He currently serves as the Managing Partner at Dentons Hamilton Harrison & Mathews and holds board positions in various companies including Rhino Ark Charitable Trust, Al Futtaim Automotive-CMC Motors and Atua Enkop Africa.
He previously served as a director of KCB Bank Group from 2012 and was elected the first chairman of KCB Bank Konya from 2016 until 2020.
He has also served as a director on the board of Kenya Power & Lighting Company and as a trustee of the Kenya Wildlife Service.
