Anne Kinuthia-Otieno will step down as Managing Director of Airtel Money Kenya after nearly five years overseeing the mobile money operator’s rapid expansion in customers, agents and market share.
Kinuthia-Otieno, who joined Airtel from Absa Bank Kenya in 2022 as Airtel Money became a standalone business, leaves after helping grow the platform’s customer base from about 400,000 to more than 5 million users and expanding its agent network from 18,000 to 170,000 outlets nationwide.
The company’s market share rose to 10.3% from 2.9% in 2024, strengthening Airtel Money’s position in Kenya’s fiercely competitive mobile money market.
“Almost five years ago, I joined Airtel Money Kenya with a simple but ambitious purpose to help grow a business that would expand financial inclusion and make digital financial services more accessible and affordable to millions of Kenyans,” Kinuthia-Otieno said.
During her tenure, Airtel Money signed partnerships with KCB Bank Kenya and Diamond Trust Bank to expand cash access and merchant payments, while rolling out initiatives such as the Rudishiwa Transaction Fee campaign to lower transaction costs for customers. She also represented the company in local and international discussions on financial inclusion and payments interoperability.
Before joining Airtel, Kinuthia-Otieno held senior leadership roles at Absa Bank Kenya in products, governance, sales and SME banking, following earlier risk management positions at Barclays.
She holds an MBA from Strathmore Business School, a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Daystar University, and is a recipient of Kenya’s Moran of the Burning Spear (MBS) award.
Airtel Money has not named a successor.
Her departure comes as Kenya’s mobile money industry enters a more competitive phase, with banks, fintechs and telecom operators accelerating partnerships and interoperable digital payment services to challenge the market leader.