Prominent Kenyan business leader Kiprono Kittony has stepped down as chairman of the Radio Africa Group after 25 years at the helm, moving to take over as the board chairman of national carrier Kenya Airways.

The transition marks the conclusion of one of the longest-running tenures in East Africa’s private media sector.

Kittony co-founded Radio Africa Group in 2000 alongside Patrick Quarcoo and William Pike at a time when private broadcasting was just beginning to take root in Kenya.

Under his 25-year leadership, the company grew from a startup into the country’s most commercially resilient private media conglomerate, expanding its portfolio to include dominant radio brands like Kiss FM, Classic 105, Radio Jambo, East FM, and The Star newspaper.

At the time of his departure, the media group generates approximately $27 million in annual revenues and commands more than 10 million digital followers.

Kittony, 61, is a highly decorated corporate figure who also currently chairs the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), CreditInfo CRB Kenya, and AAR Insurance Kenya.

He previously served as national president of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry and acts as vice chairman of the World Chambers Federation in Paris.

His transition to Kenya Airways marks a pivot to one of the most high-stakes corporate turnarounds in the region. The national airline has faced severe financial headwinds, enduring years of heavy losses and recurring state bailouts while facing stiff regional competition from rivals like Ethiopian Airlines and RwandAir.

Kittony’s new mandate will test whether the long-term governance discipline that built one of East Africa’s largest media groups can be replicated to stabilize the struggling national carrier.