KAMPALA: Airtel Uganda has appointed finance executive Neeraj Jain and legal expert Alice Wangari Kariuki as non-executive directors, replacing Alok Bafna and Ramakrishna Lella, who resigned after more than six years on the board.
The company said in a statement the appointments take effect from Aug. 27, subject to regulatory and shareholder approval.
Bafna and Lella were inaugural members of the firm’s Risk and Audit Committee and played “an instrumental role in shaping the company’s strategic, governance and compliance agenda,” the board said, thanking them for their service.
Jain, a chartered accountant with over 20 years’ experience in finance and governance, is currently Business Controller B2C (Business to Consumer) at Airtel Africa Plc. He has previously served as Group Financial Controller and Group Operations Controller for Airtel Africa.
Kariuki, a lawyer with more than two decades of senior management experience in telecoms and digital finance, is Senior Vice President for Public Policy at Airtel Africa, providing guidance on legal, regulatory and policy matters across 14 countries. She previously served as Director of Legal and Regulatory Affairs at Airtel Networks Kenya.
The company said the new directors are expected to strengthen governance and long-term strategy as Airtel Uganda continues to expand in a competitive telecoms market.
Airtel Uganda, a subsidiary of Airtel Africa, is the country’s second-largest telecom operator by subscribers. In recent years, the company has grown its customer base to over 14 million, supported by the rapid adoption of Airtel Money and data services. It reported a profit of 326.9 billion shillings ($86 million) in 2023, a rise of nearly 20% from the previous year, driven by growth in mobile data consumption and financial services. The company also completed a listing on the Uganda Securities Exchange in 2021, a move that broadened its investor base and strengthened its capital position.
