Kenya’s second-biggest telco, Airtel Kenya, has a new man at the helm. Senegalese Djibril Tobe has been appointed as the new managing director, replacing Ashish Malhotra, who departs for Indus Towers Africa.
Djibril Tobe brings nearly 30 years of experience as a senior executive across Central and West Africa to Airtel Kenya, which holds a 26.7% share of Kenya’s mobile subscriptions.
Djibril Tobe’s Education Background
Mr Tobe states in his LinkedIn bio that he was born in Senegal, a West African country.
It is in Senegal that he began his academic journey, earning a Brevet de Fin d’Études Moyennes after attending the CEMT Diourbel between 1982 and 1986. This is a middle-school completion certificate marking the end of junior secondary education.
He then moved on to study at Lycée Lamine Gueye between 1987 and 1990. The high school in Dakar, Senegal, is considered prestigious and one of the best high schools in Africa.
Here, Mr Tobe earned his Baccalauréat, the equivalent of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) required for university entry.
After high school, he went to France to pursue a bachelor’s in business management at the Institut Supérieur de Gestion (ISG).
Djibril Tobe was part of an Advanced Management Program (AMP), an executive-level program aimed at established managers rather than fresh graduates at the London Business School (2006). He earned a Master’s in Management after completing the program.
In 2018, he returned to France to continue his studies at INSEAD. This time, he enrolled in a short executive education program rather than a degree course. The program is typically designed for senior executives.
He was back at INSEAD in 2024, earning a certification as an international director. INSEAD, another prestigious institution he has been a part of, has been ranked the number one European business school in 2024 and 2025 by the Financial Times.
His educational background shows that the Senegalese executive has received international business training.
Tobe’s Career Path and Achievements
Djibril Tobe has worked for about 30 years, with the first 5 spent in his native country of Senegal.
- May 2023 – June 2026: 3 yrs 2 months, Managing Director, Airtel Congo B, Brazzaville (department), Republic of the Congo
- Jun 2016 – Apr 2023 (6 yrs 11 months): Managing Director, Airtel Chad, Chad
- Dec 2006 – May 2016 (9 yrs 6 months): CEO, Expresso, Guinea
- Jan 2006 – Nov 2006 (11 months): Commercial Director, Celtel International B.V., Burkina Faso
- Jan 2002 – Dec 2005 (4 yrs): Senior Operations Manager, Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Ghana
- 1998 – 2002 (4 yrs): Area Manager, The Coca-Cola Company, Senegal
- Sep 1996 – Jun 1998 (1 yr 10 months): Financial Auditor, EY, Senegal
He has a proven track record in the telecom sector, having worked for about 2 decades in this niche.
According to the latest data from Agence de Régulation des Postes et des Communications Électroniques, Airtel Congo recorded a four-point increase in market share in 2025.
His performance at Airtel Congo B led him to be awarded the Special Award of the CEO of Airtel Africa at the Airtel Africa Leadership Conclave held from March 23 to 24, 2026.
At the same event, Airtel Congo B won the Trophy for Best Team, an indicator of Tobe’s internal leadership strength.
In October 2025, he was awarded the Leadership and Social Responsibility Trophy by the PSI Foundation.
In Chad, he was credited with turning around a struggling Airtel business and pushing it into the leading market position in Chad’s telecom sector.
He also won Airtel Africa’s internal awards for best data performance (2 years running) and highest profitability among all the group’s African operating companies during his time in Chad.
The Airtel Kenya Challenge
Djibril speaks 3 languages and has worked in 6 African countries. Kenya will be only the second English-speaking country in his career.
The bigger challenge will not be communication but Safaricom PLC’s strong grip on Kenya’s telecom market.
During his predecessor’s four years in charge, Airtel Kenya made steady progress, including rolling out more than 2,000 network sites to expand connectivity.
Its mobile money side also grew gradually with Airtel Money, increasing its market share from 2% to 11% in four years. The telco’s subscriber base also grew from 16 million to over 24 million customers.
Airtel Kenya also introduced 5G services, fiber connectivity solutions, eSIMs, and is building a data center.
While all these are significant milestones, including doubling revenue during Malhotra’s tenure, the telco lags behind Safaricom in every business niche.
According to the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), Safaricom PLC has the highest market share in mobile subscriptions (68.9%), mobile broadband (64.5%), and mobile money (89.1%).
Airtel Kenya ranks second in all three categories, though it trails the leader by a wide margin.
In the recent past, several Kenyans have expressed a desire to move away from the dominant player but lamented the lack of a viable alternative.
This lack of movement is epitomised in the fixed internet service providers’ market, where Airtel is yet to crack the top 10 since launching its services.
Its rival, Safaricom, added 83,107 new subscribers in the first 3 months of 2026, raising its customer base to 941,501.
What may be on Tobe’s desk once he settles in is the recently postponed IPO.
READ: Airtel Money IPO Pushed to Second Half of 2026 as Middle East Conflict Rattles Markets
However, for Kenyans, they will be watching the Senegalese executive closely to see whether his strategies bring more competition to a market where many have long wanted better options.
