Adil Khawaja: Billionaire Adventurer Elected Leader of Safaricom Board During Ruto Era

Adil Khawaja has been appointed Chairman of Safaricom’s Board of Directors. Illustrations | Joseph Barratha | NMG

His appointment last week as chairman of the board of Safaricom PLC could be the crowning moment of Adil Khawaja’s 30-year corporate career.

Mr Khawaja has served as CEO of a major corporation and this new role places him at the center of power and influence in East Africa’s largest and most profitable company.

The Sheffield University-trained lawyer was the first to join the phone company as a director following the abrupt resignation of former chairman John Ngumi in late December 2022.

Ngumi resigned after serving just six months.

Khawaja’s rise is seen as part of the company’s current restructuring as the telecom company’s management seeks to align itself with President William Ruto’s new administration.

His election to run the board surprised many Kenyans, but for others, his promotion was expected. He is said to be the president’s private attorney, close friend, and loyalist.

But who is this bespectacled executive who inexplicably smiles in nearly every situation?

Unlike some of Safaricom’s board of directors and former chairman, Khawaja has a very thin digital footprint, perhaps indicating that he enjoys his privacy and perhaps protects it.

Besides being a respected lawyer, he is also a successful entrepreneur. Mr. Kawaja owns part of the popular Tika His Road Mall (TRM) alongside Shakira Adil his Mr. Kawaja, according to Business Registry Service records.

Business Daily could not confirm the relationship between the two Khawajas, who jointly own 3,000 shares of TRM.

With over 100 outlets, TRM is one of East Africa’s largest and busiest malls, welcoming an estimated 10,000 shoppers daily.

Mr. Khawaja specializes in real estate, environmental, planning, commercial litigation and dispute resolution.

He has been described by Global Chambers, an agency that ranks lawyers and law firms in over 200 countries, as a ‘powerhouse name’ in the Kenyan real estate market.

He is a keen planner of development issues and consults with investors, businesses, governments and high net worth individuals (HNWIs).

read: Lawyer Adil Khawaja replaces Uhuru ally as chairman of Safaricom

He has served on the boards of several domestic and private companies as an executive officer or non-executive director.

Among them are Kenya Power, Kenya Wildlife Service (Trustee) and CMC Motors.

Mr. Khawaja served as Non-Executive Director of Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) Group for 8 years until 2020, working with lenders in different positions at various times.

He is also a well-financed executive thanks to the compensation he receives as a board member.

For example, in 2014, Mr. Kawaja was one of KCB’s 11 directors and received a total allowance of 296 million shillings for his work at the bank.

This is an average of 2.2 million shillings per month for each director and 26 million shillings annually.

Away from work, he’s an adrenaline junkie. The adventurer loves trucks and off-road driving and has been with Rhino Charge for over 20 years.

Rhino Charge is an annual off-road 4×4 competition that raises funds to help conserve and protect Kenya’s water towers.

Most of his wealth is used for various purposes, especially charitable and conservation charities.

For example, from 2015 to 2018, Khawaja was one of the Rhino Ark Charitable Trust’s largest fundraiser. He has been on the board since his 2018 and has donated 30 million shillings.

Safaricom’s new president is deeply involved in conservation efforts and is an executive member of the Nairobi Arboretum Conservation Community Forest Association.

At the Jamhuri Day celebrations last December, Mr. Khawaja was one of nearly 500 people to be congratulated by President Ruto for his contribution to the country’s conservation efforts.

Earlier, Environment Minister Tobiko Keriako appointed him to a 10-member task force to examine Kenya’s forest resource management and logging practices.

He is regularly top ranked by Chambers and Partners, the world’s leading legal directory.

He was a managing partner of Dentons Hamilton Harrison & Mathews, one of Kenya’s leading law firms, before being appointed to the board of directors of one of the country’s largest telecommunications companies.

With 13 partners, 40 associates and over 80 legal assistants, Dentons HHM is perhaps Kenya’s largest and oldest law firm, having started operations in the country in 1902.

His profile at Dentons HHM describes him as an active member of the wildlife and conservation field.

He serves on the Board of the National Environment Council (NEC) and on the Board of Friends of Nature Conservation and Care of Kenya.

read: Safaricom drops Uhuru’s ally in board shakeup

He will become Safaricom’s fifth Chairman of the Board. Previously he held this position for 13 years, Nicholas Nganga, Michael Joseph (twice), and more recently, Mr. Ngumi.

Top on Khawaja’s agenda is strengthening the company’s Ethiopian subsidiary, which entered the market last year.

He is also expected to bring stability to the company’s senior management, which has seen key departures in recent years.

Those who have left include Silvia Mringe, who now heads MTN Uganda, Chris Senanu, Debra Malois, Joseph Ogutsu and Rita Okte.

Observers are curious to see what direction Safaricom will take under Mr Khawaja’s control as the telecom company seeks to maintain its leading position in the telecommunications market in Kenya and the region.

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