The Safaricom board has appointed Diageo’s Managing Director, Peter Ndegwa, as the company’s Chief Executive Officer effective April 1, 2020.

According to a statement by Safaricom, “Peter is the Managing Director of Diageo Continental Europe, where he oversees the operations of Diageo PLC in 50 countries in Western and Eastern Europe, Russia, Middle East and North Africa region. He had previously served for seven years as CEO in Guinness Nigeria PLC and Guinness Ghana Breweries PLC, where he transformed the two operations to deliver a double-digit growth by investing in people, introducing new brands and reorganizing the businesses.”

Peter, a Starehe boys alumni,  holds an MBA from the London Business School and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Nairobi. He is also a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK).

The vacancy at Safaricom was occasioned by the death of former CEO Bob Collymore in July after he succumbed to cancer.

Kenyans received the news of Ndegwa’s appointment at Sadfaricom with mixed reactions as seen in some of the tweets below;

Gitonga Githinji: If big companies continue to hire foreigners as their CEOs. Where is the hope n motivation to the little ones we take to school every morning?Having #PeterNdegwa as the Safcom CEO is not just a wonderful thing but a confirmation that Africans are ready for bigger responsibilities