Djibril Tobe has officially been appointed by the Board of Airtel Networks Kenya Limited as the new Managing Director of Airtel Kenya, effective 1 July 2026. He succeeds Ashish Malhotra, who served for four years and has now assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer of Indus Towers Africa. 

A seasoned Senegalese telecommunications executive, Tobe brings more than two decades of leadership experience. He takes over with a mandate to sustain Airtel Kenya’s momentum in network infrastructure expansion, 5G deployment and mobile financial services. 

Before his appointment in Kenya, Tobe served as Managing Director of Airtel Congo in Brazzaville from May 2023. During his tenure, the subsidiary increased its market share by four percentage points in 2025, earning him the Airtel Africa CEO’s Special Award and the Best Team Trophy at the Airtel Africa Leadership Conclave in March 2026. In October 2025, the PSI Foundation also recognised his leadership and corporate social responsibility initiatives with its Leadership and Social Responsibility Trophy. 

Before moving to Brazzaville, Tobe led Airtel Chad as Managing Director, where he oversaw a commercial turnaround that transformed the business into a market leader in Chad’s telecommunications sector. Earlier in his Airtel career, he served as Commercial Director of Airtel Burkina Faso, then operating under the Celtel International brand, from 2006. 

His executive experience extends beyond the Airtel Group. Between December 2006 and May 2016, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Expresso Guinea, where he led the company’s long-term strategic growth plans in West Africa. 

Before specialising in telecommunications, he built experience in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and consulting sectors. He served as Senior Operations Manager at Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Ghana from 2002 to 2005, following four years as an Area Manager at The Coca-Cola Company in Senegal. He began his professional career in the mid-1990s as a financial auditor at Ernst & Young (EY) in Senegal. 

Tobe’s professional experience is complemented by executive education, including completion of the International Directors Programme at INSEAD Business School in 2018.