East African Breweries Plc (EABL) Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Executive Director, Risper Genga Ohaga, has confirmed she will leave the company on June 30, 2026, to explore new career opportunities.
The decision marks the end of a six-year tenure during which she played a pivotal role in steering the company’s financial strategy and governance.
Ohaga joined EABL in February 2020, taking charge of both the Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director roles. Her tenure coincided with one of the most challenging periods for businesses, including the Covid-19 pandemic, during which she helped steer the company through uncertainty while maintaining financial stability.
In a statement, the company’s board praised Ohaga for her visionary leadership and commitment to advancing EABL’s financial resilience and stakeholder engagement.
“During her tenure, Risper has distinguished herself through strong financial leadership and decisive execution, optimising the company’s balance sheet and funding during and after the Covid‑19 pandemic to ensure strategy delivery while maintaining cost discipline,” EABL Company Secretary Angela Namwakira said.
Namwakira also highlighted Ohaga’s contribution to improving governance and internal controls, nurturing finance talent, and strengthening investor relations. Under her leadership, EABL’s finance team earned multiple financial reporting awards, reflecting the quality and transparency of its operations.
Risper Genga Ohaga earned a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree in Accounting from the University of Nairobi between 1996 and 1999.
She is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA-Kenya), completing her professional qualification at Strathmore University in the mid-1990s.
Her career began in external audit at KPMG Kenya in September 1999, working up to Senior Manager over nearly nine years.
In December 2008, she transitioned to Barclays Africa Group (now ABSA), starting as Regional Director for Internal Audit covering Eastern and Western Africa (Dec 2008 – Oct 2011), then serving as Director for Africa Internal Audit based in Johannesburg (Nov 2011 – Dec 2013).
From January 2014 to November 2015, she served as Managing Director, Internal Audit, Africa RBB at Barclays.
In November 2015, she assumed the role of Chief Finance Officer at Barclays Bank Zambia Plc, a position she held until February 2020.
In February 2020, she joined East African Breweries Plc as Group Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director.
Ohaga’s departure follows the sale of Diageo’s 65 per cent stake in EABL to Japan’s Asahi Group Holdings for approximately Ksh 296.5 billion. Diageo said the move is part of a global strategy to exit non-core markets and focus on other business areas.
For the financial year ending June 30, 2025, EABL posted a net profit of Ksh 12.2 billion, up 12 per cent from the previous year, supported by higher sales and disciplined cost management.
EABL said a successor will be announced in due course, with measures in place to ensure a smooth transition and continued stability in the company’s financial leadership.
