Visa has appointed Anne Kinuthia-Otieno, the former managing director of Airtel Money Kenya, as Vice President and Head of East Africa. The announcement comes less than a week after she disclosed her departure from the mobile money operator.

Kinuthia-Otieno will assume her new role on August 4 and will be based in Nairobi, where she will oversee Visa's operations across seven East African markets. Her mandate includes advancing digital payments, deepening partnerships with financial institutions, and broadening financial inclusion throughout the region.

The appointment resolves questions that had circulated among industry observers since Kinuthia-Otieno stepped down from Airtel Money Kenya, a move that came months ahead of Airtel Africa's planned initial public offering of its mobile money business on the London Stock Exchange.

"East Africa is one of the most dynamic and innovative payments markets in the world, with tremendous opportunities to advance financial inclusion and digital commerce," Kinuthia-Otieno said in a statement. "I look forward to working with Visa's clients, partners and talented teams across the region to help drive the next phase of growth and innovation."

The description is apt: Kenya, where she will be based, is widely regarded as the global birthplace of mobile money after Safaricom's M-PESA launched there in 2007, and East Africa remains one of the most mobile-money-penetrated regions on earth. For a global card network like Visa, the competitive landscape differs sharply from its traditional card-centric strongholds — mobile money wallets, not plastic cards, are the primary transaction rail for millions of consumers and small businesses across the region.

Kinuthia-Otieno joined Airtel Money Kenya in August 2021, bringing more than a decade of banking-sector experience. She previously held senior leadership positions at Absa Group, where she was responsible for governance and sales distribution, and spent over seven years at Barclays Bank.

Her tenure at Airtel Money coincided with one of the company's strongest growth periods. When she took the helm in September 2021, Airtel Money held 3.1% of Kenya's mobile money subscriptions, compared with M-PESA's 96.8%. By March 2026, Airtel Money's market share had risen to 10.9%, while M-PESA's share had declined to 89.1%.

Following her departure, Airtel Money Kenya named Bonke Michael, a company veteran of nearly ten years, as acting managing director. Her exit had prompted speculation about her next move within the industry.

Kinuthia-Otieno's arrival at Visa comes as the global payments company intensifies its African expansion. Visa is now in the fourth year of a five-year, $1 billion investment commitment aimed at fostering resilient and inclusive economies across the continent. The company has also been building local infrastructure, including opening its first African data centre in Johannesburg, and is exploring stablecoin-based settlement solutions. Her hire brings Visa a leader with direct experience operating inside a mobile money platform that gained ground against the region's dominant player — expertise directly relevant to the company's push to embed itself deeper in markets where wallet-based payments, rather than card networks, set the pace of innovation.

"Anne's appointment comes at an exciting time for Visa and for East Africa's digital economy," said Michael Berner, Senior Vice President and Regional Managing Director for Southern and Eastern Africa at Visa. "Her deep understanding of the region, proven leadership experience and passion for financial inclusion will be instrumental as we continue working with clients, partners and governments to expand access to digital payments and economic opportunity."