Centum Investment Company PLC has appointed Thomas Omondi-Achola as its Acting Group Chief Executive Officer, marking a major leadership transition at one of East Africa’s prominent investment companies following the departure of longtime chief executive James Mworia.
The appointment took effect immediately on Monday, September 7, 2026, after Mworia stepped down as Centum’s Group CEO and Managing Director to take up a new role as the founding Chief Executive Officer of Kenya’s National Infrastructure Fund (NIF). Centum said Omondi-Achola’s elevation is part of its succession plan and is intended to preserve strategic momentum and operational continuity.
Omondi-Achola moves into the top position from his role as Centum’s Group Chief Operating Officer and Partner for Portfolio Operations at Centum Capital Partners, positions he has held since 2018. According to the company, he brings more than 25 years of senior executive leadership and strategic transformation experience.
His responsibilities at Centum have included strategy development, business turnarounds, operational improvement, value creation and capital exits across more than 15 investee companies. That experience places him at the centre of the company’s portfolio and provides continuity as Centum begins a new chapter.
Who is Thomas Omondi-Achola?
Omondi-Achola is a veteran corporate executive whose career has spanned investment management, banking, aviation, technology and business transformation.
Before joining Centum, he spent more than 13 years at Kenya Airways, where he held a succession of senior positions. His responsibilities included serving as Chief Transformation Officer, Director of Strategy and Performance Management, Acting Chief Commercial Officer and General Manager of Jambojet. He also previously headed Operations Control, HR Business Partners and IT Development functions.
He also served as Chief Transformation Officer at Sidian Bank, where he was involved in the lender’s turnaround. Centum has highlighted his role in helping the bank move to a reported US$4 million profit position within 18 months before the investment group’s eventual exit from the lender.
His academic background combines mathematics, finance and management. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and an MBA in Finance from the University of Nairobi, as well as an MBA in General Management from IESE Business School in Spain. He is also a Certified Information Systems Auditor and has undertaken executive programmes at institutions including the University of Pretoria, General Electric and Rolls-Royce.
Omondi-Achola also sits on several corporate boards, including Longhorn Publishers, Nabo Capital, Jafari Credit, Tribus Solutions Group, Tier Data and Greenblade Growers.
Mworia’s 18-year Centum legacy
Omondi-Achola’s appointment follows the end of one of the longest leadership tenures among major Kenyan listed companies.
Mworia became Centum’s Group CEO and Managing Director in October 2008, beginning a nearly 18-year period in which the company underwent significant transformation. Centum says its total assets grew from approximately KSh4 billion in December 2008 to about KSh46 billion during his tenure.
The company also says Mworia oversaw the retirement of approximately KSh20 billion in total group debt, including KSh16 billion at Centum PLC level. The move substantially reduced holding-company leverage and refinancing risk.
His tenure also featured the development and restructuring of major investments and strategic platforms, including Two Rivers, Vipingo SEZ, Pearl Marina and TRIFIC SEZ, alongside investments in financial services and other sectors.
More recently, Centum completed its exit from Sidian Bank and divested from Nabo Capital, transactions that formed part of a broader strategy of unlocking value from its portfolio. The company has also pointed to the successful TRIFIC i-REIT and dividend distributions as notable developments during Mworia’s leadership.
Mworia’s new national assignment
Mworia’s departure from Centum comes as he assumes responsibility for building Kenya’s newly established National Infrastructure Fund.
The NIF appointed him its inaugural CEO following a competitive recruitment process, with the appointment also taking effect on September 7. Mworia had previously been appointed to the fund’s board in July, but his transition into the executive position brings his board role to an end.
The fund is intended to provide an alternative mechanism for financing major infrastructure projects and mobilising private and institutional capital. Its mandate includes developing an investable pipeline, establishing governance and risk-management systems and attracting co-investment capital.
For Mworia, the move represents a transition from leading a private-sector investment group to building a major state-backed investment institution from the ground up.
A new chapter for Centum
For Centum, the immediate priority is continuity.
Omondi-Achola’s appointment means the company has chosen an executive who already understands its operations, investment portfolio and strategy rather than bringing in an outsider during the transition.
The fact that his appointment is acting also leaves open the question of who will eventually become Centum’s permanent Group CEO. For now, however, the board appears focused on ensuring that the departure of a chief executive who led the company for almost two decades does not disrupt its investment strategy.
The transition therefore represents both an ending and a beginning: Mworia leaves behind a long record of transformation, while Omondi-Achola inherits the responsibility of sustaining that momentum.
Centum’s next phase will ultimately test whether the systems and investment platforms developed under Mworia can continue delivering value under new leadership.
