Risper Genga Ohaga appointed as APA Apollo Group CEO

By InstinctBusiness Feb 25, 20260

East African Breweries Limited (EABL) Chief Financial Officer Risper Genga Ohaga has been named Group Chief Executive Officer of APA Apollo Group, a leading player in Kenya’s insurance and asset management sectors.

Ms. Ohaga, who has served as EABL’s CFO and Executive Director for six years, will depart her current role at the end of June 2026. Her move coincides with Diageo’s planned sale of its majority stake in EABL to a Japanese firm, marking a strategic transition for the brewer.
She succeeds long-serving Group CEO Ashok Shah, who has led APA Apollo Group for 14 years.

APA Apollo Group comprises six entities, primarily in insurance and asset management. Its flagship subsidiary, APA Insurance, ranks as Kenya’s second-largest general insurer, holding 8.9% of gross premium income according to the latest Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) data, trailing Old Mutual’s 9.4%.

Ms. Ohaga’s immediate priorities include guiding the group through the global shift from IFRS 4 to IFRS 17, a major accounting overhaul aimed at enhancing transparency and comparability in insurance reporting. The new standard introduces immediate recognition of losses on onerous contracts, requiring stricter underwriting discipline to mitigate loss-making risks.

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In the year ended 2024, APA Insurance posted a profit after tax of Sh926.7 million, down from Sh1.1 billion in 2023, despite robust revenue growth to Sh17.46 billion from Sh16.72 billion.

The appointment follows international investment in APA Insurance, including Hollard Group’s significant stake acquisition in October 2023 and Swiss Re’s entry in 2014.

At a broader level, Ms. Ohaga assumes leadership amid challenges in Kenya’s insurance sector, where penetration remains low at 2.4%, well below the global average of 7.4%, pressured by subdued disposable incomes.

With her extensive background in finance across banking, audit, and manufacturing—including prior senior roles at Barclays/Absa and KPMG East Africa—Ms. Ohaga brings proven transformational leadership to steer APA Apollo Group’s next phase of growth and regulatory adaptation.