East African Breweries Plc has announced that its Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director, Risper Ohaga, will leave the company on June 30, 2026, bringing to a close a six-year run that began in February 2020.
The brewer said Ohaga is exiting to pursue interests outside the group, with details of her successor to be communicated later. Before joining EABL, she was CFO at Barclays Bank Zambia and held several senior internal audit roles across Africa within the Barclays Group. She began her career at KPMG Kenya, working in audit and advisory.
Ohaga took over EABL’s finances just as the Covid-19 crisis hit, a period when cash flows, funding access and balance sheets across the region were under strain. During her time in office, the company says she drove balance-sheet restructuring, tightened financial controls and governance, and ensured the group maintained access to funding despite volatile currencies and rising interest rates. She also strengthened investor relations and built up internal finance teams.
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EABL’s financials reflect a steady reduction in debt towards the end of her tenure. Borrowings rose during the pandemic, climbing from KSh 44.94 billion in FY2020 to KSh 46.35 billion in FY2021, before peaking at KSh 47.96 billion in FY2024. By FY2025, total debt had fallen to KSh 39.32 billion, an 18% drop year on year. Long-term bank loans declined from KSh 30.43 billion to KSh 23.82 billion over the same period, while reliance on short-term borrowing eased. Bank overdrafts, which stood at KSh 3.93 billion in FY2020, were virtually wiped out by FY2025, pointing to tighter liquidity management and refinancing.
Alongside her role at EABL, Ohaga also sits as a non-executive director at I&M Bank and APA Insurance, positions she took up in 2023 and 2022 respectively.
