james wika 
Kenneth Gitonga as the new General Manager for BAT Southern African Markets
BAT has announced the appointment of Kenneth Gitonga as the new General Manager for BAT Southern African Markets. Gitonga, who previously served as the Head of Commercial for BAT East & Southern Africa, will assume his new role starting from February 1, 2024.
This decision comes as BAT, the world’s largest tobacco processor by sales, continues to restructure its African operations in response to evolving consumer trends. Last year, BAT expanded its Nairobi office’s responsibilities to encompass five Southern African markets, including Malawi,Mozambique, Angola, Zimbabwe, and Zambia, as part of the company’s broader global transformation strategy.
Despite this appointment, the Southern African region will continue to operate under the oversight of the Nairobi office. Ken Gitonga brings a wealth of experience to his new role, having joined BAT Kenya in April 2017 as National Sales Manager.
In April 2021, Gitonga relocated to South Africa, where he assumed the position of Head of Activations for the East & Southern Africa Area. His rapid career progression continued when he was appointed as the Head of Trade for East African Markets in February 2022.
In October 2023 unveiled its 2022 sustainability report, which highlights the Company’s continued commitment to reducing the health impact of its business. The Company also reports performance in its ESG pillars, including environmental management and climate action, diversity and inclusion, human rights and corporate governance.
This was mongst other milestones achieved as at the end of 2022, we reduced our scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 33% (against a 2020 baseline), invested about KShs 145 million in solar energy and issued 15 tons of certified maize seeds to our contracted farmers to drive crop diversification and food security.
