Isaac Omolo Okero served as chairman of the Kenya Airways Board since the privatisation of the carrier in 1996 replacing the late Phillip Ndegwa and immensely helped turn around the fortunes of the carrier as reported by the Daily Nation on August 4, 2005.
Prior to his service in the national carrier, Okerio served as a member of parliament for Gem Constituency between 1969 and 1979, and as a Minister for Transport, Power and Communications during the President Jomo Kenyatta era.
He was first appointed to the Kenya Airways board in 1991 and was a major player in the privatisation process that saw the government reduce its stake in the carrier to 23 per cent. Isaac Omolo Okero (Center) during the burial of his wife, Jane Margaret Onyango Okero on May 22, 2018. Royal KLM airlines a flag carrier of the Netherlands acquired 26 percent with most of the remaining stock ending up at the Nairobi Stock Exchange in a play aided by the International Finance Corporation, private sector arm of the World Bank.
During his time at the helm of the national carrier, Okero was recognised for his hands-on approach in tackling matters at the airline’s Embakasi headquarters.
The Daily Nation revealed that with Okero in charge, the Kenya Airways being the first-ever privatised airline in Africa, turned from loss-making to rake in a historic ksh5.5billion profit prior tax, and ranked among the top earners at the Nairobi Stock Exchange that year.
Owing to the spectacular leadership at the helm of the airline, every market investor desired a piece of the airline’s shares.
On August 3, 2005, the Kenya Airways stock was traded heavily with 449,903 shares traded. The share price rose from Ksh3.50 to Ksh 70 translating to a Ksh1.6 billion increase in value.
In March 2006, Kenya Airways won the ‘African Airline of the Year’ Award for 2005, for the fifth time in seven years.
Again indicating the good run the company experienced under Okero’s tenure. Isaac Omolo Okero, Kenya Airways Board chairman between February 1996 and August 2005.
