The brewer’s innovation lead, behind Captain Morgan Muckpit and Tusker Ndimu, moves up after three years as Innovation Manager.
East African Breweries PLC (EABL) has promoted Kanyi Kiuru to Senior Innovation Manager. Kiuru announced the appointment on LinkedIn, saying he had started the new role. His profile lists it as beginning in September 2026, after three years as Innovation Manager reporting to the Head of Innovations, East Africa.
The move comes as EABL’s ownership changes. Kenya’s Competition Authority this month approved Asahi Group Holdings’ purchase of Diageo’s 65% stake in the brewer, with conditions.
What he has delivered
Kanyi Kiuru speaking at The New Pour Summit ’26 in Nairobi, where he shared insights on building beverage innovation around consumer insight, cultural relevance and the right distribution channels
Kiuru’s remit covered innovation brand development, commercialisation, information governance and innovation controls. According to his profile, two launches stand out:
- Captain Morgan Muckpit: He led pricing, formats, distribution and positioning. He reports net sales value 11% above target, with gross margin, awareness and penetration also ahead of fiscal-year targets within three months. The brand reached more than 26,000 outlets.
- Tusker Ndimu: He reports the highest at-launch awareness among EABL’s F22 to F24 innovations, and 77% of the annual target within nine months. Between activation editions, digital reach rose 214%, impressions 301% and engagement 550%.
He also says he led concept, pack, volume, financial and go-to-market work across the innovation pipeline, plus monthly production planning. His profile says he supported innovation deployment in Uganda, Tanzania and Nigeria.
On the summit stage
Kiuru spoke at The New Pour Summit ’26, organised by Drinkabl Africa and held in Nairobi on July 25. He told delegates that resilient beverage innovation needs brands built on consumer insight, cultural relevance and the right distribution channels. He urged young professionals entering FMCG to “keep your eye open and stay curious.” EABL’s Head of Innovation for East Africa, Effie Thiong’o, also spoke at the event.
Career background
Kiuru worked at Procter & Gamble from 2020 to 2022. As Sales Manager for General Trade in Kenya, he led distributor sales across six brands and 42,000 stores. He then became Brand Manager for Ariel Detergent, covering Kenya and 19 other Sub-Saharan African markets. He joined EABL as Innovation Manager in September 2023. He holds a BSc in International Business Administration from United States International University-Africa (2016 to 2020).
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