Category: Business Daily

A Catholic church in Siaya County is facing eviction from a land parcel over an unpaid Sh50,000 from a purchase deal dating back to 1976.

The Environment and Land Court ruled that the church’s five decades of occupation could not defeat the registered landowner’s title because it never paid the agreed purchase price despite building a permanent church on the land.

The court said that the church, which is under the Catholic Diocese of Kisumu, had no legal basis to remain on the property after the landowner, Lawrence Atinga Oyugi, withdrew his consent.

In the judgment dated July 24, 2026, the court allowed Mr Oyugi’s appeal and overturned a decision by a Magistrate’s Court in 2024, which had dismissed his demand for the church’s eviction.

The court ordered the Diocese, through its Registered Trustee, to vacate the parcel known as Siaya/Nyagunda/3655 within 180 days or face automatic eviction. The parties were also given 90 days to negotiate a purchase, lease or another settlement if they wished to formalise the church’s continued occupation.

The dispute dates back to 1976, when Mr Oyugi allowed the Catholic church to build on the land under an agreement that it would pay him Sh50,000 once construction was completed. The deal was agreed after three church members and elders approached Mr Oyugi.

The court found that the church completed the building but never paid the agreed amount, prompting Mr Oyugi to challenge its claim during land adjudication before eventually securing registration of the property in his name in 2010.

The Adjudication Committee had determined at its hearing that this money was to be paid after construction of the church building had been completed. This agreement was evidenced by a handwritten document produced before the court, dated March 20, 1976, referenced as ‘The Land Issues on March 20, 1976’.

The said document indicated that it is, in fact, an agreement granting a piece of land to the members of Orengo Catholic Church.

The court said the church’s occupation initially had the owner’s consent but later became unlawful after that permission was withdrawn through the litigation.

“Consent having been revoked, the respondent’s continuing presence on the land does in fact amount to trespass,” the court said.

The Diocese argued that its long occupation and improvements had created a constructive trust and overriding interests capable of defeating the registered title.

It also maintained that evicting a church after decades of occupation would be inequitable because the congregation had developed the land in good faith.

The court rejected those arguments. It held that constructive trust had never been pleaded before the trial court and could not properly be introduced on appeal.

Even if it had been pleaded, Justice Dena said the facts did not support it because the agreed purchase price was never paid.

“The respondent cannot therefore claim that it had all along acted on the basis and representation that it would obtain proprietary interest in the suit property, yet it never paid the agreed consideration,” Justice Dena said.

“For this reason, the respondent cannot rely upon the doctrine of constructive trust.”

The court also found significant inconsistencies in the Diocese’s evidence. Its defence stated that it had purchased the land from Oyugi before adjudication.

However, witnesses later testified that a church member donated the land. The court concluded that the evidence instead showed the parties had agreed on a sale in 1976, with payment deferred until completion of the church building.

The court also revisited earlier litigation arising from the same land. The court noted that the Diocese unsuccessfully challenged the adjudication process through judicial review after arguing it had not been heard.

The High Court dismissed that case in 2017, finding the church should instead have pursued the statutory appeal available under the Land Adjudication Act. That decision remained unchallenged and affirmed Oyugi’s registration as proprietor.

While granting the appeal, the court acknowledged the church’s long presence on the land and its role in serving the local community.

She urged the parties to pursue negotiations before the eviction period expires.

“It would be prudent for the parties to consider amicable negotiations to formalise the respondent’s occupation,” she said, adding that any agreement could include a purchase or lease “at the pleasure of the appellant.”

Corporates in Kenya are increasingly treating artificial intelligence (AI) literacy as a core workplace skill amid concern that employees who do not understand the technology risk exposing organisations to cybersecurity and data privacy threats.

Business leaders meeting at the Nation Digital Summit CEO Roundtable on Wednesday said organisations are moving beyond deploying AI tools to investing in programmes that equip workers with the skills to use the technology responsibly as it becomes embedded in everyday business operations.

It comes as firms integrate AI across various functions such as customer service, lending, data analysis, and market research.

Julius Kamau, Absa Bank Kenya’s Chief Operating and Digital Officer, said employers are encouraging staff to interact with AI beyond the workplace so that using it becomes a personal competency rather than a skill acquired only on the job.

“The goal is having the average worker bring AI to the office as a skill, not come to interact with AI as something they only use at work,” Mr Kamau said. “It was one of the challenges with the adoption of computers, and we should not allow it to be the case now.”

Executives reckon that AI adoption can only succeed with a workforce that understands the opportunities and risks associated with the technology.

Some warn that organisations that fail to provide structured AI training risk employees turning to publicly available AI platforms without adequate safeguards.

“Failing to embrace AI means staff will use it informally, anyway, which is a security and data risk because you end up spreading sensitive company data into all these AI models,” said RWK Africa CEO Regina King’ori.

Kenya’s Special Envoy for Technology, Philip Thigo, said organisations must invest in computing infrastructure and digital talent to remain competitive.

“Data should be seen as the core engine of an organisation,” Mr Thigo said, adding that businesses should also strive to localise their data operations rather than rely heavily on outsourced IT functions.

The executives identified healthcare, agriculture, financial services, education, media and the creative economy as sectors where AI presents the greatest opportunities across Africa.

Investors who sold their Treasury bonds on the secondary market at the Nairobi bourse made a profit of Sh132.7 billion after falling returns on new issuances triggered a surge in prices and demand for older, higher-return papers.

The gains were 30.7 percent higher compared to the Sh101.58 billion profits that bond investors booked at the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) in the first half of 2025.

The profits are derived from the difference between the selling price of the bonds at the secondary market and their face value, which is the amount the seller paid the government when purchasing the paper in the primary market at the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK).

New data from the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) shows the investors sold bonds for Sh1.7 trillion in the half-year period, having acquired them for Sh1.57 trillion. In the first half of 2025, the bond sales generated Sh1.39 trillion from paper that had a face value of Sh1.29 trillion.

Analysts say that the bulk of the trading activity is controlled by institutional investors such as banks, fund managers, and insurance firms, who form the largest lenders to the government in the bond market.

‘We have seen activity mainly from institutional investors like banks and fund managers, as they execute their various strategies around bond investments held for trading, in addition to the usual booking of profits,’ said Churchill Ogutu, head of research at Capital A Investment Bank.

‘Banks have also been actively selling and buying back bonds in the secondary market as part of their liquidity management activity.’

New bonds are usually issued in units priced at Sh100 each, but these can be sold to other investors at either a higher or lower price, depending on the demand in the market and prevailing interest rates at the time of sale.

The most lucrative of these securities in the secondary market remain the tax-free infrastructure bonds (IFBs) sold in 2023 and 2024, which pay annual interest rates of between 14.4 percent and 18.5 percent. Other ordinary bonds have a withholding tax of 10 percent on interest for tenors above five years, while those of a lower duration are taxed at 15 percent.

In order to convince holders of the lucrative infrastructure bonds to sell their paper, buyers have been offering them a premium of up to 23 percent on the face value of the securities.

The highest premium is on an 8.5-year IFB that was issued in February 2024 at an annual interest rate of 18.5 percent. Buyers are paying a price of Sh122.60 for each unit of Sh100 of the bond in the secondary market, where it has recorded trades worth Sh63 billion in the first half of the year.

It is followed by a 6.5-year IFB that was floated in November 2023 at a rate of 17.93 percent, which is being sold at Sh113.84 per unit at the NSE.

A 17-year IFB sold in March 2023 at 14.4 percent is trading at Sh110.88 per unit, while a seven-year bond issued in June 2013 at a coupon of 15.83 percent is trading at Sh112 per unit.

Demand for a 19-year IFB that was floated in 2022 has also gone up, owing it its coupon of 14 percent.

Besides the IFBs, investors have heavily traded short-term, ordinary bonds, such as a pair of five-year papers issued in 2021 and 2023.

The five-year bond issued in July 2023 is trading at Sh112.21 per unit, with investors attracted by its short duration and a relatively high coupon of 16.84 percent.

Investors have sought to lock in these papers due to the rate outlook, pointing to even lower returns from new bond sales in the medium term.

New bonds are now offering annual interest rates of between 12 percent and 14.2 percent, before withholding taxes of 10 to 15 percent on the interest.

The decline in rates follows the move by the CBK to slash its base rate from 13 percent to 8.75 percent from August 2024 to date in a bid to encourage lending to the private sector.

The bonds market has also grown in popularity among investors with a marked increase in holdings of the securities by retailers and fund managers. This increased participation has fed into the demand for bonds in the secondary market, giving those holding high-priced papers an avenue to sell for a profit.

The vibrancy of the market is backed by the introduction of the CBK’s Dhow CSD digital bonds trading platform in 2023, which has made it easier to buy government securities.

Households now hold Sh466.2 billion or 6.3 percent of government’s domestic debt, which stood at Sh7.4 trillion as at July 17. At the end of June 2025, they held Sh409.3 billion of the State’s domestic debt, CBK numbers show.

Foreign investors hold Sh310.8 billion of the debt, with non-financial companies and non-profit organisations holding Sh111 billion and Sh74 billion respectively.

Previously, these retail bond buyers were bundled together under one umbrella known as ‘other investors’, alongside self-help groups, private companies, individuals, saccos, and religious and educational institutions.

Commercial banks remain the biggest lenders to the government at Sh2.62 trillion, followed by pension funds at Sh1.07 trillion and insurance companies at Sh1.04 trillion.

Government institutions, including parastatals, hold Sh518 billion worth of government debt.

Ask any preschool teacher and they’ll tell you that their classroom is a vibrant environment, filled with the sounds of giggles, games, music, clattering feet and the occasional tears. Is it overwhelming? Yes, sometimes.

But this bustle of play-based activity is an essential ingredient in childhood learning.

Giving children a strong startThe first few years of a child’s life are critical because this is when the brain develops at its fastest rate and when children are most receptive to learning.

Numerous studies, including the OECD’s International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study, have highlighted the importance of giving children a strong start in the early years to improve their educational outcomes and overall wellbeing later in life.

Research also shows that certain characteristics increase the impact of early years provision. One of these is play-based learning, as identified by the International Education group at Cambridge University Press and Assessment.

Why is play so important?

Play is generally seen as something to enjoy, but it also helps children make significant progress across all areas of development. It promotes executive function – the mental skills that help us manage everyday tasks – encouraging positive learning behaviours such as focus, self-regulation and resilience.

Play-based learning also supports cognitive and physical development by allowing children to build their working memory and make connections through active participation.

High-quality early years education embraces a mix of engaging activities designed to teach valuable skills and behaviours.

A teacher reading a story aloud develops children’s listening skills while building their understanding and appreciation of spoken language. Simple counting and number games develop mathematical literacy.

Role-play activities, such as dressing up, encourage sharing and empathy, while a pretend shop gives children the opportunity to develop their social and communication skills and learn about money.

Teachers make all the difference

Play-based learning truly comes alive when children are free to explore, try new things and follow their own interests. However, this freedom is not without structure. The most effective teachers are like friendly coaches on the sidelines.

They join in, nudge ideas along and spark new ways of thinking, stepping in at just the right moment to offer guidance or cheer children on.

This kind of encouragement creates a nurturing environment where children strengthen their problem-solving skills and self-control – all important steps in their educational journey.

To get the best from playful learning, skilled teachers allow children to explore a variety of activities while working towards the same learning goal.

By carefully observing children’s interests and behaviours during play, teachers can create environments full of excitement and possibility.

They also ensure that every activity is appropriate for the individual child, recognising that development does not always occur at the same pace.

Early childhood education critical building block for future success

The belief that “formal learning starts later” continues to shape early childhood development practices across Sub-Saharan Africa. However, awareness of Early Childhood Education (ECE) is increasing, with governments recognising its fundamental role in children’s development.

Despite this growing awareness, compulsory schooling continues to receive the lion’s share of funding and policy attention, while much early childhood education still takes place in unregistered and unregulated settings.

Expanding access to formal Early Years programmes, supported by structured quality standards and a consistent framework that can be adapted locally, should remain a priority for governments across the continent.

Collaboration will help embed early learning across communities

Some of the major challenges facing early years education in Africa include limited funding, a shortage of trained early years teachers, uneven infrastructure, and disparities between urban and rural areas.

To implement effective ECE programmes across Africa, governments, the private sector and development partners must work collaboratively.

Kenya Reinsurance Corporation (Kenya Re) has lined up Sh1.5 billion to fund a regional and international expansion plan targeting Tanzania, Rwanda and India as it seeks to restore growth after retreating from loss-making business lines.

The State-owned re-insurer told shareholders during the recent annual general meeting that the investment will support setting up of a subsidiary in Tanzania, a branch office in India’s Gujarat International Finance Tec (Gift) City and a liaison office in Rwanda.

The move comes after Kenya Re reported a drop in total insurance revenue to Sh17.07 billion in 2025 from Sh18.84 billion in 2024, a decline attributed to a strategic decision to exit unprofitable business, particularly in agriculture and parts of its India portfolio.

‘This was a conscious profitability-over-volume decision. While it reduced top-line revenue, it led to significantly improved underwriting results. To reverse the trend and restore growth, the corporation is pursuing regional expansion and focusing on profitable classes of business,’ Kenya Re said in disclosures following the meeting.

The re-insurer is also making a renewed push into key markets across Africa and Asia as part of the efforts to stem the recent back-to-back decline in profits.

Kenya Re’s net profit peaked at Sh4.97 billion in 2023 before dropping for two straight years to Sh3.92 billion at the end of December 2025.

Last year’s decline in net profit from Sh4.44 billion in 2024 came on the back of insurance revenue retreating to Sh17.07 billion from Sh18.84 billion posted in the previous year. Kenya Re linked the decline in revenue to a ‘deliberate strategic withdrawal’ from loss-making business lines.

The bulk of the planned Sh1.5 billion capital outlay will primarily support entry into Tanzania, where regulations require reinsurers to have a physical presence to underwrite local business.

The reinsurer currently has subsidiaries in Uganda, Zambia and Côte d’Ivoire. In the year ended December 2025, it more than doubled its investment in Zambia to Sh498.5 million from Sh214.9 million a year earlier.

The fresh investment in Zambia was to recapitalise the unit in line with the market’s Insurance (General) Regulations, 2022 that requires insurers and reinsurers to maintain a capital adequacy ratio of at least 150 percent. The regulations gave underwriters a three-year grace period of up to December 2025 comply.

Kenya Re’s investments in Côte d’Ivoire and Uganda, valued at Sh1.96 billion and Sh584.2 million respectively at the end of December 2025, remained unchanged from 2024. Total investment in subsidiaries rose to Sh3.05 billion in 2025 from Sh2.76 billion in 2024.

The Cote d`Ivoire unit started operating in 2015, followed by the Zambian branch in 2016 while the Uganda subsidiary started operations in January 2023.

Kenya Re is already advancing the planned entry into Tanzania, having opened the recruitment for a chief executive officer and chief financial officer to be based in Dar es Salaam.

The Tanzania unit is expected to help the reinsurer reclaim the market share it lost after the country introduced rules barring foreign reinsurers without local operations.

In India, Kenya Re is setting up a branch in the Gift City, which is a special economic zone that offers tax incentives and allows firms to transact in foreign currency. The branch will focus on property, engineering and marine lines, which Kenya Re considers more profitable.

The India return marks another strategic shift after Kenya Re exited the market in 2023 following underwriting losses in agricultural reinsurance. The reinsurer now plans a more selective approach, targeting break-even within three years.

President William Ruto’s recent meeting with leaders of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) was more than a diplomatic engagement with the global music community. It signals Kenya’s intention to reposition the creative economy as a pillar of development.

As countries search for new sources of economic growth, collaboration with the leading recording industry organisation presents Kenya an opportunity to transform creativity into a high-value asset.

Globally, the creative economy has evolved into a key contributor to growth, jobs, exports and innovation. Music is no longer viewed merely as entertainment. It is a complex industry that generates income through streaming platforms, licensing, live performances and publishing, merchandising and intellectual property rights.

Countries with strong creative ecosystems have demonstrated that investment in talent and copyright protection can produce significant economic returns while enhancing national competitiveness.

The partnership with IFPI has the potential to unlock substantial gains across the creative value chain. Kenya has a vibrant pool of musicians, producers, composers and digital creators whose commercial potential is underutilised.

The collaboration with IFPI offers an opportunity to address the structural constraints by strengthening copyright administration, improving royalty collection and connecting artists to global distribution networks.

The partnership also sends a strong signal to domestic and international investors that Kenya is committed to developing a predictable and commercially viable creative economy.

Investor confidence is often driven by policy certainty, regulatory efficiency and market transparency.

By working with globally recognised industry agencies like IFPI, Kenya enhances its credibility as an investment destination, attracting capital for music production, digital platforms, entertainment infrastructure and creative enterprise development.

A more formalised music industry expands the national tax base. Increased revenues generated by artists, recording companies, digital platforms, event organisers and supporting businesses translate into higher collections of tax.

The economic spillover effects are equally significant. A thriving music industry stimulates demand for recording studios, event management companies, digital marketing agencies and audio-visual production, legal services and hospitality, tourism and technology providers. This multiplier effect creates thousands of jobs and encourages entrepreneurship.

Every successful musician represents an ecosystem of producers, sound engineers, graphic designers, videographers, software developers and business managers.

The collaboration strengthens Kenya’s position within the digital economy.

As global music consumption shifts towards streaming, countries with strong digital infrastructure and effective intellectual property governance are attracting greater investment from global record labels and technology firms.

By aligning its regulatory framework with international best practices, Kenya can position itself as East Africa’s preferred destination for music production, digital content creation and creative investment.

Strong copyright protection encourages innovation by ensuring creators get fair compensation for their work. This improves household incomes for artists and investor confidence in the sector. Financial institutions become more willing to fund creative enterprises when intellectual property rights are enforceable and royalty income becomes predictable.

President Ruto’s engagement with IFPI should be viewed as an investment in Kenya’s productive capacity rather than a ceremonial meeting. The creative economy offers a pathway to economic diversification, youth employment, export growth and increased domestic revenue generation.

With supportive policies, modern copyright systems and sustained collaboration between the government and global industry partners, Kenya can transform its creative talent into a globally competitive economic sector.

Such a plan will elevate Kenyan music on the global stage and reinforce the country’s long-term vision of building an innovative, knowledge-driven and inclusive economy.

The Central Bank Rate (CBR) and a new benchmark rate for pricing loans have converged at 8.75 percent, creating a single industry stand for assessing the cost of credit.

The Kenya Shilling Overnight Interbank Average (Kesonia), which is the overnight lending rate among banks that was launched in December, has settled at an average of 8.75 percent in recent weeks to match the CBR, resulting in a uniform loans reference rate.

The convergence of the two rates implies that the banking industry now has a single reference rate for loans, making it easy for customers to compare loan prices between various lenders applying different metrics.

The Central Bank Rate (CBR) and a new benchmark rate for pricing loans have converged at 8.75 percent, creating a single industry stand for assessing the cost of credit.

The Kenya Shilling Overnight Interbank Average (Kesonia), which is the overnight lending rate among banks that was launched in December, has settled at an average of 8.75 percent in recent weeks to match the CBR, resulting in a uniform loans reference rate.

The convergence of the two rates implies that the banking industry now has a single reference rate for loans, making it easy for customers to compare loan prices between various lenders applying different metrics.

The final revised risk-based credit pricing model was anchored on Kesonia which was designed to increase transparency and lower credit costs.

Banks were, however, allowed to deploy the CBR benchmark as a backup option.

The preference for CBR over Kesonia was attributed to the shortened window given to banks transitioning to the revised risk-based pricing by CBK.

Almost all tier-one banks have adopted the CBR as their benchmark rate for loan pricing including Equity, KCB, Absa Bank Kenya, Standard Chartered, NCBA and DTB.

The Cooperative Bank of Kenya was an outlier, opting for Kesonia as its benchmark alongside Habib Bank AG Zurich and ABC Bank.

Two banks, Citibank N.A. Kenya and Stanbic Bank Kenya, adopted both CBR and Kesonia.

Previously, each commercial bank had its own approved benchmark from which to price loans, but the model ran into chaos by creating 37 different reference rates.

The divergence in rates was seen to impede cheaper borrowing costs for customers.

Kesonia can only rise by 0.5 percentage points above the prevailing CBR rate and must not fall below the benchmark by more than 0.5 percentage points.

The corridor implies that Kesonia and CBR would only differ slightly.

The convergence of the rate increases the efficiency of monetary policy decisions by CBK, allowing banks to quickly translate movements in the apex bank’s benchmark to loan pricing.

‘Essentially, an alignment implies effective transmission of monetary policy to the interbank market,’ added Mr Molenje.

‘Any instance, where CBK does not participate in affecting marketing liquidity conditions, via injections or withdrawals, would yield an interbank rate (Kesonia) that is misaligned with the CBR. This would mean that there is no transmission of monetary policy.’

Banks’ lending benchmarks are now aligned with the CBR, where a rise in the rate is followed by higher borrowing costs, while cuts anchor lower loan interest rates.

The inaugural Adaptation Investment Summit for Africa (AISA 2026), held in Nairobi this month, came at a defining moment for the continent.

Africa needs between $70 billion and $140 billion annually to adapt to climate change, yet adaptation finance in Sub-Saharan Africa reached only $11 billion in 2024, according to the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI).

One of the summit’s key outcomes was the launch of the Kenya Uganda Adaptation Accelerator (KUAA), a four-year, $5 million programme backed by the Adaptation Fund.

The initiative will help climate adaptation enterprises become more bankable, reducing dependence on grants while improving access to commercial finance.

Africa’s challenge is not simply a shortage of capital but a shortage of bankable projects.

Investments in flood protection, drought-resilient agriculture and water storage generate significant economic and social benefits, but their returns are often indirect or realised over the long term, making private investors reluctant to participate.

This is where blended finance matters. By using public or philanthropic capital to absorb early risks, it can unlock private investment that would otherwise remain on the sidelines.

However, blended finance should be carefully designed. Public money should fill genuine financing gaps rather than become a permanent subsidy for private investors. Every concessional dollar should mobilise additional commercial capital while delivering measurable development outcomes.

Africa already has a working example. The $750 million Infrastructure Climate Resilient Fund (ICRF), managed by AFC Capital Partners, uses a 32 per cent first-loss tranche provided by the Green Climate Fund to reduce investor risk.

The model has already attracted more than $500 million in commitments, demonstrating how targeted concessional finance can crowd in private capital.

Kenya is well positioned to build on this momentum. The Green Climate Fund’s decision to establish its East and Southern Africa regional office in Nairobi, alongside KUAA, strengthens the city’s role as a regional climate finance hub.

As donor resources tighten, Africa cannot rely on grants alone. Governments should create clear blended finance frameworks and enable pension funds, insurers and other long-term investors to participate confidently in climate investments.

Generations ago, in a Kikuyu homestead, a child’s first credential arrived within minutes of birth. The women gathered at the door and released the ngemi (the ululations of blessing): five for a boy, four for a girl.

Before the child had walked, spoken, or produced anything, the community had already spoken. Destiny was announced first. Urathi (prophecy of purpose). Utonga (true wealth of the heart). Uthamaki (leadership with justice). Ucamba (courage). The elders did not wait for the harvest to name the child.

I begin with the Kikuyu rite because it is the one closest to me, but this architecture was never tribal. The Maasai built their version. So did the Luo, the Kalenjin, the Luhya, the Mijikenda and societies far beyond our borders. Identity was conferred at the door of life, and achievement was expected to grow into it.

Now look at the world the founder walks in. Nobody ululates at incorporation. No community gathers at the registrar’s door. The modern builder enters the arena unannounced and unblessed, and the only voices waiting are conditional ones.

Traction first, applause after. One flat quarter, and the applause is repossessed. Call it the reversed blessing. The market blesses retroactively, and only for as long as the numbers hold. What tradition gave freely at birth, the founder must now purchase every quarter with performance.

And because it is purchased, it is never owned. Press coverage is not ngemi. A funding round is not urathi. An award dinner is not the elders speaking destiny; it is the market issuing a receipt. This is why so many founders are building from a deficit they cannot name. The unblessed founder constructs identity out of KPIs because nothing deeper was ever spoken over him.

Validation becomes a substitute for blessing, and validation, unlike blessing, expires. A blessing tells you who you are before you produce. A rating tells you what you produced, and nothing more. When the story turns, as it eventually turns for every builder, the rated founder discovers there is nothing underneath the numbers. He was measured. He was never blessed.

I have sat with founders at both ends of this deficit. The young builder who has never once heard, from anyone with standing, that he carries something. And the older one, companies built and exited, who admits quietly that no elder ever spoke over his beginning, and that part of every deal since has been an attempt to close a gap capital cannot reach. Different generations.

Same hollow. The market kept rating them. Nobody had ever blessed them. But here is the harder mirror, and it faces those of us further along the journey. The unblessed have a way of repeating the deletion. Look at the instruments we call succession: share transfer forms, title deeds, board resolutions, trust structures. Assets move. Authority moves. The blessing does not appear in a single clause.

We have engineered the transfer of everything we accumulated and nothing we became. Our fathers’ tradition understood succession as two granaries. The first held iri (material wealth): land, livestock, the full granary.

The second held what wealth could not buy: iriiri (honour earned through wisdom) and thayu (the peace of righteous living). And beneath them, the values named one by one: honesty, generosity, justice, courage, temperance. A father who handed over the first granary without the second had not completed the succession.

Modern business has perfected the first granary and deleted the second. This is why the elders’ old warning about wealth and the third generation keeps proving itself in our boardrooms.

The heir receives the shares and not the character that built them. The successor receives the strategy and not the conviction underneath it. We audit everything we hand over except the one thing that determines whether any of it survives: who the receiver has become.

The question that belongs inside every succession plan is one a respected facilitator of fatherhood forums posed recently: it is good that you have given them everything you have.

Have you given them everything you were given? So how does a founder restore the order? Not mysticism. Formation. Blessing, stripped of its ceremony, is the deliberate spoken transfer of identity and values, in the presence of the one receiving it. It costs nothing, and almost nobody does it. Tell your successor who they are before you tell them what to hit. Name the values out loud.

Speak destiny over the young builder in your ecosystem before the metrics justify it, precisely because the metrics do not yet justify it.

That is what the ngemi was: a community going first. And receive it too.

Part of the founder’s loneliness is that we are elders to everyone and sons to no one. I will hold the paradox honestly. The market will never ululate, and it should not. Performance must be measured.

A company run on blessing without numbers is a family gathering, not a business.

The point is not to substitute blessing for measurement. The point is sequence. The reversed blessing built fragile founders.

The deleted blessing is building fragile successors. Between those two failures sits one correction, available to any builder this week, in one conversation, at no cost: say it first. Shares transfer by signature. Blessing transfers only by presence.

When the amusement tears from the rib-cracking Ol Kalou accounts dry, what follows are premium tears for a country that has failed to regulate campaign spending or put in place mechanisms for funding disclosures.

The disturbing patterns were also observed in other by elections. Beyond the elections are the “empowerment” forums and other events where money and treats are openly dished out while politicians and top civil servants display opulence in convoys of state-of-the-art vehicles and helicopters in the midst of grinding poverty.

While relevant institutions are yet to conclude investigations into the incidents in Ol Kalou, the allegations highlight a governance challenge that has persisted across electoral cycles and demonstrate a political funding infrastructure that is highly dependent on illicit financial flows.

The use of money to influence voters breaches the principles of free and fair elections, distorts democratic competition and weakens confidence in the electoral process.

Candidates with access to vast financial resources enjoy an unfair advantage over their rivals, while voters are exposed to inducements that compromise their ability to make independent choices. Ultimately, the cost of seeking public office creates incentives for corruption as successful candidates seek to recover campaign expenditure through abuse of public resources.

Concerns on how much public, tax-funded resources were siphoned to the campaigns still linger. The events in Ol Kalou are symptomatic of a systemic problem.

Despite the Election Campaign Financing Act, 2013, Kenya has conducted two general elections in 2017 and 2022, without implementing or enforcing the law.

These events should be a wake-up call for Parliament to prioritise the Act. This month, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) invited submissions of memoranda on the Campaign Financing Regulations and the Election Campaign Contribution, Spending Limits and Authorised Expenditures. This is timely and requires support by all.

Kenya cannot continue to postpone reforms that are essential to safeguarding electoral integrity.

The IEBC, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the Director of Public Prosecutions, police and other enforcement agencies must promptly investigate the Ol Kalou incidents and take action where evidence exists. IEBC should enforce the Electoral Code of Conduct and prosecute breaches.

The concerns on lack of campaign funding regulation in Ol Kalou were raised by stakeholders – state actors, election management agencies, parties, political party registrars, civil society and others – when they convened in Accra to discuss the financing of politics in Africa.

Issues discussed included the future of political finance governance, commodification of democracy in Africa, political capture and elite domination, the impact of technology and media on the political finance ecosystem, standards for transparency in Africa guided by the UN, women and youth political participation and the cost of politics, and the role of the private sector in reforming political finance systems.

The Accra Declaration was adopted with recommendations to stakeholders involved in monitoring, reporting and regulating money in politics.

Democracy in Kenya cannot thrive where elections are determined by the highest bidder instead of the will of the people.

The country must move beyond treating vote-buying and excessive campaign spending as “unfortunate” election traditions and recognise them for what they are – serious threats to constitutional democracy, accountable governance and ethical leadership.