Category: Business Daily

The Court of Appeal has struck out an appeal by the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) challenging a High Court decision that quashed the award of a Sh362 million tender for supply and maintenance of 15 forklift trucks.

The court rejected the procurement dispute after finding the appeal was filed one day late, leaving the High Court decision intact. The court reaffirmed that statutory timelines in procurement cases cannot be extended under ordinary appellate procedures.

The court ruled that the authority and its accounting officer failed to invoke the court’s jurisdiction within the mandatory seven-day period prescribed under the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act.

The appeal arose from a procurement dispute involving Finnish cargo-handling equipment manufacturer Kalmar Finland Oy, which lost the two-lot tender to Brookwood Technical Limited and Autobikes Ltd early this year. Kalmar was disqualified for failure to file audited accounts for the years 2024 and 2025, though it challenged this, arguing the requirement did not apply to it, as an original equipment manufacturer.

Autobikes Ltd was awarded Lot 2 of the contract for $721,306 (Sh93.2 million) while Brookwood Technical Limited was to get Lot 1 at $2.8 million (Sh362 million) before the Finnish firm lodged a complaint. The tender was for the supply, testing and commissioning of 15 new forklift trucks.

Kalmar Finland Oy successfully challenged Brookwood’s award at the High Court, which quashed the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board’s finding that Brookwood was eligible to participate in the tender.

In the judgment dated May 28, 2026, the court found that Brookwood had not been prequalified to participate in that restricted tender, which had been limited to four firms, whose equipment was already in use at the port. They were identified as XYMA, Hyster, SMV Konecranes and Kalmar.

‘The applicant (Kalmar) was among those prequalified to tender; the interested party (Brookwood) was not,’ said the court. ‘The list of invited bidders is a mandatory requirement, and procuring entities have no legal discretion to waive or deviate from it, and inviting bids from firms that are not in the list would amount to the procuring entity disregarding its own bid conditions, making it illegal,’ it added.

Aggrieved by the High Court judgment, KPA moved to the court of appeal seeking to overturn that decision.

Kalmar separately asked the appellate court to strike out the appeal, arguing that the statutory deadline expired on June 4 but the appeal was lodged and paid for on June 5.

KPA opposed the application, saying it filed a notice of appeal within time and requested typed proceedings from the High Court before attempting to lodge the record of appeal on June 4.

The authority said the court’s Deputy Registrar rejected the filing later that evening because certified proceedings and the High Court judgment had not yet been supplied.

KPA told the court it explained the position the following morning, after which the Deputy Registrar approved the record for filing and payment.

The authority urged the judges not to determine the dispute on procedural grounds, arguing the appeal raised substantial issues deserving consideration.

It argued that “substantive justice, fairness, and equity demand that the appeal be determined on its merits rather than being dismissed for procedural shortcomings.”

KPA also invoked constitutional provisions requiring courts to administer justice without undue regard to procedural technicalities and argued it could not file documents that were unavailable through no fault of its own.

The judges rejected those arguments, holding that procurement appeals occupy a special legal category governed by strict statutory deadlines.

“Section 175(4) of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act provides that an appeal against the decision of the High Court must be filed before the Court of Appeal within seven days,” the bench said.

The judges added that the provision forms the basis of the court’s jurisdiction and that “jurisdiction is everything.”

The court found that although KPA requested typed proceedings before expiry of the deadline, the statutory period continued running because procurement appeals are governed by special provisions overriding ordinary appellate rules.

Quoting earlier decisions, the judges reiterated that “these timelines are cast in stone and cannot be varied.”

The bench also rejected KPA’s reliance on equitable principles protecting litigants from court administrative failures.

“It, therefore, means that the appellants ought to have considered all these factors and endeavoured to file an appeal within time,” the judges said.

They added that KPA failed to demonstrate it had taken every possible step, including physically pursuing registry approval before expiry of the statutory period.

Named after its launch fare of Sh5,540 on the Nairobi-Mombasa route in 2006, budget airline Fly540 had set out to prove that air travel in Kenya did not have to be a reserve for corporate executives and affluent tourists.

The low-cost carrier attracted international investors and pioneered a business model that competitors would later embrace.

However, the same airline that had promised to ‘democratise flying’ gradually found itself overwhelmed by shareholder disputes, tax claims, aircraft leasing rows, creditor petitions and years of courtroom battles that eclipsed its commercial ambitions.

Behind the fairytale launch of Fly540 was co-founder and widely experienced aviation administrator Nixon Azariah Ochieng’ Ooko, who passed away on July 15, 2026, at 76 in South Africa after an illness, reigniting fresh attention on the rise and painful decline of one of Kenya’s most influential private aviation ventures.

When Fly540 entered the Kenyan market in 2006, domestic aviation was very different, but the founders believed that could change.

The late Ooko, alongside Don Smith, introduced a business model of an airline for entrepreneurs, families, professionals and first-time flyers who had previously relied on long-distance buses and alternative, expensive full-service carriers. Ooko perhaps sought to borrow from his aviation experience at British Airways and Regional Air.

The timing also worked in its favour because, then, Kenya’s economy was expanding, domestic tourism was growing, and regional trade within East Africa was gathering pace.

Demand for faster movement of people between Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret and Malindi was increasing. The business later expanded beyond Kenya’s borders into Uganda and Tanzania before extending its footprint into Angola and Ghana through its affiliated operations.

Fly540 appeared to be proving that a budget-friendly model could work alongside its expansion that coincided with the growing investor confidence in African aviation.

Behind the scenes, however, the economics of running a low-cost airline in Africa were more complex than what the founders may have anticipated.

Unlike Europe, where budget airlines benefited from the high passenger volumes, East Africa presented low numbers.

Additionally, competition for Fly540 was also intensifying; other established operators responded to the arrival of the budget carrier by also adjusting their fares on key domestic routes. New airlines also entered the market hoping to capitalise on the growing demand.

Regional expansion as well exposed Fly540 to additional regulatory requirements and operational risks. Although its growth was impressive on paper, it demanded larger financial commitments that pushed the airline to attract one of the biggest names interested in African low-cost aviation.

British investment company Lonrho acquired a significant stake in Fly540 as part of its broader strategy to build transport and infrastructure businesses across the continent.

That relationship later paved the way for another high-profile corporate transaction that promised to transform the airline’s future.

That opportunity was with Fastjet, which was backed by high-profile investors and marketed as Africa’s answer to Europe’s successful budget airlines. Fastjet announced plans to build a pan-African low-cost aviation network and Fly540’s regional presence made it an attractive platform to launch those ambitions.

The lucrative deal turned sour when ownership disagreements emerged over the terms of the acquisition, management control and financial obligations.

Expansion into multiple markets meant more employees, more suppliers, more aircraft, more leases and more regulatory obligations. But as cash flows tightened and growth slowed, disagreements that might otherwise have been settled commercially spilled into corridors of justice.

One of the earliest public signs of strain was through an employment dispute involving Jacqueline Arkle, who had joined Fly540 in 2008 as its East Africa marketing manager before later being appointed country manager for Uganda. Her promotion came when there was pressure on the airline’s regional operations, with passenger numbers under pressure and concerns over its operational reliability.

After her dismissal in 2011, Ms Arkle challenged the move, arguing that the carrier had held her responsible for declining sales despite problems she said were beyond her control, including poor aircraft maintenance, customer service challenges and operational shortcomings. She also contended that she had never been provided with clear performance targets before her job was terminated.

The Employment and Labour Relations Court awarded her compensation running into millions, including damages linked to an advertisement placed by the airline following her dismissal.

Although Fly540 secured temporary relief at the Court of Appeal while challenging the award, the judges required it to deposit half of the decretal amount in a joint interest-earning account.

Employees were not the only creditors seeking redress; tax authorities also turned their attention to the airline. The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) pursued Fly540 over alleged unpaid taxes running into more than Sh100 million after a prolonged dispute over tax assessments.

Such tax disputes can be damaging for an airline because it goes beyond just financial liability. They can complicate licensing, affect relationships with regulators and undermine confidence among investors and financiers.

Fly540, by then, was also facing pressure from suppliers and service providers, with creditors seeking judicial intervention to recover their dues.

Some petitions sought to wind up the airline altogether, arguing that it had become unable to meet its financial obligations.

Although Fly540 successfully resisted some of those attempts, the repeated appearance of winding-up proceedings highlighted the extent of the pressure facing the business.

But as experts point out, the aviation industry can be unforgiving when confidence begins to weaken. Unlike many businesses that can continue operating while restructuring debt, airlines require constant access to aircraft, maintenance facilities, insurance, fuel and airport services. Any financial uncertainty echoes across the entire operation.

As Fly540 sought to stabilise its finances, the airline became embroiled in disputes involving leased aircraft. Canadian aircraft leasing company Avmax Aircraft Leasing Inc and Wells Fargo Trust Company National Association moved to court seeking to recover about Sh775 million from Fly540 and its affiliate, East African Safari Air Express. This was over alleged breaches of settlement and conditional sale agreements involving two aircraft.

The parties had agreed that the aircraft would remain parked while representatives conducted joint inspections before any transfer could take place. But the disagreements emerged over access to maintenance records, engine logs, landing gear documentation, inspection histories and other technical records considered essential in aviation transactions.

The High Court found that company officials had failed to fully comply with earlier court orders permitting inspection of the plane and accompanying technical records. Instead of immediately committing the officials to civil jail, the court imposed a daily financial penalty that would continue accumulating until compliance was achieved.

By the time Fly540 was shutting down, the optimism that had defined its early years was long gone.

New entrants had embraced the market. Jambojet entered the market backed by Kenya Airways (KQ), bringing with it the financial muscle and operational support of the national carrier. Safarilink further strengthened its dominance in the safari circuit, while other airlines like Skyward Express expanded their domestic network and later went regional.

Demand for affordable domestic air travel continued to increase as more Kenyans chose to fly for business, leisure and family travel. In addition, county governments promoted domestic tourism, businesses expanded beyond Nairobi, and improved airport infrastructure made regional connectivity even more attractive. The concept behind Fly540 had not failed, but the business behind it had.

The final chapter of Fly540 unfolded with a regulatory order that confirmed what many in the aviation industry had already begun to suspect-that the airline had run out of runway. The carrier had scaled down its operations after years of shareholder rows, mounting debt, legal battles and shrinking market share.

On September 30, 2022, Fly540’s Air Operator Certificate expired, which brought its scheduled flight operations to a halt. Without a valid permit issued by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), the airline could no longer legally offer commercial air transport services.

Weeks later, the Competition Authority of Kenya stepped in after receiving more than 50 complaints from consumers who accused the airline of advertising flights it could not operate, canceling flights at short notice and delaying refunds for canceled bookings.

Investigations by the regulator also established that the airline had continued receiving bookings after its operating certificate lapsed.

The authority responded by issuing a cease-and-desist order directing Fly540 to immediately stop advertising flights, selling tickets or presenting itself as capable of providing air transport services until investigations were concluded. It also ordered the airline to refund passengers whose flights had been canceled or whose tickets had been sold after September 30.

That shutdown closed the curtain on one of Kenya’s most ambitious aviation ventures. Although legal battles over aircraft leases, creditor claims and other commercial disputes continued after the last scheduled flight, Fly540’s place in the market had already been taken by rivals.

Unpredictable government policies have overtaken tax incentives as the biggest concern among foreign investors eyeing Kenya, signaling the weak spot for the State as it seeks to woo fresh global capital.

The shift points to a fundamental change in what multinationals prioritise when choosing investment destinations across the world.

This comes after the 2026 World Investment Report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) estimated Kenya received a record $3.2 billion (Sh413.6 billion) in foreign direct investment last year, a 37.7 percent jump from revised $2.32 billion (Sh299.9 billion) in 2024.

Kenya Investment Authority (Invest Kenya) chief executive John Mwendwa says policy predictability is the issue raised most frequently in meetings with prospective investors, reflecting growing concern over abrupt regulatory changes.

“Top of mind, the first thing that investors want is predictability,” Mr Mwendwa said in an interview with Business Daily. “Predictability enables them to plan and model assumptions that resonate with their expectations.”

Multinational companies making long-term investments, he said, increasingly want governments to provide stable tax, regulatory and policy environments that allow them to forecast returns with greater certainty.

Mr Mwendwa acknowledged that investors become uneasy when governments introduce policy changes without adequate consultation or advance notice, forcing businesses to revisit investment assumptions after capital has already been committed.

“Sometimes when changes occur that investors say are not pre-communicated, it becomes an issue,” he said.

Apart from policy uncertainty, investors also raise concerns over the speed of regulatory approvals, including company registration, land titling, work permits and licensing.

Invest Kenya is attempting to address those concerns through an investment deal room that brings together government agencies to resolve bottlenecks affecting strategic projects.

The concerns mirror longstanding complaints by business lobbies, who say an increasingly complex and unpredictable regulatory environment has become one of the biggest drivers of business costs and, in some cases, forces entrepreneurs to abandon investment projects altogether.

The Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) says delays in obtaining licences and permits have prompted some investors to shelve projects, while an expanding web of compliance obligations is making it harder for firms to innovate and compete.

“The excessive red tape and compliance requirements imposed by labour laws, tax regulations and other legal obligations result in increased expenses for businesses,” KAM says in one of its policy reports.

The lobby says lengthy bureaucratic procedures divert resources away from core business operations, while frequently changing regulatory barriers discourage new enterprises from entering the market, limiting competition and slowing economic growth.

Businesses have also complained of overlapping requirements imposed by national and county governments, arguing that multiple agencies often perform duplicative regulatory roles that inflate compliance costs.

Depending on the sector, companies may be required to secure close to 20 licences and permits covering business registration, environmental compliance, occupational safety, food processing, waste management, water and sewerage, construction, noise control and county levies.

Kenya has traditionally competed for foreign investment through tax incentives, special economic zones and aggressive investment promotion campaigns led by senior government officials.

But Mr Mwendwa said investors now evaluate a much broader ecosystem before committing capital.

“Our view is investors are not only looking for incentives; they are looking at an ecosystem,” he said.

That ecosystem includes skilled labour, reliable infrastructure, affordable energy, market access, efficient public institutions and confidence that the rules governing investments will remain stable throughout a project’s lifespan.

Mr Mwendwa argued Kenya remains well positioned because of its skilled workforce, electricity generated largely from renewable sources and preferential access to major export markets across Africa, the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and China.

Record foreign investment inflows have put Kenya on the radar of global investors, but the next battle is likely to be fought over artificial intelligence infrastructure, green data centres and the digital economy.

Kenya Investment Authority (Invest Kenya) chief executive John Mwendwa says the country is betting on its renewable energy, skilled workforce and strategic location to attract the next wave of capital.

He spoke to Business Daily on why investors are looking beyond tax incentives, how Kenya hopes to compete with South Africa and Morocco, and what still needs fixing to remain attractive.

Kenya attracted a record $3.2 billion (Sh413.6 billion) in foreign direct investment in 2025 according to UNCTAD. What drove that performance?

It’s always good to set the landscape before jumping into the numbers. Globally, capital is looking for favourable places to locate, and Africa is increasingly becoming the next frontier for investment because by 2040 it will be home to the world’s youngest population.

Kenya is riding that wave. For the first time in our history, foreign direct investment exceeded $3 billion. That did not happen by accident. It reflects a sustained government push to facilitate investors throughout the entire journey.

We work with investors from the moment they begin considering opportunities in Africa and Kenya, providing business intelligence and helping them evaluate projects. We stay with them through implementation until they are commercially operational.

For the first time, we’ve also strengthened what we call ‘aftercare’, ensuring investors continue receiving support after establishing operations. That complete investor journey has become a major differentiator.

Much of the global investment conversation has shifted from traditional manufacturing to artificial intelligence infrastructure and data centres. Is Kenya seeing that shift?

Absolutely. AI and technology continue evolving faster than most people imagine.

We already have a pipeline of several data centre investments interested in Kenya, not only to serve the domestic market but to use Kenya as a springboard for the rest of Africa.

Green data centres represent the future. Sustainability has become a significant consideration for investors, and Kenya has a strong advantage because our electricity mix is about 93 percent renewable.

We have also seen important announcements such as Oracle’s data centre investment, and there are others evaluating similar opportunities. The demand is definitely there.

The key question now is ensuring power supply grows alongside demand.

Can Kenya realistically compete with established investment destinations like South Africa, Morocco or even the UAE for AI infrastructure?

Investors make decisions based on different competitive advantages, and I believe Kenya possesses a combination that very few countries on the continent can match.

We are strategically located on Africa’s eastern seaboard, giving us access to regional and international markets.

Our electricity is largely renewable, with a national ambition of reaching 100 percent renewable energy in the coming years. That becomes a very important consideration for companies building energy-intensive digital infrastructure.

Remember, these are not data centres designed only for Kenya. They are regional facilities serving customers across Africa and beyond.

The building blocks required to make Kenya a technology hub are increasingly falling into place.

If you want evidence, look at startup funding. Kenya attracted nearly $1 billion in startup investment in 2025, with a significant share flowing into technology businesses.

We believe Kenya is competitive, and this is one area where we can become a continental leader.

How is Invest Kenya helping investors move faster once they decide to invest?

One of the biggest initiatives we have introduced is what we call the ‘Investment Deal Room’.

Essentially, it brings together different government agencies to resolve investment bottlenecks in one coordinated process.

If an investor has challenges with land titles, we engage the Ministry of Lands. If there are taxation issues, company registration concerns or regulatory approvals, the relevant agencies come together and work through those challenges collectively.

Rather than leaving investors to navigate multiple institutions independently, we coordinate solutions.

That dedicated collaboration has significantly improved the investment process.

Apart from approvals, what is the biggest challenge you face when trying to attract global capital?

One challenge that doesn’t receive enough attention is the quality of investment opportunities.

A project cannot simply be an idea. Investors need detailed financial assumptions, realistic projections and credible data before committing capital.

That is why, for the first time, we have published an investment projects catalogue.

It brings together public, private, public-private partnership and infrastructure projects that have been developed to a standard investors can evaluate.

Instead of spending months trying to understand whether an opportunity is viable, investors can immediately see where the opportunities are and what the potential returns look like.

That shortens the investment discovery process considerably.

If you could change one thing over the next 12 months to improve Kenya’s competitiveness, what would it be?

The biggest priority is creating an even more predictable and conducive business environment.

Investment promotion is not something one agency can deliver alone. It requires coordination across government because investors interact with many institutions.

For us, the most consequential issue is improving the overall business climate. If investors know what is coming, if regulations are fair and consistent, and if decisions happen quickly, Kenya becomes much more competitive.

What are some of biggest investment projects that Kenya lost to competing countries in recent years?

If you asked a bank how many customers it declined compared to those it financed, you would probably find they turned away far more than they approved.

Investment promotion works in a similar way. Not every project comes to Kenya, and that’s perfectly normal. Sometimes another country is simply a better fit.

If another African country wins an investment, Africa still benefits.

What matters is understanding why we didn’t secure a project and whether there are lessons we can apply next time.

The encouraging part is that Kenya’s numbers continue moving in the right direction. Foreign direct investment is growing. Our pipeline continues expanding.

Our focus remains on improving conversion.

Looking ahead, are you confident Kenya can surpass the record FDI inflows recorded in 2025?

I’m optimistic, but we are only halfway through the year, so I don’t want to give a specific number.

When we held our international investment conference in March, I thought we might announce around $2 billion worth of investment commitments.

Instead, we announced $2.9 billion. That shows the strength of the pipeline.

Based on what we are seeing today, I believe 2026 can perform better than 2025.

Exactly where the number lands, we will know when the year closes. But the trajectory is positive.

The adage goes that eggs must be broken before an omelette hits the plate.

For successful women who have made their mark in various careers before the age of 40, breaking those eggs meant defying the rules they were expected to follow.

Many say they were given a template to follow, but they chose instead to live by their own rules.

Ms Ogolla is the partnerships lead for Google Research in Africa, spearheading machine learning and AI initiatives while ensuring that African languages are catered for.

The one rule she has broken over and over is not accepting limits.

‘I have always been unafraid of going above and beyond for what I think is right, what I think is optimal, what I think is efficient. Some people call it rogue, but if you only do what you’re told to do, you’ll only achieve what has ever been achieved, and I don’t want to live a life like that,’ she says.

‘I want to be memorable. I want to leave a legacy. I want to leave an impact far greater than anything that’s been done before. So, I go above and beyond. I do what my boss tells me, and I do more. I create more. I think around, I think beyond,’ says Ms Ogolla, a 37-year-old alumna of the Kenya High School who studied engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In her current role, she ensures that data on African languages is among those used to train AI.

Her drive to do more, she says, is what led her to develop an energy procurement algorithm ‘a 1,000 times faster than when I began in big tech’.

‘It’s not because anyone told me to; it’s because I looked into an opportunity. When I see an opportunity, I don’t wait for permission. I go do it and apologise if I [annoy] someone, but yeah, kind of rogue, but only rogue people change the world,’ she says.

Neema Nkatha

Ms Nkatha is the founder of Ohana Family Wear, and her stock-in-trade has been swimwear.

The biggest rule she has had to defy, she says, is the notion that she has to always be demure.

‘As a woman, the biggest rule I’ve had to defy is the idea that the good girl gets rewarded. You know how they say: the good girl never gets the corner office. I realised that if I was always waiting to be invited into the room, always trying to please everyone, always playing it safe, I would never build the business I dreamt of,’ she says.

Her business, sparked in 2018 when she could not find proper swimwear to pack for a trip to Europe, has grown into a regional and global brand, selling in Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar and displaying at fashion exhibitions in London, Dubai and other global platforms.

She says her desire to think beyond the box has helped push the brand forward.

‘Building Ohana has required me to speak up, negotiate, take risks countless times and confidently take up space, even when I felt like I had to earn the right to be there. So I’ve learnt that being kind and respectful is important, but so is being bold,’ says the 32-year-old.

‘Sometimes you have to ask for the opportunity, challenge the status quo, and believe in yourself before anybody else does. That’s the rule I chose to defy, and it’s made all the difference,’ she adds.

Lilian Mwai-Ndegwa

Ms Mwai is the Country Director for Kenya at TradeMark Africa, overseeing a project focused on reducing the time and cost of cross-border trade in Africa and beyond.

She has previously worked with KPMG Kenya, One Acre Fund, and Swisscontact.

To reach where she is, the 39-year-old former actuarial science student at the University of Nairobi has had to walk the path less travelled. One of the forces she has had to defy is imposter syndrome, that feeling of insufficiency even when one has all the qualifications.

‘Being able to break the imposter syndrome has been very important. You have to be able to break that barrier in your mind where you think you have to have a certain qualification and to be a certain age [to make a step],’ she says.

Another rule she has had to break is the urge to be the nice person who sweeps problems under the carpet. Whenever there is an issue that needs to be pointed out, she always endeavours to speak up.

‘People feel that [it is improper] when they give feedback, and especially when it’s not positive,’ she says.

In her opinion, you become more useful to an organisation when you challenge a certain idea or mindset.

Shaping anything, she explains, requires one to remove some things, influence people, change mindset and challenge things.

‘Most people fear articulating [a contrary opinion] when everybody is saying yes or a majority is saying yes,’ says Ms Mwai, also a Kenya High School alumna.

A mother of four, Ms Mwai also defied the common notion that a woman can’t prosper in her career while raising children.

‘In my career, there was a period where I was in mid-level management for quite a while because I was having children and I was building my family. There was a point I thought I would never get into leadership because I had spent a huge chunk of time focusing on family. But I believe that is important. There’s a time and point for everything,’ she says.

‘Sometimes you have to ask for the opportunity, challenge the status quo, and believe in yourself before anybody else does. That’s the rule I chose to defy, and it’s made all the difference,’ she adds.

Lilian Mwai-Ndegwa

Ms Mwai is the Country Director for Kenya at TradeMark Africa, overseeing a project focused on reducing the time and cost of cross-border trade in Africa and beyond.

She has previously worked with KPMG Kenya, One Acre Fund, and Swisscontact.

To reach where she is, the 39-year-old former actuarial science student at the University of Nairobi has had to walk the path less travelled. One of the forces she has had to defy is imposter syndrome, that feeling of insufficiency even when one has all the qualifications.

‘Being able to break the imposter syndrome has been very important. You have to be able to break that barrier in your mind where you think you have to have a certain qualification and to be a certain age [to make a step],’ she says.

Another rule she has had to break is the urge to be the nice person who sweeps problems under the carpet. Whenever there is an issue that needs to be pointed out, she always endeavours to speak up.

‘People feel that [it is improper] when they give feedback, and especially when it’s not positive,’ she says.

In her opinion, you become more useful to an organisation when you challenge a certain idea or mindset.

Shaping anything, she explains, requires one to remove some things, influence people, change mindset and challenge things.

‘Most people fear articulating [a contrary opinion] when everybody is saying yes or a majority is saying yes,’ says Ms Mwai, also a Kenya High School alumna.

A mother of four, Ms Mwai also defied the common notion that a woman can’t prosper in her career while raising children.

‘In my career, there was a period where I was in mid-level management for quite a while because I was having children and I was building my family. There was a point I thought I would never get into leadership because I had spent a huge chunk of time focusing on family. But I believe that is important. There’s a time and point for everything,’ she says.

‘If, as a woman, it requires you to focus on having a family at some point and then you come back to pursue your career, then do that. For me, the barrier I had to break in my mind, and with what society thought, was that family and a career are not on the same level,’ says Ms Mwai.

Bilha Ngaruiya

Ms Ngaruiya, 36, is the Kenyan country manager for ONErpm, a platform that helps artistes access global streaming platforms and receive royalties directly. The firm has helped onboard at least 8,000 artistes.

She hasn’t trodden the beaten path to be here. For one, she didn’t complete her college studies.

‘We believe there is only one path to success: finish college, earn the right degree, choose a career, and stay in your lane. I didn’t finish college, so I didn’t have the traditional credentials many people consider essential,’ she says. ‘Instead, I learnt through apprenticeship: by serving, observing, asking questions, and earning my way into rooms where I could learn from people who had gone before me. My classroom was the music industry itself.’

She reckons that what has propelled her to where she is isn’t a degree but curiosity.

‘Every opportunity became a lesson, every challenge became a teacher, and every transition expanded my perspective. I believe continuous learning matters more than following a prescribed path, and it’s a mindset I still carry today,’ she argues.

Norah Kimathi

Ms Kimathi is the co-founder of Zerobionic, a start-up that develops assistive humanoid robots that translate spoken language into sign language.

The project began in 2021 and has earned her global recognition. Zerobionic, which is backed by the United Nations Development Programme, has expanded into seven countries across Africa, Europe and Australia, deploying more than 78 robotic systems in schools.

To succeed, she says, she had to embrace the power of teamwork.

‘As a woman, I was told I had to be twice as good and work twice as hard to prove myself. And I did. But the real rule I broke was the one that says you have to do it alone. I brought together people who had never been invited to a room like this. Street-involved girls, deaf women, young girls who had been told they did not belong,’ she says.

‘I built a reason for people to believe that they could build too. The future does not belong to the lone genius; it belongs to the community of women and men alike that build together. That is a rule I’m here to break, and I’m inviting everyone who has ever been told they are not enough to break it with me today,’ adds Ms Kimathi.

Jerop Limo

Ms Limo is the executive director at Ambassadors for Youth and Adolescent Reproductive Health Programme, commonly known as AYARHEP.

Living with HIV herself, she has dedicated her career to becoming a mirror for other young people, showing them that a diagnosis need not become the boundary of ambition.

The rule she has had to defy is that life must follow a neat sequence: school first, then work, then impact.

‘I started work and went to school later, which is out of the norm. I’m currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Development Studies,’ says the 27-year-old.

Wanjiru Mambo

Ms Mambo, 38, is the founder and chief executive of WedgeHut Foods.

Her work is rooted in agriculture, where she is helping thousands of smallholder farmers escape the grip of middlemen by connecting them directly to markets that demand specific potato varieties.

The rule she chose to break was waiting for the perfect conditions before beginning.

‘[I am for] just starting and not waiting for the perfect moment, choosing to learn as I go,’ she says.

In doing so, Ms Mambo has built a business around practical problem-solving.

Seline Achieng’

Ms Achieng’, 37, is the founder and chief executive of Empowered Women with Disability.

By addressing exclusion, discrimination and the information gaps affecting persons with disabilities and their families, she is challenging long-held misconceptions and helping build a more inclusive society. She is pushing against barriers that keep persons with disabilities out of education, employment, information and leadership, while reminding families and communities that inclusion is not charity but justice.

The rule she refused to accept was that some spaces were not meant for her.

‘I didn’t listen when I was told I can’t and that it’s not my place,’ she says.

Fiona Anyumba

Dr Anyumba, 37, is the unit head for vascular and interventional radiology at Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital. Her work reduces pain, shortens recovery and hospital stays, while expanding access to advanced, life-saving care for ordinary Kenyans in the public health system.

The rule she has broken is what she calls the ‘invisible consultant rule’; the idea that specialists should remain behind the scenes, focused only on patients and the technical work.

‘Traditionally, consultants are to focus on their patients and their work; but I am also involved in directly marketing our interventional radiology services to both patients and other doctors, advocacy for patients, negotiating prices to make the services accessible and building international networks which can be leveraged to grow the practice of interventional radiology in my institution and in the country,’ she says.

During the opening of his exhibition, Indigo Hypoxia, at the Goethe-Institut in Nairobi, Sudanese artist Sannad Shreef spent the entire evening with his face covered. Even as visitors wandered through the gallery and he completed a live painting, he never revealed himself.

It was not performance art. For months during Sudan’s civil war in 2023, Shreef had lived in near isolation, spending most of his days locked inside his studio, emerging only to search for food and art supplies as fighting engulfed his hometown.

Interaction with other humans was minimal as a full blown war tore his beloved city apart. Painting became less an artistic pursuit than a way to survive.

Yet, unlike many Sudanese artists whose recent work is dominated by the war, Indigo Hypoxia is not an exhibition about conflict. Instead, it explores colour, emotion and intuition. If the war appears anywhere in the work, it is in the way Shreef now paints-building, destroying and rebuilding his canvases, much as he has had to rebuild his own life after fleeing to Kenya.

Sannad’s journey with art began when he was three years old, painting in his father’s studio in Tartar. His father was a painter who also taught children art in his hometown. This was all the art education Sannad would get. Instead of joining art school, he studied mass media in university and narrowed down to writing and filmmaking, all while painting in his studio.

Sannad’s life would however take a dark turn when war hit his hometown in Sudan in 2023. He says his paints and brushes kept him from losing his mind. At the end of the war, he fled the country to preserve his life, leaving all his paintings and works in Sudan.

In Kenya, he started a new life, showcasing his painting work and surviving on commissions. The was split his family, with some seeking asylum as far as Egypt, Qatar and Dubai.

‘I lost all my paintings because I couldn’t save them and myself at the same time. At the moment, I am trying to live off my art fully which hasn’t been easy but the experience is worth it,’ he says.

‘It is not about the war or the emotions from the war. I was just moving my hand and creating as I felt. When people ask me about my art, I tell them that it isn’t always about the war. I create it as I feel. My work has always come from the depth of my emotions and an ongoing search for meaning. That has not changed. I still have time to create more art on the subject.’

He says Kenya has been kind to him regardless of the homesickness and longing for home.

‘What I miss most is my studio. It was the place where I felt free to experiment without limits. I did not bring my tools of work, but I brought the way I work. I still trust intuition and let the work grow naturally wherever I am. In Kenya, I have enjoyed the openness of the art scene. People are supportive and there are numerous opportunities for artists to grow and connect,’ he says.

‘It is not about the war or the emotions from the war. I was just moving my hand and creating as I felt. When people ask me about my art, I tell them that it isn’t always about the war. I create it as I feel. My work has always come from the depth of my emotions and an ongoing search for meaning. That has not changed. I still have time to create more art on the subject.’

He says Kenya has been kind to him regardless of the homesickness and longing for home.

‘What I miss most is my studio. It was the place where I felt free to experiment without limits. I did not bring my tools of work, but I brought the way I work. I still trust intuition and let the work grow naturally wherever I am. In Kenya, I have enjoyed the openness of the art scene. People are supportive and there are numerous opportunities for artists to grow and connect,’ he says.

Drivers on ride-hailing platforms such as Uber and Bolt could get a reprieve on how fares and commissions are set under proposed new competition rules aimed at curbing the abuse of market power.

The government has proposed new legislation to crack down on online platforms that exploit businesses that depend on them by unilaterally slashing prices, imposing unfair commercial terms or using their influence to dictate trading conditions.

The proposals, contained in the Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2026, are expected to place ride-hailing companies under greater regulatory scrutiny following years of disputes with Kenyan drivers over fare reductions and commission structures that the latter say have steadily eroded their earnings.

The Bill introduces the concept of a strategic market position, defining it as a situation where a company is able to influence market prices, quality, service, output or innovation to an appreciable extent independently of competitors, suppliers, users or consumers.

“A person has a strategic market position in a market if the person influences market prices, quality, service, output or innovation to an appreciable extent independent of competitors, suppliers, users or consumers,” says the Bill.

In determining whether a person holds a strategic market position, the CAK will consider factors including the firm’s presence across digital markets, control of data, network effects, switching costs, barriers to entry, financial strength and the degree of dependence by business users and consumers on its platform.

A bruising price war involving American ride-hailing company Uber, Estonia’s Bolt and local start-ups Little and Faras has driven fares down to a level that many drivers say is unsustainable, prompting some of them to defy algorithms and to set their own higher rates.

Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania – with their growing economies and relatively low car ownership rates – are among the most important markets for Uber in Africa.

Drivers have repeatedly accused the multinational technology firms of using algorithms to determine fares in a manner that favours the platforms at the expense of those providing the transport service.

The concerns have fuelled frequent standoffs between drivers and the companies, with some motorists resorting to negotiating fares directly with passengers instead of accepting the prices generated by the applications.

Through the proposed amendments, the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) is seeking to regulate businesses that, although they may not necessarily dominate a market, wield disproportionate bargaining power over businesses that have few viable alternatives.

It also introduces the concept of superior bargaining position, recognising that companies can exploit trading partners because of economic dependence, even where they do not enjoy a dominant market share.

Under the Bill, “a person has a superior bargaining position in a market if the person creates an imbalance in the rights and obligations relating to its commercial relations with a counterparty and the counterparty cannot find a viable and satisfactory alternative in the market.”

Unlike existing competition law, which primarily focuses on dominant market positions, the amendments seek to regulate commercial relationships where one party possesses overwhelming negotiating leverage even in competitive markets.

The competition watchdog says the reforms are necessary because digital platforms have created new forms of market power that are not adequately addressed by the current law.

In its submission to Parliament, the agency says the digital economy has introduced unique competition concerns arising from the growing influence of large online platforms.

“The increasing prominence of large digital platforms has created risks associated with the concentration of market power, unfair trading practices, economic dependence, exclusionary conduct, and barriers to market entry,” the CAK director-general, David Kemei, told the National Assembly’s Finance and National Planning Committee.

According to the regulator, online platforms derive competitive advantages from strong network effects, access to vast amounts of user data and integrated digital ecosystems, allowing them to acquire and entrench market power more rapidly than traditional businesses.

The authority argues that this has created regulatory gaps because the existing Competition Act does not expressly provide for the regulation of competition in digital markets despite virtual marketplaces becoming a critical part of the economy.

The amendments, therefore, introduce a framework for determining whether a business holds a strategic market position in the digital economy.

The competition watchdog will also examine whether a platform acts as a gatekeeper between businesses and consumers, whether competitors require access to that platform to compete effectively, whether the company controls the rules governing the digital ecosystem and whether network effects have caused the market to tip overwhelmingly in favour of a single platform.

The concept, it says, mirrors approaches adopted in major jurisdictions that have had to grapple with the growing influence of internet giants.

In Europe, competition regulators have already relied on similar concepts in regulating companies such as Google, Apple and Meta, leading to billions of dollars in penalties over practices including self-preferencing, anti-steering rules and restrictions on competition in digital markets.

The proposed amendments would also significantly strengthen enforcement powers.

The Bill proposes a fine of up to Sh10 million, imprisonment for up to five years, or both, for a person found to have abused a strategic market position or superior bargaining position by imposing unfair trading conditions on another undertaking.

The proposed reforms come as the Ministry of Roads and Transport moves to introduce a new minimum compensation per trip for ride-hailing drivers and motorcycle operators, setting the stage for yet another showdown between the government and technology companies over pricing.

The Competition Authority is keen to address the wider imbalance in bargaining power between digital platforms and businesses that depend on them.

To address such situations, the Bill empowers the Competition Authority to develop codes of practice governing commercial relationships in sectors where abuse of strategic market position or superior bargaining position is likely to occur.

Once issued, the codes would become binding on businesses operating within those sectors, providing a framework for resolving disputes over pricing, commissions and other commercial terms.

The Authority says this flexibility will allow it to respond to rapidly evolving digital markets without having to seek fresh legislation whenever new business models emerge.

The proposals closely mirror reforms already adopted in several advanced economies.

The European Union has introduced rules targeting large digital “gatekeepers” whose platforms have become indispensable to businesses and consumers.

Companies including Google, Apple and Meta have faced regulatory action and multibillion-shilling penalties over practices ranging from self-preferencing their own services to restricting competition on their platforms.

Ride-hailing platforms have also come under increasing scrutiny.

When I assumed leadership of the Central Bank of Somalia, one question drove much of my thinking: how can we build an economy that matches the aspirations of our people?

Part of the answer lies in the financial infrastructure that allows money to move securely, businesses to trade and citizens to participate.

For years, Somalia’s payments landscape was fragmented. Banks and mobile money operators ran closed-loop, non-interoperable systems, preventing seamless transfers across providers and creating costly inefficiencies and financial exclusion.

In 2021, the Central Bank connected commercial banks through the National Payment System for large-value transfers, enabling reliable real-time gross settlement and automated clearing of interbank transactions.

However, the system did not fully address the need for a 24/7 infrastructure capable of supporting everyday retail economy. SIPS fills that gap.

Launched in January 2025 and built on ISO 20022, Somalia’s instant payment system (SIPS) enables instant, interoperable payments across participating institutions. When fully integrated, it will connect 14 commercial banks and eight mobile money and e-wallet providers through a single network.

SIPS supports person-to-person transfers, merchant payments, payments to government and government disbursements to citizens. Business-to-person, business-to-government and business-to-business services are also being developed.

Its integration with SOMQR, Somalia’s standardised QR code, will make digital payments easier for merchants, including informal businesses that drive much of daily commerce.

SIPS did not emerge from a government mandate alone. The Somalia Payment Switch, which operates SIPS, was established as a partnership between the Central Bank and 13 commercial banks. That structure was deliberate.

I believe that shared infrastructure built through collaboration is more resilient than infrastructure fully operated by the Central Bank.

The next priority is integrating mobile money operators, which serve most Somalis in their daily financial lives. Once connected, the real scale of this system will become visible, making every Somali with a mobile wallet is part of the same interoperable network, turning SIPS into a powerful engine of financial inclusion.

Somalia’s ambitions also extend beyond its borders. As the newest member of the East African Community, we intend to contribute to modern regional payment infrastructure.

We are also working to connect SIPS to the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System before end of 2026. For a country where remittances are a major source of household income, payment efficiency is an economic, social and strategic priority.

SIPS demonstrates that modern financial infrastructure can be built even in fragile context when policy direction, institutional commitment and market collaboration align. We are laying the foundation for a more connected, inclusive and competitive digital economy.

A network of shell companies, international remittance services, intermediary bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets has landed two Kenyans in the crosshairs of investigators, who have frozen Sh115 million linked to them after tracing what they believe was a sophisticated money-laundering operation involving more than Sh300 million.

The frozen cash includes stablecoins in Binance wallets; $751,853.70 USDT (Sh97.2 million) linked to Glory Kithure and $896 USDT (Sh115,852) linked to Michael Machimbo.

It also comprises Sh17.6 million in cash, spread across nine accounts in Equity Bank, Stanbic, NCBA, KCB, and Absa.

Court documents obtained by the Business Daily detail how Michael and Glory allegedly received millions of shillings through a multi-layered network of intermediaries, shell companies, and crypto exchanges.

In an affidavit filed by the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA), investigators detail how the scheme operated through two parallel channels. The first involved six people and two companies, who carried out money transfers into Kenya via international remittance services.

Two people, Justice Gaturu and Richard Mwangi, and two companies, DigitalMall Global Ltd and Bitflux Fintech Ltd, were the source of funds. Money from the duo was wired through two other individuals identified as Patrick Mwendwa and Purity Michael, before eventually ending up in Michael and Glory’s bank accounts.

Money from the two companies was wired directly to their accounts.

Between October 2022 and January 2024, for instance, Michael is said to have received Sh80.7 million to his Equity Bank accounts from Purity and another intermediary identified as Kevin Kipngeno.

Some Sh17 million was also wired to his Stanbic Bank account from Bitflux Fintech Ltd during the same period.

Between July 2022 and May 2025, Glory received Sh53.6 million, where investigators pieced together 57 bank transfers, all between Sh10,000 and Sh550,000, well below the reporting threshold.

In Kenya, cash transactions of $15,000 (Sh1.9 million) or more must be reported to the Financial Reporting Centre (FRC). Cross-border transfers of $10,000 (Sh1.3 million) or more also require reporting.

This is to assist the State agency in identifying the proceeds of crime and combating money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing.

‘The repeated use of amounts just below the reporting threshold is consistent with the structuring of transactions to avoid regulatory reporting requirements,’ the ARA says in the court filings.

‘When considered together with the subsequent movement of the funds through additional intermediary accounts before reaching the respondents, it constitutes a recognised indicator of the layering stage of money laundering.’

In one example, Justice received two payments of Sh454,769 and Sh454,259 from the US payments platform Chime Inc. into his Equity Bank account on November 3 and 6, 2023.

He then transferred Sh1.1 million in three instalments to Patrick’s Equity Bank account between November 4 and 7.

Patrick subsequently forwarded the money to Purity in three transactions of Sh300,000, Sh300,000 and Sh400,000 between November 6 and 8. Purity then transferred Sh500,000 each on November 6 and 7 to Glory’s Equity Bank account.

According to investigators, Glory withdrew Sh100,000 to M-Pesa and used the remaining funds for purchases, spending and transfers to other bank accounts, including Michael’s.

Court documents further show that Glory later transferred Sh5.25 million to Aristocars Ltd on December 2, 2023, in what investigators believe was the purchase of a motor vehicle.

Detectives cite the transaction as part of a pattern in which funds were allegedly moved through several accounts before being spent or invested in assets.

In a separate illustration, Justice received Sh453,029 from the international money transfer app Sendwave and Sh890,000 from one Cosmas Gatuyu before transferring Sh1.4 million to Patrick, who in turn sent Sh900,000 to Purity.

Purity then transferred Sh950,000 to the first respondent’s Equity Bank account, which investigators say later accumulated sufficient funds to pay Sh9.38 million to Ace Prestige Auto Ltd on July 18, 2024, ostensibly to purchase another motor vehicle.

‘Investigations are underway to obtain documents and records of transactions traced to international remittance services, including a Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) request to the United States of America dispatched in May 2026,’ reads court papers.

An MLA request is a formal, government-to-government process used to gather evidence or legal documents from one country to aid in a criminal investigation or prosecution in another country.

The second money-laundering channel relied on USD Tether (USDT), a stablecoin pegged to the US dollar. The digital currency was moved through multiple accounts on the Binance crypto exchange platform to distance the funds from their origin.

The crypto scheme involved Michael, Glory, Kevin and three others identified as Samuel Simiyu, Wanza Mutuku and Eliud Korir.

Investigators say the stablecoins were transferred from an account on the crypto app NoOnes, operated and controlled by Samuel and registered through Wanza’s identification details, to a Binance wallet Michael and Glory controlled.

The two then transferred most of the stablecoins to a Binance wallet Kevin controlled, and he converted the cryptocurrency into Kenyan shillings through Binance transactions before remitting the cash to the duo’s bank accounts.

Between June 2024 and September 2024, court papers show that Michael’s Binance wallet address received a total of USDT 220,508, equivalent to Sh28.5 million at current exchange rates, in 10 transactions.

From February 2023 to November 2025, meanwhile, the account withdrew or transferred a cumulative sum of USDT 899,130 (Sh116.3 million) through 107 transactions.

Glory’s Binance wallet was found to have received USDT 930,597 (Sh120.5 million) in 62 transactions between January 2023 and November 2025 and withdrawn or transferred USDT 178,491 (Sh23.1 million) between February 2023 and January 2026.

Investigators said they interviewed Samuel in May 2026, where he said he was a cryptocurrency trader. He admitted owning and controlling a NoOnes crypto exchange account registered using his wife Wanza’s identification details and email address, according to the affidavit.

Samuel told investigators that he also owned and operated a crypto wallet on the global exchange platform OKX registered in his name. He admitted to owning an account on Paxful, a peer-to-peer (P2P) crypto marketplace that allows users to buy and sell Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies directly with each other.

Both accounts were linked to the same email address.

“He averred that Michael approached him with a deal to use his OKX, NoOnes and Paxful accounts to transfer crypto to [Michael and Glory]’s Binance wallets. However, he claimed that he did not know the sources of the crypto that [Michael] was laundering through his crypto accounts or wallets,” the ARA says.

Wanza said while she had allowed her husband to use her email address to trade cryptocurrency on the Paxful and NoOnes platforms, she did not know the origin of the cryptocurrency that passed through those accounts.

‘The evidence discloses a deliberate, multi-layered scheme through which large sums of money, whose origin the respondents have refused to explain, were received, moved through a chain of intermediary accounts designed to obscure their source, and ultimately deposited into the respondents’ Binance exchange accounts and bank accounts,’ the affidavit says.

Neither Michael nor Glory offered any explanation for the transactions when interviewed. ‘Both exercised their right to remain silent, declining to offer any explanation, innocent or otherwise, for the funds they received,’ the agency says.

While only Sh115 million has been frozen so far, the assets recovery body estimates that the combined value of property traceable to the two exceeds Sh300 million.

The court on July 3 granted a 90-day preservation order on the funds while investigations continue.

‘In addition, the respondents are being investigated for tax evasion, having transacted cumulative sums of more than Sh300 million but have consistently filed nil returns in their tax records at the Kenya Revenue Authority,’ said the ARA.

The problem is that when you come from certain families, it becomes impossible to introduce yourself without people asking, ‘Oh, you’re so-and-so’s daughter?” The trouble, at least for Arjaa Shah, is that her name is an easy stick people use to beat her with.

She is part of the family behind the Kingsway Group of Companies, which owns Village Market Group, Tribe Hotel and Trademark Hotel. She currently serves as (acting) General Manager for Trademark Hotel and Village Market, and Deputy Corporate General Manager for Tribe Collection.

A graduate of Cornell University and Les Roches International School for Hotel Management, Arjaa does not deny her privilege; she just doesn’t want to be defined by it.

But she chose to prove herself.

She started at the bottom-first as a housekeeper in London cleaning 16 rooms a day, waiting tables in Italy, which she had to quit because she was just not as good at it, and a stint at the front desk and concierge in the US.

‘I knew I had to start from the bottom because if I don’t understand the bottom, how will I ever be great at the top?’ she says. ‘Everyone thought I was nuts. I got paid 300 euros (Sh44,300) as a waitress in Italy. That’s not even enough to get rent.’

She speaks about stepping into her father’s shoes and challenging stereotypes about daughters taking over the family business. ‘My father will never look at me any differently as a daughter,’ she says. “But today he’s forced to look at me as a professional who’s running one of his businesses.’

Growing up, did you always know hospitality would become your life, or were there times when you wanted something entirely different?

I knew from the age of 13. My father had many issues in his life, but at the age of 13, we had to move to India for about six weeks, and we were staying in a hotel. Now, given the nature of what happened to my dad, I was basically left in this hotel as a child by myself, and the front desk was like, ‘Okay, let’s teach you how to check in someone.’

Or the chef would show me how to cook. That was my first education in hospitality. It was quite fun because they adopted me; and for six weeks with my parents not around, I couldn’t leave the hotel. Something clicked in me that everyone thinks hospitality is just service, but it can actually change your life.

Your father was away at an age I presume girls get much closer to their fathers. What was that like growing up in a hotel?

It was difficult. My father’s the oldest in our family, the patriarch. He became the patriarch at a very young age, 19, because his father got sick and passed away.

So he dropped out of university and had to look after the 25 people in our family. At that age, I never really understood it, because he was never around; it was his responsibility to make sure there was food on the table, which wasn’t always the case.

We weren’t born with this; we built it. Well, he built it [chuckles]. But as you grow older, you understand the importance of it, and the importance of family and community. It’s a joke when everyone says that children are not brought up by parents; they’re brought up by community. But in our life, that was true. I have seven moms, seven dads, and they all played a role in looking after me.

Family businesses often struggle with the question of merit versus bloodline. How do you ensure people see Arjaa the executive before they see Arjaa the family member?

That’s actually quite a tricky question. I am a director, and even to some of our staff who don’t engage with me on a day-to-day basis, they see me as a person who was placed instead of earned. I’ve worked internationally, and I made sure I worked professionally for a very long period of time, so if I ever wanted to come back, I came back with a standing of experience and not placement.

I work extremely hard, but you will never fully get over whether you got a job through blood or through credit. I worked twice as hard to prove myself that I am working based on credit, experience, and value that I’m giving, and if I no longer bring value to anything I do, family or otherwise, it’s just not worth being there.

It’s a testy subject, but do you think the proving yourself will ever end?

With age comes wisdom. When I was here at 26, I felt I had to prove myself a 100 times over. I know my worth and what I bring to the table, so I no longer try to prove myself.

If I work for a Tribe Hotel Group, or JW (Marriott), or Hyatt, or Hilton, I know my worth. My family gave me the leg up with the best education in Hotel Management; I got put in the right circles, and I don’t discount that that didn’t help me get to where I am. I count myself very grateful for everything my family has managed to give me, because even when we didn’t have a lot of money, my parents somehow figured it out to get me the education and exposure that I had.

But what I did after university, that was a lot of effort and grit. I used to work 100-hour weeks in the US. I started from the ground up; I’ve been a housekeeper in London, cleaning 16 rooms a day, a waitress in Italy, which I was horrible at and quit after six months. [chuckles].

The truth is I never cleaned my bed when I was growing up, and when you come from privilege, sometimes you just want to go into a position. I knew I had to start from the bottom because if I don’t understand the bottom, how will I ever be great at the top?

It’s easy to deny your privilege and coat it in grass-to-grace stories that discount the impact of luck and background. Why was it important for you to own that?

It would be wrong of me to say I came from the grassroots.

I didn’t, but my dad did. He went to a local school, but he got me into British schools to give me a leg up. I don’t see myself as Indian, but as Kenyan, and to pretend that I’ve gone through what most Kenyans have gone through would be wrong.

What expectations come with carrying a family name that has already been built?

Expectations. Lots of people want handouts, especially when they know who you are. Most people don’t know I am part of the Kingsway family, because I wanted to make a professional name for myself.

I own the fact that I am part of my family, but I shouldn’t be seen as a family member in this organisation, but as an employed professional who reports to an external CEO.

But I think there is a lot of expectation that because of who I am, or where I come from, people want a lot, and sometimes we’re unable to give it.

I’ll only do what I can within my own capacity. It’s a very tough question, isn’t it? I’m a very nice person, so I just kind of do everything I can, to be honest. I think we’re all born with different advantages in life, and I was given a lot, so I try and do as much as I can for people who weren’t given a lot.

Does your name weigh you down?

I can only empathise, because there are a lot of young people in Kenya today who want to make a difference and do something, but their names are tying them to a lot of expectations.

People expect me to be the visionary that my father is. I’m not even close. My father was a visionary. He knew that China and Korea would come in, so he brought them in first. I’m an executor. You give me something, I will make it work; I know how to make things work.

Have you always been this sure of yourself?

Our family has one motto: the only thing in life that will never change is you educating yourself. You don’t have to do a Master’s degree; that’s not how you educate yourself, but you have to be aware, you have to read, you have to grow.

Covid-19 was a time when everyone was firing everyone, and as an organisation, we didn’t, but we gave everyone small stipends to pay for food. But when you look inwards, you have to start realising you have value that you can give and you have value that you can’t give. It wasn’t about me doing it all, but knowing what I’m good at and then pulling other people’s resources to make it work. And that’s where I learned who I was.

How do you negotiate for your worth financially in a family business?

I earn a family business salary. So in my family, you have to give a portion of your salary back to the business; therefore, I don’t earn market rates. I know that sounds stupid because it’s usually the other way around: you get market rates and then you get a stipend for being in the business. Money is not my end goal, but it is important because it helps you survive. I come to work. After all, I like being here because I have 800+ staff who make me smile in the morning. I have enough that I can pay my rent and buy myself food and drink once in a while. I’ve always thought money would come as long as I do a good job.

Did you have money conversations at the dinner table growing up?

Yes. From the age of 14, we were given an allowance, and the only way to come back and get next month’s allowance is to submit receipts. I’ve been doing that for a very long time.

How has that influenced the way you relate to money now?

I’m very conscious about how I spend cash. Say you earn Sh20,000. What most people do is say spend Sh10,000 on rent, Sh5,000 on food, Sh2,000 on children. What we do in our family is as a percentage.

If you earn Sh20,000, you have to give 10 percent of your time or your money to the community; that’s charity or funds. I do 5 percent in kind, and 5 percent of funds in a pot to make a difference. Then I allocate 10 percent of my salary to travel and 10 percent to shopping. Always 20 percent goes into savings.

It seems that it’s important for you to be seen first as a professional before any other metric. When you look back over your career, which investment in your professional career was a smart move?

The investment of not chasing the position. The university I went to, I got three job offers to be an assistant manager straight out of college. But I chose to be a housekeeper, a waitress, a reservations agent-living hand to mouth in London with no money. I could eat out maybe once a month because you don’t earn that much, but that to me was an investment in myself to be who I am today.

What career move would you say has brought you the biggest-be it monetary or professional-growth?

I worked in a hotel called Penn Gardens. I was a reservations agent and a meeting and event agent. I was earning revenue on the side, but I was never given an official role. I needed change. So I went within the group first, and I said, which jobs are out there? I got three offers. I got an assistant meeting and events manager at a five-star property. I got an assistant GM at a small property, 52 bedrooms. And I got an events assistant position with 560 bedrooms.

So I went to my GM, who was a good mentor. I wanted the assistant manager position at 23 years old.

He said no. And he’s like, ‘I have watched you in my organisation, and you have moved three times in a year because you just crave more. You will be so bored in a small property. I know the position looks good. Take the meeting and events assistant role, because that’s the role that’s going to challenge your mind.’ He was right.

How are you demanding more from yourself now?

Nobody is perfect. If you think you’re at 100 percent, then you need to take a serious look at yourself. I’ve never thought I’ve done any better than 80 percent ever in my life. It’s a good mentality to have because you’re always pushing for more, always asking, ‘Where’s that 20 percent and how am I getting there?’ I want to be the best, and there’s no way I’m ever going to be the best because there are so many great people around me.

What’s a significant loss that has shaped who you are today?

My two grandmothers. They taught me the values that we have in our lives today. We are a vegetarian family; we don’t drink, but I drink and eat meat. I’m not a typical Indian girl, but to have two matriarchs who are so strong and who tell you, ‘Forget what your parents think. Go drink.

Go eat meat. We don’t hate you for it.’ My grandma told me at the age of 16, you will never marry an Indian. To have people who are that open in your life allowed me to find this journey in being who I am today.

What conversation did you have with yourself to turn your back, metaphorically, on the family way and be your own person?

I value my family. If you saw me when I moved here 10 years ago, I was the perfect daughter. It wasn’t a conversation with myself; it was a conversation with all seven of my parents. I am always going to strive to be the perfect daughter for this family, the best version of myself for my business, but for me to do that, I have to be the best version of me.

And the best version of me drinks, eats meat, and wants to live on my own as a single person. It’s unheard of in Indian families for girls to live on their own, unmarried. But I do it. What I chose to do was hide it for a period of time because I wanted to be who they wanted me to be.

The first time I said it, my father was like, ‘No. It’s not our way.’ But they sent us around the world, and for them to think that they could give us so much exposure and we would be the same coming back was never going to be possible [chuckles].

What has that cost you?

Nothing. Do you know why? If you don’t want to be who you are because you’re scared of losing your friends and family, those friends and family were never yours to begin with. Because the people who love you the most will love you regardless of who you choose to be. The cost of authenticity is nothing, but your option to be authentic is based on fear. And it’s fear of loss. When you realise that you lose nothing that was of value, then you always choose to be yourself.

What has success made harder?

Every time you grow in your role, you get more responsibility. And then you get into leadership, and balance becomes hard. You have to balance your personal life, your family, your friends, and your work. I’m not good at balance. I give anything a 100 or zero, but there’s no such thing as balance, because balance means you give everything equal amounts of time. Impossible. You can have an integrated lifestyle, however. You don’t have to make cupcakes for your daughter at home, but you can promise her homemade cupcakes, and ask someone else to make them at home. I will never have balance, but I can have an integrated lifestyle.

Do you think you’ve made the most of your life?

Yeah. Everyone judges your life on pillars. You graduate from high school, then university, get a job, be a manager, get engaged, get married, have a child. Nobody talks about the ones who don’t want every pillar.

Everyone looks at me and says, ‘Arjaa, you spend so much time at work. What about a husband and a child?’ It’s not that I don’t want those things, but the life I’m living right now fulfils me. Through my work, I travel, meet people, and I set and surpass boundaries. My priority today is not husband and child, and that doesn’t make me any less fulfilled.

Is that something that comes up a lot?

Oh, all the time. I’m 35, single, which is unheard of in the Indian community for people to be unmarried at this age. Usually, I ask people if they’re happy because they’re married [chuckles]. There is no linearity in life. One day, I’ll wake up, and I’ll be like, I have no husband and no child. And that day, I will go and find one. But until the day comes, it’s not necessary.

What’s a family business lesson that has remained true over the years?

You will never be over-educated, and you should always strive to educate yourself further. And education doesn’t mean learning finance more. It could be learning how to meditate, or how to do your inner child work or even a new skill like knitting.

What is one thing you would splurge on?

My car. I may work in a fancy hotel, but my favourite thing to do is camp. So next, we need to add in a shower extension and a little cooking unit at the back of my car. This will be easier than cooking on campfires. I already have a snorkel, a front bumper, and a back bumper; it’s already raised. Slowly by slowly, I keep adding to it. You should have time for anything important to you.

Advise your future self.

You often take life too seriously and don’t. Life is supposed to be enjoyed. Otherwise there’s no point in living.

Now that you are here and work in hospitality, what is the right percentage to tip?

Tipping has come from American culture, and American waiters earn nothing, so their entire livelihood comes from tipping. I’m not saying don’t tip. I’m saying, whatever you feel comfortable with, and whatever you can afford. We’re an aspirational brand. So we’ll see young Kenyans save up Sh5,000 to come eat with us. And then forget they need Sh500 more. But anywhere you go where people enjoy their jobs. Sh100, Sh200, Sh500, Sh5,000 anything makes the difference. But don’t do it outside of what you can afford.