Category: Business Daily

Clifford Kinyua, son of an Air Force flight instructor, was some of those things, but also not. For starters, he is a more present father. ‘My father was absent a lot on national duty,’ he says. When he came home, he was a stranger as we had all grown up.’

Kinyua, now the Group CEO of Saracen Media Group, litters his thoughts with pregnant pauses that deliver fully formed philosophical sentences, with militaristic drill. He still lives by order-certain habits die hard that way. ‘But if my daughter wants something’ he says, ‘I’ll drop everything to do it for her.’

When people say, ‘Tell me about yourself,’ what do you say? I consider myself philosophical, grounded and generous. I try to be kind. Family grounds me. I am a father, husband and friend. Lately, I keep telling people that I feel like a philosopher. The more problems you have, the more you philosophise.

Have you led the life you thought you would? That’s a double-edged sword. You have a plan, and then circumstances shift you. I studied law and ended up in technology and advertising. I grew up in a military barracks, and that environment shaped me. My dad was a flight instructor in the Air Force, ending up as one of the first Kenyans to set up the Defence Staff College. I took his love for teaching, and that has manifested in my leadership roles, pouring into people.

What was it like growing up in the military? What a lot of people don’t see is the good things. Everything is subsidised, so it doesn’t prepare you for life after [chuckles]. Two, life is so organised there. It feels like home. The hedges are straight, not a single paper on the road. I like order and cleanliness. Some friends of mine who joined the military died in plane crashes. I remember in 1992, Kaloleni, one of my dad’s friends came, parked his car, and told us he was going on holiday with his family. Our neighbour at the back decided not to fly and let their cousins fly off. The plane took off, and Kaloleni is everyone’s story [in April of 1992, a Buffalo transport aircraft crashed in Gorofani flats of Kaloleni Estate, Nairobi, killing at least 50 people].

Growing up in such an environment makes one quite disciplined-which part of the military did you discard? I’m not sure, to be honest. But I’ve come to realise that regardless of what people say, your environment really shapes you. I am not militant in personality, but I like order. My dad had cancer and was admitted in the military hospital. Every day I visited, I felt at home because of how organised it was.

How do you remain spontaneous now? I am pretty set in my habits and systems, so my daughter and partner bring out my spontaneous nature. When my daughter wants something, I drop everything to do it for her.

How did fatherhood change you? My daughter is a Covid baby. I remember I had just landed and had to be in the hospital for three days, because if I left, I wouldn’t be allowed back in. And then coming home, we had no help for six months. I had all the books about parenting, in my true nature [chuckles]. But I don’t think you can ever be prepared for the first time you hold your child. Covid taught me life is unpredictable. You have to adapt. It taught me resilience, the beauty of family and being responsible for somebody. Now, six years later, she talks to me the way she wants. Nothing like fatherhood to teach you patience [chuckles].

When people say, ‘Tell me about yourself,’ what do you say? I consider myself philosophical, grounded and generous. I try to be kind. Family grounds me. I am a father, husband and friend. Lately, I keep telling people that I feel like a philosopher. The more problems you have, the more you philosophise.

Have you led the life you thought you would? That’s a double-edged sword. You have a plan, and then circumstances shift you. I studied law and ended up in technology and advertising. I grew up in a military barracks, and that environment shaped me. My dad was a flight instructor in the Air Force, ending up as one of the first Kenyans to set up the Defence Staff College. I took his love for teaching, and that has manifested in my leadership roles, pouring into people.

What was it like growing up in the military? What a lot of people don’t see is the good things. Everything is subsidised, so it doesn’t prepare you for life after [chuckles]. Two, life is so organised there. It feels like home. The hedges are straight, not a single paper on the road. I like order and cleanliness. Some friends of mine who joined the military died in plane crashes. I remember in 1992, Kaloleni, one of my dad’s friends came, parked his car, and told us he was going on holiday with his family. Our neighbour at the back decided not to fly and let their cousins fly off. The plane took off, and Kaloleni is everyone’s story [in April of 1992, a Buffalo transport aircraft crashed in Gorofani flats of Kaloleni Estate, Nairobi, killing at least 50 people].

Growing up in such an environment makes one quite disciplined-which part of the military did you discard? I’m not sure, to be honest. But I’ve come to realise that regardless of what people say, your environment really shapes you. I am not militant in personality, but I like order. My dad had cancer and was admitted in the military hospital. Every day I visited, I felt at home because of how organised it was.

How do you remain spontaneous now? I am pretty set in my habits and systems, so my daughter and partner bring out my spontaneous nature. When my daughter wants something, I drop everything to do it for her.

How did fatherhood change you? My daughter is a Covid baby. I remember I had just landed and had to be in the hospital for three days, because if I left, I wouldn’t be allowed back in. And then coming home, we had no help for six months. I had all the books about parenting, in my true nature [chuckles]. But I don’t think you can ever be prepared for the first time you hold your child. Covid taught me life is unpredictable. You have to adapt. It taught me resilience, the beauty of family and being responsible for somebody. Now, six years later, she talks to me the way she wants. Nothing like fatherhood to teach you patience [chuckles].

How are you different from the father you grew up under? Fathering teaches you to have grace for your parents. You can never be a perfect parent. You do the best with what you have and can. I extend a lot of grace to myself for the same reasons. My father was in the military, so he was absent most of the time on national duty, and when he came home, he was a stranger in our house. I am more present for my daughter and intentional in knowing I won’t always be there. I try to equip her with skills so she can be independent and make better choices.

What did you believe about fatherhood that changed once you became one? Once you’re in there, you realise that over and above the books you’re reading, nothing prepares you for how life moves. Life is not as linear as you think it is going to be. With fatherhood, sometimes you have to make decisions as you go, and you have to be spontaneous and agile. You may have a preconception of what will be, but then you get surprised a lot, not by what you have to do but who you have to be.

Which book has most improved your life? My mum used to tell me people can take away everything around you, but they will never take away anything in your head. I discovered early that if you read just a little bit more than most people, you’ll really get ahead in life. I like Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. I have Atomic Habits by James Clear on habits and systems, where ‘you don’t fail to the level of your goals; you fail to the level of your system’. I am currently reading The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz.

What’s a life lesson or a deep quote that you have picked from one of the books? Marcus Aurelius, in one of his books, says, ‘You Will Die.’ So do right by people, and do what you can. But remember you must also live. That speaks to the duality of life, the yin and yang.

What will people mourn about you when you are gone? Actually, my partner is holding a death café soon. Long story. But we talk about death a lot. I hope my epitaph will say, and I do carry along with me a note with a poem by Bessie Anderson Stanley that says, ‘He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much; the love of little children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task.’

What has death taught you about success? My dad passed on last year from cancer. One of his biggest contributions to the military was signing the Veterans Act. My dad championed military personnel to access military services after they retired. When he got cancer, he was admitted to Armed Forces Memorial Hospital, and I imagine, because of the work he did, how poetic it was that he was benefiting from his act of selflessness. I know that in death many things don’t matter, but you can leave the world a better place than you found it.

Your father seems to have left quite the shoes to fill? Yes, he was an intellectual. He taught in Uganda and would tell me tales of intellectual sparring with the military caucus and presidents. Nothing ever prepares you when your parents are all gone, regardless of the relationship you had with them. You never realise just how much you hold them as an anchor, and when that disappears, it’s very interesting how you have to recalibrate.

What’s the one question you’d ask him if he were here today? What would he have done differently, especially on fatherhood? He told us he was proud of us and who we had become. But I would actually want to know what he thought about what kind of father he was.

Why is that important to you? Well, just so that I can understand whether he really saw us. When it comes to military personnel, the country comes first, so I’d like to open his brain and get that part. Does he think he could have done some things differently? Did he see us?

What’s on your bucket list? I don’t have one. I have a running journal where I put my thoughts down. I am an avid reader of Florence Scovel Shinn, and I don’t really set goals but put systems in play. I have travelled around the world, and would love to go to a match at Old Trafford. I live every year as it comes and take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves. Travel used to be a big point, but I have since quenched that thirst.

Do you have a secret talent? Maybe it is a trauma response or just how I grew up, but I have this ability to see or calculate in my head two or three steps ahead. Maybe it is a systems thing too. I can see the domino effects of many things in advance. Perhaps it’s why I am good at strategy and spotting trends.

What’s your most used emoji? The thumbs up ??. It’s a work thing, although I stopped glorifying work. I prefer the dignity of work. What is assigned to you as your responsibility, you must do. But when you start in corporate, you begin to glorify the busyness of work, where work should be fulfilling. It shouldn’t be the altar, and neither should we be worshipping it. I am not a workaholic, but I work hard. You can easily work yourself to death.

What habit are you trying to break? One of them is around sleep. I tend to go to bed late, and that’s because I can get lost in my world and wormholes. But also carrying the weight of responsibility and accountability, especially from a work perspective, where you feel you must carry the emotional weight of the decisions you make. Working with my therapist has eased that burden off me, just to help my nervous system.

What has therapy made you unlearn, especially as a man? That we men don’t talk much and we don’t have many support systems. It can be hard to share the weight of being a man and things one is going through. Therapy allows me to get out of my head and have a big screen on what I am actually thinking. You don’t need to be psychotic to go for therapy. Your mind is wired to protect you, and it is important once in a while to look for a professional sounding board. It is like an oil change for a car, and therapy has taught me that things are not always as serious as you think they are and there is always a way out.

Have you found yourself in therapy? It has helped me put a mirror in front of myself. Attending therapy is one thing; doing the work is another. You have to actively participate in the actual intrinsic work.

What does your perfect weekend look like? Spending time with family. I have a robust community of friends and people we work with in terms of marriage. Sometimes my daughter will be out with her grandparents. My partner is a producer of many things, and you will find me in many of her events.

What’s your weekend soundtrack? ‘Eye of the Tiger’ by Survivor.

Give us some practical life wisdom. Life is not linear. One of my favourite quotes is when you reach your island of knowledge, do not forget your shore of ignorance. You can never know it all. And you can never be an island by yourself. I’m very intentional about how I am building community support. I think that lacks a lot, especially due to capitalism, which brings out a lot of individualism, which is not how we are naturally wired.

What has success not fixed? That depends on how you define success. For me, it begins with understanding that my success has never been about economic outcomes. One of the greatest graces I extend to myself is the ongoing work of shaping my character – clarifying what I stand for and staying true to it. In my view, success is the natural outcome of who you are, not what you own. That runs counter to the way many people define success in purely material terms. True success, for me, has been the continuous process of confronting my flaws and growing through them. That inner work is what ultimately shapes everything else – reputation, opportunity, and even financial reward.

Billy Onyango’s chiselled physique carries a story of sadness and hope. The 33-year-old believes he would either be dead or behind bars today had fitness not become his escape route.

His career was not born of ambition but necessity.

Raised in Nairobi’s Korogocho slums, where crime was a daily reality, Onyango learned early that strength was the only shield against danger. ‘The only reason I got into fitness was because of my upbringing,’ he says. ‘Had I not grown up in Korogocho, I doubt I’d have studied Fitness Science.

“Living in the slums was terrifying. I was tired of constantly living in fear. I had nowhere else to go, so I had to learn how to protect myself because danger was everywhere in the slum.’

That decision marked the beginning of a journey that would transform Billy’s body and his life.

Surviving a knife attack

In his neighbourhood, knife attacks by criminal gangs were so common that they barely made headlines.

“It wasn’t unusual to hear that someone had been stabbed. It happened all the time. Even the police couldn’t do much.”

He remembers one incident, and it became the turning point that pushed him deeper into fitness.

One early morning, a neighbour he was close with, who worked at a construction site, left home before dawn for work but never made it.

“He was attacked by a gang. He tried to fight back, and I think that angered them. After overpowering him, they slit his throat, pulled out his windpipe, and left him there. It was horrific. I even remember police officers crying when they came to collect the body.”

Witnessing such brutality left Onyango shaken.

“From that day, I knew I had to become strong. I had to learn how to defend myself. I immersed myself in anything and everything related to fitness.”

It wasn’t long before he too got tested.

Just below his left shoulder is a scar from a knife wound he suffered a decade ago. It took 28 stitches to close.

“It was raining that evening, and I had stopped to take shelter. But the rain wouldn’t let up, and it was getting dark, and knowing how dangerous our neighbourhood could get after dark, I decided to run home.”

As he approached a bridge, he was ambushed.

“Someone grabbed me from behind by the neck. Before I could react, another man came from the front and stabbed me,” he says, pointing to the scar.

“Because of the rain and the cold, I didn’t immediately feel the pain. I fought hard while applying my boxing skills. I tackled the man holding me from behind and threw him to the ground.”

The attacker quickly recovered and hurled himself off the bridge into the river before swimming away.

“The one with the knife took off immediately. When his accomplice fled, he realised I could fight back.”

By then, Onyango had started building his physique through boxing and strength training.

“If I hadn’t been that strong, I’m certain they would have seriously injured me, or even killed me. I became even more committed. I started lifting heavier weights in the gym and got into callisthenics, focusing on functional body movements.”

As his skills and physique improved, someone suggested he had what it took to become a fitness trainer.

“That idea made perfect sense to me. When the opportunity came, I enrolled for a diploma in fitness science. I had seen too much bloodshed. My mother had been attacked twice. I had survived an attack myself. My neighbour was brutally murdered. Several of my classmates and childhood friends were shot dead after joining criminal gangs.”

He admits there were moments when revenge tempted him.

“I knew some of the gang members personally, and at one point I thought about retaliating. But I realised that would only drag me into the same life I was trying to escape. Choosing fitness, and eventually becoming a coach, saved me.”

Overall, Onyango says his physique commands him some level of respect among people, including potential clients, because he looks the part.

‘I am not big with bulky muscles, nor am I skinny. I have a well-built block frame, and that has helped build me an image that attracts clients. When someone looks at me, he sees the discipline and hard work. Many men tell me they would love to have a body like mine. To just have such attractive muscles.’

Why he swears by weighted-HIIT

As a fitness coach, Onyango rarely recommends one-size-fits-all workout routines. But if there is one training method he believes delivers the greatest return for most people, it is weighted High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).

In his view, weighted HIIT mirrors the way the human body naturally moves through everyday life, making it one of the most practical and effective forms of exercise.

“Life doesn’t require us to perform just one movement at a time. When you sit on a toilet or lift something from the ground to the shelf, those are daily body functional movements. We push, pull, lift, carry, squat, and walk, often in quick succession. Exercises such as farmers carry, pulling or pushing a sledge with weights mimic body movements, and at the same time they work out the entire body because they are compound exercises that engage different muscle groups of the body,’ he explains.

The weighted HIIT training method blends strength and cardiovascular exercise into a single workout by combining compound movements with added resistance while maintaining a two-to-one work-to-rest ratio. The result is an elevated heart rate that builds cardiovascular endurance while simultaneously increasing strength and developing lean muscle.

Weighted HIIT allows an individual to train multiple muscles and body parts in one session, making it an efficient option for beginners, busy professionals and seasoned gym-goers.

It is also the best form of exercise for older age clients.

‘You wouldn’t tell a 70-year-old to lift weights or to go up several flights of stairs. Weighted HIIT prepares the body for exactly that,” he says.

According to Onyango, weighted HIIT for older adults builds strength, improves heart function, and protects bone density.

‘With older people, I prioritise joint-friendly, functional movements and mostly use light dumbbells or resistance bands.’

The effectiveness of Onyango’s weighted HIIT training philosophy is perhaps best illustrated by the transformation of a 23-year-old client who walked into his gym weighing 88 kilos and battling health complications that made losing weight almost impossible.

“When she first came to me, she was significantly overweight. She had accumulated so much fat everywhere, including around her neck. I had never seen that. She was also dealing with hormonal and menstrual complications that caused her to gain weight very rapidly. Her appearance had changed so much that many people assumed she was an older woman, and that affected her confidence too.”

When they committed to a structured weighted HIIT programme and lifestyle changes, the results came quickly.

“In our first session, I performed a body and fitness assessment on her, which is basically subjecting her to simple basic exercises to ascertain her fitness level, body mobility and flexibility before introducing a programme. After about three months, she had dropped from 88kg to 67kg. Even the excess fat around her neck had reduced drastically, giving her a much healthier appearance.”

While Onyango has helped many clients transform their bodies over the years, this woman’s journey remains one of the most rewarding.

“I’ve walked with many people on their fitness journeys, but her transformation touched me the most because I had seen how much her appearance had affected her emotionally. Being able to help her regain her confidence while also addressing the health issues that were causing her rapid weight gain was incredibly fulfilling.”

There is no bad food

When it comes to feeding your body, Onyango’s philosophy is that there is no such thing as a bad food.

“I’m not a nutritionist, but I know a thing or two about eating well,” Onyango says.

“In my view, we’ve overcomplicated food. That’s why you hear people constantly talking about dieting. Since when did eating well become dieting? Eating well is a matter of common sense. Eat enough protein, include a reasonable amount of carbohydrates and watch your portions.”

He is also critical of what he sees as the commercialisation of nutrition advice in the fitness industry.

“I see trainers charging clients a lot of money just to prepare meal plans. Diet has become another way of making money off people who are desperate to lose weight.”

Onyango believes nutrition advice should be practical, affordable and tailored to what people can realistically access.

“Your body doesn’t need expensive foods to stay healthy. Why insist that someone must eat salmon if they can’t afford it? There are plenty of nutritious and locally available alternatives such as eggs, omena, chicken breast or even njahi. The goal should be to help people make healthier choices using foods that are available and fit their budget, not prescribing meals that are out of reach.”

The deadlift is one of the most effective exercises for those looking to build strength, lose fat and develop a leaner physique. By working multiple muscle groups at once, it also improves posture and makes everyday movements easier, both in and out of the gym.

‘Deadlift is a compound movement. This means it works more than one muscle,’ he says, adding, ‘it will work the hamstrings, glutes and lower back, but the benefits do not stop at the back of the body. It also works on your core, your forearm and shoulders.’

One of the most common questions Wilson gets in the gym is, who should actually be doing deadlifts? Some assume the lift is only for bodybuilders or competitive strength athletes.

‘It is one of the fundamental movements that anyone, as long as you exercise, needs to do,’ he says. ‘Anyone can do deadlifts, from pregnant women, beginners, pro athletes, powerlifters, crossfitters…’

Choosing the right starting weight is one question Wilson often addresses for beginners nervous about getting it wrong.

‘That depends on a case-by-case basis,’ he says. ‘There are people who are naturally stronger, but a good place to start is with your body weight.’

He uses his own weight as an example. ‘If I weigh 80kg, there’s no way you can get injured with that weight. Ideally you should be able to lift at least two or three times your bodyweight whenever you’re doing deadlifts,’ he says, adding, ‘I’m 80kg, I should be able to hit around 160kg.’

But lifting that heavy or even 60 kg should never be rushed.

‘It’s really important to learn the proper mechanics before you start lifting heavy,’ he says.

So, how should a deadlift should be done properly? Wilson says form is one area of concern he spends most of his coaching energy on. He says form starts long before the barbell leaves the floor.

‘The key is to start in the right position and brace your core by taking a deep breath and tightening your stomach muscles before you lift.’

From that braced position, pick the bar upward while keeping the spine steady and controlled.

‘You want to have a neutral back as you are driving the barbell up to your mid-thigh,’ he says.

The deadlift itself is not a single fixed movement. You can choose between two main styles depending on your body and your goals.

‘The most popular deadlift is called a conventional deadlift,’ he says. ‘And secondly, we have what we call a sumo deadlift. With a sumo deadlift, you lift while your legs are wider, and you have a narrower stance, a narrower grip on the barbell. For the conventional deadlift, the grip is narrower, and your hands are just outside your hips.’

Beyond safety, how heavy someone lifts depends on what you want: fitness or muscle build?

‘If you want to train for growth or muscle hypertrophy [an increase in the size of muscle fibres], you will need to go a bit lighter than you would,’ he says. ‘Then think of doing a high volume, high repetitions. If you want to train for powerful strength, think of higher percentages of your one-repetition (rep) maximum, then fewer repetitions or less volume.’

A belt or not

He translates that into practical numbers.

‘If you want to train for maximum strength, you would stay in the ranges of five sets and three reps,’ he says. ‘If you want to train for muscle building, you want to do anywhere between 10 sets and around 10 reps.’

Beyond strength building, the deadlift also helps in fat loss and a leaner physique.

‘You can deadlift your way to both fat loss and greater strength.’

Recovery, he stresses, is just as important as the lifting itself. Muscles grow and repair during rest, not during the workout.

‘Ideally, I would recommend doing deadlifts two to three times a week,’ he says, explaining why spacing out sessions matters so much for this particular lift.

‘Skipping a day or two allows the muscles on the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back to recover better.’

For more advanced athletes, who recover a bit faster compared to others, you can do it maybe every other day.

Once the fundamentals are in place, the right gear can support a heavier lift. The belt, a piece of equipment nearly every advanced lifter uses, serves a very specific purpose.

‘The belt helps you to brace and stay in a proper position whenever you are lifting heavy,’ he says.

Frequent mistakes

So, what is the one mistake he sees people make over and over again?

“The most common mistakes are starting in the wrong position, failing to tighten your core before lifting, and rounding your back during the movement. These mistakes make the lift less effective and increase the risk of injury.”

He shares warning signs that should never be ignored.

‘If your back starts to round during a deadlift or you feel yourself losing control of your core, that’s a sign the weight is too heavy,” he says. “Reduce the weight, focus on your technique and build up gradually.”

Many people believe the exercise inevitably leads to back pain or injury. Wilson disagrees.

‘That is a myth,’ he says. ‘You just need to learn the proper mechanics before going heavy.’

He adds that the opposite of this common fear is actually true. ‘Deadlifts are actually known to strengthen your back rather than injure it.’

Preparation before a session also matters.

‘Before you start your session, always warm up properly. Warm up your hamstrings, your glutes, your lower back. Get your heart rate going up a bit.’

After warming up, build towards your heaviest set gradually instead of loading the bar with your maximum weight straight away. For example, if your goal is to lift 80kg, start with the empty bar, then progress to 20kg, 40kg and 60kg before attempting 80kg. This helps prepare your muscles, joints and nervous system for the heavier lift while reducing the risk of injury.

‘Before you get to your maximum load, build up to it slowly by slowly, maybe after three sets. Then now get into your working set.’

Protein intake

Nutrition also plays a supporting role in recovery, particularly protein intake.

‘A good recommendation for your protein intake is like 1.5 grammes per kg of your body weight.’

Timing matters too, he adds, suggesting eating protein shortly after finishing a session, roughly 30 minutes later.

Carbohydrates, on the other hand, can help before a session begins, giving you the fuel you need to push through heavy sets.

‘If you can do what we call carbohydrates loading, it will definitely help your energy levels,’ he says. ‘Carb loading is basically taking more carbohydrates than you normally do about 30 minutes to an hour before a session. This gives you the energy to actually go through with it.’

His three key pieces of advice for anyone using the deadlift to build strength, lose fat and develop a lean physique are: ‘One, learn the proper form. Technique is always key. Two, be patient in terms of how you load up the barbell. Progressively load the barbell maybe every two weeks. Then thirdly, find the proper gear.’

For those wondering just how much weight the human body can lift, Wilson points to the elite level of the sport.

‘The current world record is about 500 kilogrammes, but that’s achieved by professional strength athletes who train and compete at the highest level,’ he says.

Businesswoman Mary Wambui’s preferred vehicle for State tenders has undergone several changes to its name, boardroom and shareholding amid its pursuit of nearly Sh20 billion worth of government contracts over the past two years.

Nightigale (E.A) Limited has since rebranded from Nightigale Enterprises Limited, even as Ms Wambui, once its majority shareholder, exited the company together with her daughter within two years of the tycoon joining public service.

Ms Wambui, an ally of President William Ruto, was co-opted into government after Kenya Kwanza won the August 2022 General Election.

The company went on to win public contracts worth at least Sh6.8 billion, even as it underwent a series of changes to its ownership and boardroom.

In some instances, it disclosed different shareholders for contracts awarded on the same day, according to the Public Procurement Information Portal (PPIP), the government’s official online public procurement database.

Today, Ms Wambui’s name no longer appears in the company’s registration documents. Court filings have, however, linked the businesswoman to the multibillion-shilling deals won by Nightigale, including a Sh4.9 billion affordable housing project.

Some activists have told the court that the frequent changes to the company’s ownership and boardroom were intended to conceal potential conflicts of interest. Ms Wambui has denied the allegations.

Filings at the Business Registration Service show that Edward Njenga Muniu owns 90 percent of the company, while Ruth Waithira Kinyanjui, a long-time associate of Ms Wambui, holds the remaining 10 percent stake.

Mr Muniu has little discernible digital footprint. In one of the company filings, he listed the postal address of Maasai Mara University as his correspondence address, raising further questions about his background.

It is not only Nightigale’s filings at the Registrar of Companies that tell an intriguing story about the firm.

Its disclosures on directors and beneficial owners to procuring entities, as required under procurement laws, paint an equally interesting picture.

Data from the PPIP shows that on January 10, 2024, for instance, Nightigale was awarded two separate tenders on the same day, yet disclosed different shareholding structures in each.

In the first, a Sh1.32 billion contract awarded by the Athi Water Works Development Agency for the construction of the Kandara Water Supply Project, the company listed Ruth Waithira Kinyanjui as its sole shareholder, according to records on the Public Procurement Information Portal.

On the same day, the company was awarded another tender to supply copper winding wire to the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC). This time, procurement records showed Ms Kinyanjui holding 90 percent of the shares, while Thomas Muya Njau held the remaining 10 percent, raising questions about when the changes in ownership took place.

The latest major contract awarded to the company, according to the procurement portal, is the Sh4.8 billion affordable housing project in Nairobi’s Mathare Constituency.

The contract, awarded by the State Department for Housing on November 25, 2024, listed Mr Muniu as the company’s sole shareholder.

Company records now indicate that Mr Muniu has since ceded a 10 percent stake to Ms Kinyanjui.

Earlier, on July 10, 2023, when Nightigale won a Sh500 million contract from the Kirinyaga County Government to construct County Aggregation and Industrial Parks, procurement records listed Mr Njau as the company’s sole shareholder.

The company later found itself at the centre of controversy after securing two multibillion-shilling framework contracts under the ICT Authority’s Digital Superhighway programme while Ms Wambui was serving as chairperson of the Communications Authority of Kenya.

Procurement records at the time listed Ms Kinyanjui as Nightigale’s sole shareholder.

However, that did not stop the Consumer Federation of Kenya (Cofek), in court filings, from alleging a conflict of interest and claiming that Ms Wambui was the company’s ultimate beneficial owner.

Ms Wambui has denied the allegations, while the Communications Authority has also rejected claims that there was a conflict of interest.

Cofek argued that as part of the requirement of the tenders, public employees and their close relatives, including spouses, children, brothers, sisters and uncles and aunts, were not eligible to participate.

The Digital Superhighway project is being implemented in two phases, with the first allocated Sh5 billion and a further Sh10 billion from the Universal Service Fund earmarked for the second phase.

Nightigale (E.A) Limited’s corporate history stretches back to March 30, 2012, when it was incorporated as Nightigale Enterprises Limited, about a year before the Jubilee administration came to power.

The company was initially owned by Peter Njoroge Muchoku and Grace Wanjiku Muchoku, who held 700 and 100 ordinary shares, respectively.

The shareholding and directorship changed several times over the next decade.

In 2014, Evelyn Nyambura Mungai, Mary Wambui’s daughter, joined the company as a director and shareholder alongside Ephantus Githui Gathieka. Ms Mungai exited in 2018.

In 2019, Ruth Waithira Kinyanjui became a director and shareholder after the exit of Mr Muchoku, while Samuel Maina Kariuki replaced Mr Gathieka later that year.

Mary Wambui first appeared in the company’s records on April 9, 2020, when she acquired 600 shares from Mr Kariuki and Ms Kinyanjui. She was appointed a director the following month.

Following the 2022 General Election, Ms Wambui’s daughter returned to the company as a director and shareholder after acquiring Mr Kariuki’s remaining shares.

Within a week, President William Ruto appointed Mary Wambui chairperson of the Communications Authority of Kenya. Three days later, she resigned from Nightigale’s board and transferred her 500 shares to her daughter.

In May 2023, the company changed its name to Nightigale (E.A) Limited. A month later, just before the company signed one of its Digital Superhighway contracts, Evelyn Nyambura resigned as a director and transferred her shares to Ruth Waithira Kinyanjui, effectively ending the Wambui family’s direct shareholding in the company.

Ms Wambui has long been among Kenya’s best-known businesswomen, having risen from modest beginnings to become a major government contractor, politician and influential figure in public life.

In 1996, she opened Purma Holdings Limited, a clearing and forwarding company, which gave her a start in public procurement.

Her appointment as chairperson of the Communications Authority placed her at the centre of Kenya’s digital transformation agenda while simultaneously attracting scrutiny over companies historically associated with her.

As she rose the ranks, she would later enter the world of aircraft, having registered Albatross Aviation, based at Wilson Airport.

As she established herself as a ‘tenderpreneur,’ it was reported that she earned billions of shillings supplying boots, uniform and cereals to the military and other State departments.

She was also reported to have earned multi-million-shilling deals with the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa), including supplies linked to Covid-19 kits.

Purma Holdings, Charma Holdings, Enterprise Supplies and Evertec General Trading Company, all associated with Ms Wambui, were awarded contracts worth Sh6.85 billion for the supply of rice, beans and edible oils in 2022 and 2023 under the controversial import scheme that saw the former CEO of Kenya Trading Corporation fired.

In recent years, she has also faced financial pressure following litigation involving Glee Hotel, a property associated with her family interests.

The evolution of Nightigale-from its ownership changes to its role in major government projects-continues to attract public interest as court proceedings over the Digital Superhighway contracts continue.

Before becoming President, William Ruto frequently accused the previous administration of using agencies such as the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to target his political allies.

At the time, Mary Wambui was facing tax-related cases, prompting speculation that she was among the allies he was referring to. Antony Mwaura, who also faced legal challenges, was another figure widely associated with the claims.

Following President Ruto’s election in September 2022, several of the cases involving his allies were withdrawn or otherwise came to an end.

Ms Wambui was subsequently appointed the chairperson of the Communications Authority of Kenya, while Mr Mwaura was named chairperson of KRA, appointments that some observers viewed as recognition of their loyalty.

More recently, Ms Wambui has returned to the headlines following the takeover of Glee Hotel, a property associated with her, by Equity Bank amid a debt dispute. She has also sued Google seeking the removal of links to reports relating to past tax cases.

Mombasa-based firm Milly Glass Works Limited is lining up a Sh330.36 million pharmaceutical glass bottles plant, marking an expansion from its traditional soft drinks and spirits bottles as it seeks to tap the regional market.

The planned plant, to be developed by its affiliate Milly Glass SEZ Ltd, will be located on six hectares within the Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Mombasa County. The firm targets to produce 290,000 tonnes of bottles annually.

The firm says the expansion into specialised glass packaging reflects the rising demand for high-quality packaging within the pharmaceutical sector in East and Central Africa, where local manufacturing capacity remains limited.

The Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) report shows the project will leverage advantages such as proximity to the Port of Mombasa, the Standard Gauge Railway and Moi International Airport, and a growing road network, making it ideal for an export-oriented manufacturing model.

‘The project proponent proposed the development facility based on market analysis of demand growth of pharmaceutical glass bottles and the opportunity to construct a new facility that will strengthen their existing glass bottle manufacturing facility in Mombasa,’ reads the ESIA report.

The firm explained that the proposed plant would produce type III glass amber coloured pharmaceutical glass bottles, which are used for storing, protecting, and transporting medicine. The bottles are used for liquids, tablets, capsules, vaccines, and parenteral (injectable) preparations.

Amber bottles protect pharmaceuticals by blocking harmful ultraviolet (UV) and visible light, preventing the chemical breakdown of light-sensitive medicines.

The East African Community Regional Pharmaceutical Plan of Action 2017-2027 showed Kenyan manufacturers held 30 percent of the over $1 billion (Sh129 billion) of the Kenyan pharmaceutical market, presenting an untapped opportunity for investors.

Many pharmaceutical manufacturers rely heavily on imports for glass packaging. The Mombasa-based firm aims to use the plant to shorten supply chains, cut costs for regional manufacturers and position itself as a reliable domestic supplier.

Setting up the plant in a special economic zone positions the firm to benefit from tax and duty incentives aimed at boosting industrialisation and exports.

Construction is projected to generate up to 800 direct and indirect jobs, while operations will create around 280 permanent positions, with a preference for sourcing labour locally.

Kenya’s glass manufacturing sector is growing, driven by rising demand in construction, beverage packaging, and specialised architectural applications. The industry is dominated by major players like Milly Glass Works Ltd, Ardagh Glass Packaging Kenya Limited, and Impala Glass.

Demand for container glass is projected to reach 147 thousand tonnes by 2030. This is driven by the brewery and packaging industries, according to estimates by Milly Glass.

The East African Portland Cement (EAPC) failed to remit Sh4 billion in statutory deductions, including taxes and penalties, as of June 30, 2025, an audit has revealed. This exposes legacy liabilities facing the cement maker that recently transitioned to new ownership.

In a new report for the year ended June 30, 2025, Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu said the company had accumulated unpaid obligations, including value-added tax (VAT), pay-as-you-earn (PAYE), income taxes and related penalties.

‘The company has been unable to settle its obligations in respect of statutory deductions, which include pay as you earn (PAYE) balance of Sh2,446,389,041, value added tax (VAT) balances of Sh1,471,531,165, and income tax-company balance of Sh81,510,917 being principal, penalties and interest,’ Ms Gathungu said.

‘The above events or conditions, along with other matters set forth in…the financial statements, indicate that a material uncertainty exists that casts significant doubt on the company’s ability to continue as a going concern.’

The release of audit reports often lags, and some of the captured issues may shift by the time of publication. It is not clear if EAPC could have offset the unremitted deductions.

Statutory deductions are mandatory withholdings from an employee’s gross salary that employers must compute, deduct, and remit to various government agencies by the ninth day of the following month. They include PAYE, the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), and the Affordable Housing Levy (AHL). Failure to remit such funds can result in penalties, interest charges and additional financial strain on businesses.

The audit finding means EAPC’s outstanding obligations have continued to build, adding pressure on a company in which Tanzanian businessman Edhah Abdallah Munif recently spent Sh2.32 billion to take a majority stake of 68.7 percent through his investment vehicle Kalahari Cement Limited.

He built up the EAPC stake by buying a 29.2 percent stake from Swiss multinational Holcim for Sh718.7 million or Sh27.30 a share in November 2025.

Mr Munif then acquired a 27 percent holding from NSSF for Sh1.604 billion, adding to the 12.5 percent he already controlled through Bamburi’s stake in EAPC.

EAPC registered a notable turnaround in fortunes in the financial year ended June 202, with its net profit growing nearly five-fold to Sh5.53 billion, compared to Sh1.16 billion a year earlier.

The company also announced a higher dividend of Sh1.25 per share for the period, up from Sh1 per share for the prior year. The performance meant that Mr Munif’s investment vehicle Kalahari Cement Limited would bag Sh77.3 million out of EAPC’s total payout of Sh112.5 million.

EAPC’s turnover more than doubled to Sh7.08 billion in the year to June 2025 from Sh3.28 billion the year before, attributed by the company to improved and consistent cement production, effective pricing strategies and strong demand recovery in key market segments.

Kenya is auditing its informal cross-border sugar trade amid severe market distortions, which are affecting pricing and revenue collections.

A brief seen by the Business Daily showed that the Kenya Sugar Board (KSB) is conducting a comprehensive audit of the informal sugar imports in a bid to ascertain the volumes moved and the routes used by the traders.

‘The industry faces severe market distortions and inefficiencies, primarily due to unregulated cross-border trade. Kenya remains a net importer, producing approximately 72 percent of its domestic sugar requirement in 2024, and the market remains vulnerable to illegal sugar inflows through porous borders, weak traceability systems and significant price disparities,’ KSB said in its brief.

‘This informal trade undermines local producers, distorts prices, discourages investment and results in substantial loss of government revenue,’ it added.

The audit aims to map and profile the actors, supply chains, financing mechanisms and incentives driving informal sugar trade. It also aims to assess the effects of informal trade on farmgate prices, miller viability and national sugar pricing mechanisms, besides evaluating the revenue leaks from informal imports.

KSB Chief Executive Officer Jude Chesire told Business Daily that the audit is “work in progress”.

“We are largely focusing on the border with Uganda because there is a lot of sugar in the neighbouring country and the chances of smuggling are very high,” he said.

“We have requested extra police officers to help map out the informal trade in sugar. Although informal trade is allowed, some groups take advantage to advance large-scale smuggling.”

The audit comes amid anxiety among domestic millers and traders after Kenya lifted safeguards on cheap sugar imports from cane-growing members of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) in January 2026.

Kenya’s decision ended 24 years of protection from imports of cheaper sugar from the economic bloc.

Kenya had been relying on the safeguards from Comesa against cheap imports since 2001 as a means to protect its struggling local sugar industry, where millers, especially State-owned factories, have been struggling with massive loads of debt. The country had sought extensions of the safeguards eight times before finally letting go.

Under the safeguard arrangement, Kenya had been allowed to import up to 350,000 tonnes of sugar from the Comesa region to bridge the local deficit. Kenya negotiated the safeguards because its once vibrant and dominant State-owned sugar millers in western Kenya, including Chemelil, Sony, Muhoroni, Nzoia, and Mumias, had slumped into a sorry state amid piling debt, aging machinery, and intermittent biting shortages of raw materials.

The removal of the Comesa safeguards came barely six months after the leasing of four inefficient State millers to private investors as part of reforms aimed at invigorating the industry.

Nzoia Sugar Company was leased out to West Kenya Sugar Company, Chemelil to Kibos Sugar and Allied Industries Ltd, Muhoroni to West Valley Sugar Company, and Mumias to Sarrai Group, although the latter deal faced legal hurdles and was halted in court.

Data by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that the country’s sugar production rose nearly 22 percent in the first five months of 2026 as increased cane deliveries and reforms in the sector boosted mill output.

Domestic sugar production grew 21.98 percent to 348,143 tonnes between January and May, up from 285,418 tonnes produced during the same period last year, KNBS data showed.

The increase followed a 25.1 percent jump in sugarcane deliveries by farmers, which rose to 3.9 million tonnes from 3.1 million tonnes over the review period, signalling improved supplies to mills.

The Supreme Court has ended a company’s bid to reopen a 22-year dispute with the Central Bank of Kenya over Sh14 million frozen during investigations into a Treasury Bonds fraud, shutting the door on its final appeal.

The five-judge bench ruled that Johmat Distributors Ltd’s grievances over interest, legal costs and a long-running freezing order did not raise issues of general public importance required for an appeal to the apex court.

The ruling closes litigation that began after CBK alleged that Sh205 million had been fraudulently obtained in 2002 through manipulation of Treasury bonds and Treasury bills.

The bank suspected Johmat’s account had been used to channel part of the money and obtained a court order in July 2003 freezing Sh14 million held in the firm’s fixed deposit account at Giro Commercial Bank, now I and M Bank.

Johmat was later joined to the recovery suit. After years of litigation, the High Court dismissed CBK’s claim in December 2019, finding it was based on mere suspicion.

The court, however, also rejected Johmat’s counterclaim for damages and interest after finding the company had not proved its entitlement to the claims. The parties subsequently recorded a consent allowing the release of the frozen funds.

The company challenged the decision at the Court of Appeal, arguing that it deserved interest because the money had remained frozen for about 14 years and that CBK had undertaken to compensate it if its claim failed. It also sought legal costs after successfully defending itself against the central bank’s case.

The appellate court dismissed the appeal in September 2024 after finding Johmat had failed to include typed proceedings from the High Court, making it impossible to evaluate the claim for interest.

It also upheld the trial court’s decision on costs before later declining to certify a further appeal to the Supreme Court.

Johmat then asked the Supreme Court to review that refusal, arguing that the dispute raised important constitutional questions touching on property rights, fair hearing and the consequences of freezing private funds.

The five-judge bench declined the request, saying the issues remained confined to the parties before the court and did not meet the constitutional threshold for a final appeal.

“We are not persuaded that they meet the threshold for certification,” the judges said, in a decision that closes one of the longest-running commercial disputes.

The court also found that some of the constitutional questions advanced by Johmat had not been raised before the Court of Appeal.

“An application for review is not a vehicle for advancing arguments that have no footing in the determinations of the superior courts below,” the judges said.

The bench further held that dissatisfaction with how lower courts applied settled legal principles could not, on its own, justify a hearing before the Supreme Court.

“Framing a grievance in constitutional terms does not of itself elevate the issue to the threshold contemplated under Article 163(4)(b) of the Constitution,” the ruling stated.

It added that the questions raised under the constitutional rights to property and fair hearing “identify no unsettled point of constitutional principle bearing on the public at large.”

The judges said Johmat had also failed to demonstrate that the dispute extended beyond its own circumstances or carried broader public importance.

“The applicant has not demonstrated that the issues raised transcend the circumstances of this dispute or have a significant bearing on the public interest,” the court ruled, dismissing the company’s application.

Fresh data from the Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA) show that contributions to medical funds under Post-Retirement Medical Funds (PRMFs) rose by 646.9 percent to Sh1.86 billion in 2025, up from Sh249.1 million a year earlier.

‘Contributions to the Post-Retirement Medical Fund (PRMF) increased by 647 percent between 2024 and 2025, rising from Sh249.15 million in 2024 to Sh1.86 billion in 2025 as more schemes continued to set up PRMF funds,’ RBA said.

PRMFs are schemes that allow individuals to save specifically for their healthcare costs after retiring. Under the arrangement, workers have the option of saving through a medical fund without being required to be members of the sponsoring medical scheme.

The sharp growth in savings at PRMFs comes at a time when medical bills have become a major pain point for both employers and households amid rising healthcare costs. This has forced many to save for a future cushion as they go into retirement.

A recent World Bank study estimated that about 1 million to 1.1 million Kenyans fall into poverty each year because of costs related to health care, which mainly hurt households from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. Many households access healthcare through out-of-pocket(OOP) expenditure.

The elderly and people affected by chronic conditions are the worst hit by the OOP expenditure that has continued to rise over the years despite increased budgets by the State for healthcare.

‘This is a concerning trend, as paying at the point of care for services or drugs creates financial barriers and exposes households to catastrophic health spending,’ the World Bank said following its study.

The growth in savings in PRMFs also points to an increasing number of such schemes by employers seeking to strengthen employee welfare and long-term financial security.

The Treasury had in 2024 directed all pension schemes to amend their rules to allow members to contribute to PRMFs, in a move aimed at helping workers prepare for healthcare costs in old age.

The savings are used to finance medical cover after retirement, either by purchasing health insurance or generating annuity income to pay insurance premiums.

Contributions are typically set at a minimum of one percent of a member’s pensionable salary, helping retirees spread healthcare costs over their working lives, instead of relying solely on their pension benefits.

RBA data further shows that total pension contributions rose 29 percent to Sh309.3 billion in 2025, reflecting higher contributions from both employers and employees.

‘Between 2021 and 2025, total contributions grew from Sh135.51 billion to Sh309.26 billion, a 29 percent growth,’ added RBA.

Employer normal contributions increased 14.7 percent to Sh156.8 billion, accounting for just over half of all pension inflows.

Mandatory contributions from employers rose 17.8 percent to Sh137.6 billion, while their additional voluntary contributions grew 30.9 percent to Sh11.5 billion.

Through the adoption of global sustainability reporting standards, strong ESG governance, impactful community partnerships and award-winning corporate governance practices, Sanlam Allianz Holdings (Kenya) PLC is demonstrating how insurance can be a powerful force for sustainable development and economic resilience. With the insurance penetration rate in Kenya being less than 3%, there is need for insurers to leverage on the growing need of providing sustainable insurance in terms of products and services, customized to the need of Kenyans.

According to Dr. Nyamemba Patrick Tumbo, Group Chief Executive Officer, Sanlam Allianz Holdings (Kenya) Plc, sustainability is fundamental to the company’s purpose and long-term value creation. With the growing regulatory expectations in Kenya on how organizations embed Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), Sanlam Allianz (Holdings) Kenya Plc has aligned its Sustainability Reports for every year from 2022 to 2025 progressively, in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI) and IFRS S1 S2 sustainability reporting standards from the 2025 Annual Sustainability report.

In Kenya, the insurance sector plays a critical role in how it integrates Sustainability into its Governance framework in areas like underwriting, investments, operations and stakeholder engagement not only for managing emerging risks but also for maintaining competitiveness and building resilience in an increasingly complex world.

Jacqueline Karasha, Chief Executive Officer, Sanlam Allianz Life Insurance (Kenya) Limited‚ confirms that ESG integration begins at the Governance level and the business has committed to implementing sustainable business practices in the product offering, transformation of processes, innovation and continuous improvement. Sanlam Allianz Life Insurance (Kenya) Limited will continue to embrace sustainable partnerships through shared value creation as we help to create a better future as strategic and sustainable partnerships play a pivotal role in advancing sustainability initiatives that contribute positively to our Environment, our communities and our stakeholders through shared values and a common purpose.

By embracing sustainability, insurance can remain resilient and future proof by not only looking at profits but also taking into consideration its impact to the environment, society and contribution to the economy in addition to its Governance considerations.

Margaret Kariuki, Regional Head of Sustainability in East Africa at SanlamAllianz states that as an insurer, our role extends beyond providing risk protection. We have a responsibility to support sustainable economic growth, strengthen community resilience and create shared value for our stakeholders. Through strong governance, responsible business practices and sustainability-led innovation, we are building a future where more people can live with confidence.

Sanlam Allianz Holdings (Kenya) Plc remains committed to continuous improvement while upholding the highest standards of ethical business conduct in our sustainability journey.