Category: Business Daily

When I walk into Fancy Cuts at the Nanak building along Kimathi Street, I find Edwin Nyamu seated on the couch. His clients know him as Razorcode Barber. He is 24 years old, and the walls around him tell the story of his unlikely success. Award plaques line the space: Barber of the Year 2024, Hairdresser of the Year 2025, Pride of Kenya Awards, back-to-back.

But before the awards, he had his struggles. Four years ago, Edwin had no barbershop, no clients and no skills whatsoever. He had just quit a job as a cashier at a betting shop in Kawangware because, as he puts it, the work ‘messed up my morals’. He knew he needed a real skill to build a life on.

‘I did not go to school or undertake any training; I taught myself,’ Edwin says. He reached out to a friend from high school who had trained as a barber and asked for guidance. Then he bought some clippers and started practising. His younger siblings and dad became his practice subjects.

‘I remember there was a time when my dad wore a cap for a whole week because I gave him a terrible haircut. It was a Mohawk.’

His first machine was an Oraimo clipper, which cost him Sh2,500. It was the last of his savings, but that machine became his ticket to bigger things.

With help from his mentor, a barber named Hanson, Edwin applied for an interview at Mancave Grooming, one of Nairobi’s most famous barbershops at the time. On interview day, Edwin brought a friend to demonstrate his skills. He had cut this friend’s hair three times before, so he knew what to do. Even so, his hands shook as four officials watched him work.

‘One of them, Madam Rachel, saw the look of despair on my face. But she also saw my determination and decided to give me a chance.’

Edwin got the job and was sent to the Mancave branch in Karen, a wealthy suburb in Nairobi. He spent about five months getting to know the rhythm of a community-based barbershop, where the regular clients became like family. But Edwin wanted more. He wanted the fast pace and diverse styles of Nairobi’s Central Business District.

Some barbers told him that he would need to spend at least three years in Karen before he would be ready for the CBD. Edwin did not wait. Instead, he explored other opportunities and found work at Be Spa and Hair Studio in Bazaar Plaza in the city centre. Outside his normal working hours, he offered free haircuts to celebrities and influencers in exchange for publicity on their platforms.

‘Sometimes you have to give before you can take,’ Edwin explains. “I posted every cut I did on my social media, and it attracted more and more attention.’

By the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023, famous people had already started mentioning him on their social media pages, which meant that his work was being seen by more people. Soon after, clients started paying for his services, and his reputation quickly grew.

He has since worked with big names including Nyashinski, Alikiba, Jux, Mr Tee, Lusene Donzo from the US, Mc Gogo, DJ Daffy, DJ Jocker, Matata and Samidoh, to name a few. A quick look at his Instagram and TikTok pages reveals the high quality of his work, from the clean, sharp cuts and fades to the precise styling that has made him stand out in the industry.

On March 1, 2024, Edwin received a call from a woman named Joy. She said that a special client needed a quick haircut. ‘No names were mentioned, and there were no specifics. I didn’t think twice; I just went for it. The venue was Uhuru Gardens at the Madfun Xperience concert.’

On arrival, Edwin was ushered backstage by the bodyguards. He was led to where the client was seated and ready for a cut. It was Burna Boy, the Nigerian Odogwu.

‘That night I thought to myself, if I stopped cutting hair that day and went home without ever speaking to anyone there, I would have achieved more than I could have ever wished for. I was literally shaking,’ Edwin recalls.

The artist paid him in cash. ‘It was a bundle of dollars. I quickly shoved it in my pocket. Later on, when I converted the money, oh my days, it was a lot. Over two thousand dollars.’

The international clients kept coming. A South Sudanese millionaire who flew to Nairobi paid a deposit before landing and tipped generously after a simple bald head shave.

In April 2024, Edwin was cutting hair in the presidential suite at the JW Marriott. The IDA21 Summit for Africa and the Connected Africa 24 Summit brought high-profile delegates to Nairobi, and Edwin was called in to groom the hair of the Angolan delegates.

Edwin runs his business on three levels. Firstly, he offers home services, travelling to clients and bringing his tools and expertise to their doorstep. ‘This is how busy executives and high-profile individuals prefer to get haircuts – in the comfort of their own space.’

Secondly, he provides services at events, concerts, corporate functions and celebrity appearances. Edwin shows up with his equipment and handles the grooming of artists and guests on site.

Finally, there is the in-shop experience at Fancy Cuts, where clients come for the full treatment from the whole team. ‘Most of my big deals come from home services and events, where convenience comes at a premium.’

Edwin has his own rate cards. ‘For international clients at events, I charge from Sh65,000. For local celebrities and events, the rate is between Sh30,000 and Sh50,000, depending on the time taken and the services offered. At the shop, a basic haircut starts at around Sh2,000. With enhancements like special products and treatments, it goes up to Sh3,500.’

Most of his services are not impromptu; his clients make bookings via his working catalogue. ‘Some people even book as early as two months in advance.’

Opening Fancy Cuts in 2024 required capital.

Between rent deposits, goodwill payments, interior design and licensing, the start-up cost was around Sh4.5 million. ‘Fancy Cuts is not just a personal investment, but a partnership. It was easier to get the required funds because of the partnership,’ Edwin explains.

The shop has a team of eight people: There are four barbers; two beauticians offering facials, manicures, pedicures and back massages; one receptionist; and one cleaner.

‘Hiring top barbers is expensive. Skilled barbers who earn five figures a month require contracts, just like football players. You have to poach a talented barber from another shop.’

Edwin himself pulls in about Sh200,000 monthly as a barber, a figure he has maintained for the past year. ‘I am blessed to be earning a living, and I can grow my career with it. The money I make allows me to invest outside the barbershop.’

His future plans are ambitious. ‘We are going to franchise and open high-end barbershops in Kileleshwa and Kilimani. This is just the beginning.’

He has also treated himself to his first car, a 2018 Mercedes-Benz C 200, which he bought last year. ‘I mean, I have to show up in style for these high-end clients,’ Edwin chuckles.

However, success has not come without its setbacks. In February 2025, Edwin received a personal invitation to the Barber Grammys in California – a prestigious competition where the world’s best barbers showcase their skills. He was set to represent the whole of Africa.

‘I innocently showed them my M-Pesa balance and transactions, and my bank statement. They said what I had wasn’t enough,’ says Edwin, still frustrated by the memory. The rejection stung, but it did not break him. Instead, he channelled that energy into winning local competitions. That year, he won Barber of the Year at the Pride of Kenya Awards.

When asked to define a good haircut, Edwin doesn’t hesitate: ‘A good haircut is the kind of detail that changes the way a man carries himself. It’s the neatly shaped edges and clean fades. It is confidence stitched into every line; a statement of identity; the feeling of walking tall.’

Perhaps that is why men are willing to pay premium prices, not just for a service, but for an expression that makes them feel seen, refined and important. After all, as the saying goes, when you look good, you feel good.

Rubis Energy Kenya has taken a minority stake of 49 percent in Rubisol, a solar joint venture firm created two years ago to tap into the growing uptake of green energy by homes and businesses in the East Africa region.

The majority shareholding is in the hands of Solarise Africa. Rubis and Solarise Africa launched the firm in November 2024 in efforts to grab a share of the growing uptake of solar power by families and those keen on easing reliance on the national grid.

Ownership details of the joint venture has been disclosed by Rubis, the parent firm of Rubis Energy Kenya. The capital invested in the business was not immediately clear.

Rubisol develops rooftop structure shades and ground-based facilities, helping customers to utilise the vast solar potential and reduce their monthly power bills.

Uptake of solar power plants is on the rise in Kenya, a market that Rubis is keen to tap into and boost its fortunes in the regional energy market. Rubis is the third biggest oil marketer in Kenya.

‘The group offers its professional customers solarisation of their assets through its subsidiary Rubisol. The objective is to develop rooftop facilities, shades and ground-based facilities to provide our customers with de-carbonised electricity under long-term contracts,’ Rubis says in its latest annual report for the year ended December 2025.

Solarise Africa is a pan-African company that manufactures solar and other clean energy appliances. The firm had 79 contracted sites across Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda and Uganda as at the end of 2024.

Rubisol is keen to deepen its presence in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda before venturing into the other markets in the region.

Rubisol recently set up a solar plant with 485 kilowatt-peak (kWp) for B. Braun Pharmaceuticals in Athi River in June last year.

High power bills and frequent blackouts are major drivers of the uptake of solar power plants in Kenya as homes and companies opt for reliable supplies besides cutting costs.

A report by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra) shows that Solar photovoltaic systems make the highest contribution to the country’s captive generation capacity at 326.7 MW, which accounts for 51.86 percent of the total captive capacity as at December 2025.

Besides wealthy homes, firms such as Coca Cola, Bamburi Cement, carbon dioxide manufacturer Carbacid Investments, Africa Logistics Properties, Mombasa International Airport and International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology have installed solar power plants.

Increased presence in the solar market offers Rubis an opportunity to boost revenues.

in the wake of a stiff competition in its traditional forte of fossil fuels.

Rubis lost the largest market share among oil marketing companies (OMCs) in the six months to December 2025 with the firm’s share dropping to 13.77 percent from 15.43 percent a year earlier.

Besides Rubis, TotalEnergies Marketing Kenya is also diversifying from the fossil fuel market. TotalEnergies recently revealed that it has installed 30 charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) and motorbikes, through joint ventures.

TotalEnergies is the second biggest oil marketer in Kenya with a share of 14.01 percent, behind Vivo energy at 20.56 percent.

France’s CMA CGM has agreed to invest $820 million to modernise and expand two terminals at the Port of Mombasa under a co-operation framework with the Kenyan government.

The firm announced the deal, signed on the sidelines of the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi earlier this week, co-hosted by Kenya’s President William Ruto and France’s Emmanuel Macron.

The investment will upgrade two Mombasa Container Terminals at a time when the port is seeing increased cargo flows. Last year, Mombasa handled 2.11 million TEUs, a growth of 5.5 percent from the previous year.

CMA CGM, present in Kenya since 2005, said the investment will raise cargo-handling capacity, strengthen regional trade corridors, and enhance Kenya’s connectivity to global shipping routes amid growing maritime demand.

The upgrade is expected to support rising trade volumes, improve supply chain efficiency, and position Mombasa as a stronger regional hub for local, regional and international markets.

It will also improve inland logistics networks linking Kenya to East and Central Africa.

Mombasa hosts East Africa’s largest port and serves several landlocked countries, including Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

With record cargo levels, Mombasa is said to be operating at almost full capacity. This has prompted the government to introduce reforms, including transitioning the port into a landlord model. In April, the National Treasury said it had opened several Kenya Ports Authority assets to private investors.

These include Mombasa Port Container Terminal II (berths 20-22) and Mombasa Port Container Terminal (berths 23-24).

The CMA CGM investment is likely happening under this arrangement, as the company has pledged to reinforce its logistics and maritime capacities in East and Central Africa.

The company added that the agreement with the Kenyan government was part of a broader strategy to develop port infrastructure, integrate logistics, and decarbonise transport chains across Africa.

CMA CGM said its funding for Mombasa follows the recent opening of an African regional office in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

In recent years, CMA CGM has become heavily involved in port upgrades across Africa. In Nigeria, for instance, it is part of the 100 percent electric barge project at the Lekki Deep Sea Port. In Egypt and Morocco, the company has also invested in container terminal infrastructure.

CMA CGM is currently involved in the operation and development of nine container terminals on the continent, including Kribi in Cameroon, Lekki in Nigeria, and a new deepwater terminal in Pointe Noire, Congo.

While Mombasa attracted the French deal, Kenya’s greenfield port of Lamu also celebrated an operational milestone this week.

The port received MV Baltimore Express, the largest containership ever to dock at any port in East and Central Africa. The Post-Panamax vessel, measuring 369 metres in length, arrived from Oman’s Salalah port.

In 2025, Lamu’s cargo volume rose by more than 900 percent, from 74,380 tonnes in 2024 to 799,161 tonnes last year, partly due to its growing transshipment role.

Lamu Port General Manager Abdulaziz Mzee said docking of MV Baltimore Express, the largest ship in East and Central Africa, signifies the facility’s ability to handle ultra-large vessels.

‘This call lifts Lamu’s profile on the global maritime map, comparable to some of the world’s most developed ports such as Singapore, Rotterdam, and Hamburg,’ said Mr Mzee.

Lamu Port is unique among regional facilities owing to its naturally deep harbour.

Its first three operational berths feature depths of 17.5 metres and quay lengths of 400 metres, accommodating massive modern Panamax vessels.

By contrast, Mombasa’s berths are 15 metres deep and 300 metres long.

Lamu is therefore designed for larger neo-Panamax vessels of up to 12,000 TEUs, while Mombasa handles smaller ships of up to 10,000 TEUs.

‘Lamu Port’s infrastructure specifications and depth allow Panamax and Post-Panamax ships to sail into the channel with minimal or no dredging. Many other African ports require constant dredging to deepen seabeds enough to accommodate mega ships and remain competitive. That’s a plus for us,’ said Mr Mzee.

Kenya will buy a stake in the planned 650,000-barrel-a-day oil refinery fronted by Africa’s richest industrialist, Aliko Dangote.

President William Ruto said the country will invest in the multibillion-shilling project through the National Infrastructure Fund, a State-backed investment vehicle created to mobilise long-term financing for major infrastructure projects.

The refinery could cost up to $20 billion (Sh2.58 trillion), an outlay that could see Kenya take a minority stake in the plant.

Mr Dangote recently said he prefers Kenya as the site for the mega refinery oil that will serve the Eastern Africa region, seemingly walking back on his previous push to build it in Tanzania.

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu lashed at his Kenyan counterpart for announcing that Dangote’s refinery would be built in Tanga without consulting her.

‘We have an infrastructure project for the development of an East African refinery. Dangote tells me that this project will cost anywhere between $16.0 billion and $20.0 billion. Kenya will invest through the National Infrastructure Fund. We do not want to be held hostage any more by the Strait of Hormuz,’ President Ruto said.

Dangote Group is currently undertaking a feasibility study to determine which location among the ports of Mombasa, Lamu and Tanga would be best positioned to host the East African refinery.

A refinery is used to process and purify raw materials such as crude oil into usable products like petrol, diesel, kerosene and other industrial fuels.

For the raw materials, Dangote is focused on the oil discoveries in Uganda, which are expected to be exported through a pipeline to Tanzania. Kenya is also on course to start commercially producing oil in Turkana County.

For the East African refinery to get off the ground, Mr Dangote said, he would need Ruto to offer land, some East African finance and, most importantly, protection from what he called the dumping of cheap fuel from the likes of Russia or India.

East Africa currently imports all of ?its refined petroleum products, mainly from the Middle East, leaving the region vulnerable to the supply disruptions and price spikes that have been seen ?during the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Kenya, and many other African countries – including oil-producing nations – have to pay higher prices for petroleum products because the final cost includes refinery margins charged by foreign processors.

However, Dangote wants to change this, starting with his home country, Nigeria, a major crude oil producer that for years imported most of its refined petroleum products.

‘The ball is in the hands of President Ruto,’ he said, in reference to the Kenya refinery plan. ‘Whatever President Ruto says is what I’ll do.’

Dangote, who built his industrial empire through cement, has been expanding his footprint in Kenya through the acquisition of a tour company and restaurant chain Java House.

Alterra Capital, a private equity firm with wealthy backers including Mr Dangote, entered the East African tourism market last year through the full acquisition of Pollman’s Tours and Safaris Limited (Pollman’s). Alterra is said to have paid Sh4 billion for the acquisition.

Earlier in January, Alterra and another PE fund, Phatisa, signed an agreement in March to fully acquire restaurant chain Java House for an undisclosed amount from emerging-market investor Actis. The acquisition marked Dangote’s entry into the Kenyan market.

Talk of a new massive oil refinery in Africa follows the long-awaited completion of Dangote’s own $20 billion (about Sh2.6 trillion) refinery in Lagos, Nigeria’s coastal commercial capital.

It comes as the fallout from the war in Iran highlights the significance of local refining capacity.

‘I’m leaning more towards Mombasa because Mombasa has a much larger, deeper port.’ He compared Kenya’s port to Tanga, the proposed Tanzanian site for the refinery to process oil from Uganda and the open market. Dangote estimated that it would cost $15 billion to $17 billion to build.

‘Kenyans consume more. It’s a bigger economy,’ he said, adding that crude oil for the refinery could be transported by ship and need not be located near a pipeline that will carry oil nearly 1,500 kilometres from Ugandan oilfields to the Tanzanian coast at Tanga.

Dangote and Dr Ruto seem to have struck a chord, with the Nigerian featuring among the prominent individuals present at the Kenyan President’s inauguration ceremony in late 2022.

The visit signalled that Dangote could soon expand his business empire into Kenya, particularly in the areas of cement and fertiliser, which have been of interest to President Ruto’s administration.

Mr Dangote had previously tried to invest in Kenya, but in 2017 pushed back plans to set up his Dangote Cement plant in the country to 2021.

The company, which received a licence to prospect for limestone in Kitui County, was planning to set up two cement factories, one in Nairobi and another in Mombasa.

Mr Dangote already has cement factories in Ethiopia and Tanzania. The 2.5 million tonnes-per-year plant in Ethiopia was commissioned in 2015 and remains among the largest cement factories in the country.

In Tanzania, Dangote Cement operates a three-million-tonnes-per-year cement plant in Mtwara, commissioned in December 2015 and considered the largest cement factory in the country.

The Nigerian tycoon also has cement plants in Zambia with a production capacity of 1.5 million tonnes annually, Cameroon (1.5 million tonnes) and Congo Brazzaville (1.5 million tonnes). Dangote Cement now has a total production capacity of about 48.6 million metric tonnes annually across Africa.

According to Forbes, Aliko Dangote remains Africa’s richest man with an estimated net worth of about $28.5 billion, driven largely by his interests in cement, sugar and oil refining.

Dangote told Financial Times in an interview that for the East African refinery to get off the ground, he would need Ruto to offer land, some East African financing and, most importantly, protection from what he called the dumping of cheap fuel from countries such as Russia or India.

‘There is no refinery in the world that can survive without that protection,’ he said. ‘If we have an agreement, we can start this year.’

Kenya has overtaken Nigeria in the list of countries with the fastest growing companies in Africa in the Financial Times ranking, cementing it as one of the continent’s dynamic business hubs.

South Africa topped the list.

The Financial Times Africa’s Fastest-Growing Companies 2026 ranking, now in its fifth year, shows that Kenya has leapfrogged Nigeria into second place in terms of the number of companies represented.

South African companies consolidated their dominance, notching up no fewer than 51 of the 130 fastest-growing businesses. Kenya had 17 top-ranked companies, Nigeria (16), Mauritius (12) and Tunisia, which made a first-time appearance in the top 5, had 6.

Last year, Nigeria had 28.

In Kenya, several big businesses, including Naivas and Kenya Airways, have joined the usual roster of fintechs and start-ups.

The ranking tracks revenue growth over the 2021-2024 period.

The list includes relatively young firms such as General Printers 2021 Limited, M-Kopa, Kofisi Hospitality Group and The Avenue Group as well as established ones such as KCB Group, Co-operative Bank of Kenya, Kenya Airways (KQ), Kenya Power, Naivas, Quick Mart and Carbacid Investment.

The ranking, compiled with research company Statista, is based on compound annual growth in revenues (CAGR), measuring how quickly firms have expanded their top line over the review period.

Firms that made it to the list had a growth rate ranging from 9.27 percent (Roff Industries) to 311.17 percent to Thndr Technology Holding for Financial Investments from Egypt.

Kenya’s representation on the list across sectors such as financial technology, retail, manufacturing and clean energy, signals diversification beyond the traditional dominance of banking and agriculture.

The publication explains that to be included in the list, a company must have revenue of at least $100,000 (Sh12.92 million) generated in 2021 and $1.5 million (Sh193.8 million) in 2024, with the growth in the topline being organic. In addition, the firm must be an independent company (not a subsidiary or branch office of any kind) and headquartered in an African country.

General Printers 2021 Limited was ranked as the fastest growing company in Kenya and 13th on the continent, with a CAGR of ?118.49 percent in the four years through 2024. It was followed by Turaco Microfinance (72.01 percent), M-Kopa (43.01 percent), KQ (38.98 percent) and Carbacid (31.6 percent).

The presence of mid-sized and established firms points to a corporate landscape where growth is no longer confined to start-ups. Companies are increasingly scaling into larger enterprises, supported by regional expansion and improved access to capital.

Kenya’s rise to second place marks a shift in the continental pecking order, reflecting the growing depth and resilience of its private sector at a time when peers such as Nigeria face macroeconomic headwinds.

Also featured in the list of top 10 fastest growing firms in Kenya were Fourth Generation Capital Group with a CAGR of 31.6 percent, Kofisi (27.25 percent), Greenlight Planet (26.28 percent), KCB (22.89 percent) and Quick Mart (22.07 percent).

Companies such as M-Kopa, Kofisi, Greenlight Planet (the seller of Sun King products), and Quick Mart point to the range of business models driving expansion – from asset-financing platforms and electric mobility solutions to modern retail chains tapping into changing consumer habits.

Mic Global Risks (20.24 percent), Impax Business Solutions (19.87 percent) Kenya Power (17.05 percent), Naivas (16.32 percent), Co-op Bank (15.74 percent), Avenue Group (15.74 percent and Craft Silicon (10.29 percent) closed the list of Kenyan firms that made it to the list.

Kenya’s strong showing in the FT ranking also highlights the continued rise of Kenya’s technology ecosystem, with Nairobi maintaining its position as a regional innovation hub. Fintech and software firms remain among the fastest-scaling businesses, supported by high mobile penetration, digital payments infrastructure and growing investor interest in scalable solutions.

Nigeria’s marginal drop in representation reflects the strain of currency volatility, high inflation and investor caution, which have slowed corporate expansion despite the country’s large market size.

South Africa continued to dominate in the ranking, highlighting the advantages of deeper capital markets, stronger corporate structures and a larger pool of established firms.

Kenya has cleared the path for power producers to directly sell electricity to larger consumers, ignoring a World Bank’s warning against the push to end Kenya Power’s monopoly.

The State has published the Energy (Electricity Market, Bulk Supply and Open Access) Regulations of 2026 that allow producers to rival Kenya Power.

The regulations will allow producers with no existing power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Kenya Power to sell the electricity to the big consumers, like small commercial enterprises, industries, and factories.

The producers will apply to use the network of Kenya Power and the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco) to reach the large consumers while paying the two firms an access fee known as wheeling charges.

The World Bank cautioned that allowing other firms to sell power in competition with the sole distributor will trigger a surge in electricity prices, which have risen the most among basic items over the past five years.

The larger and moneyed customers pay more for a unit of electricity, allowing Kenya Power to use them in subsidising some domestic consumers.

The World Bank reckons that domestic consumers could be forced to pay more should the large consumers migrate to the new entrants.

Kenya Power currently enjoys a near monopoly in the sale of electricity, with the big consumers accounting for 70 percent of its users.

‘A network service provider shall provide non-discriminatory open access to its transmission or distribution system to a licensee or an eligible consumer,’ the regulations say.

‘The network service provider shall grant open access to the wheeler, provided that the load shall not be less than one megavolt-ampere (1MVA) in the distribution system or ten megavolt-amperes (10MVA) in the transmission system.’

Consumers with load demands of 10MVA include factories or communities that house residential and commercial tenants with a high daily usage of power.

The World Bank warns that the shift will expose Kenya Power to competition risks, crippling the Nairobi bourse-listed utility due to long-term wholesale electricity agreements it has inked with generators like KenGen, Lake Turkana Wind and OrPower4.

Agreements for the direct sale of electricity will be for a period of between one and 10 years.

The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra) must approve the prices that the power producers will sell the electricity.

Industries, factories and businesses bought 7,313 Gigawatt-hours (GWh) of power or 70 percent of the 10,570GWh that Kenya Power sold in the year ended June 2025.

The utility firm’s electricity sales in the local market have steadily grown over the past few years to hit 11,330.84GWh in the year to June 2025 compared to 10,473GWh the previous year and 9,186GWh in the year ended June 2021.

Technical competence is no longer the only currency in many workplaces. Increasingly, professionals are finding that the ability to clearly communicate ideas, whether in meetings, presentations, or everyday collaboration, plays a crucial role in how those ideas are received and implemented.

When Anthony Wang’ondu first stepped into a leadership role, he quickly realised that being technically sound was not enough.

Trained as an accountant and newly tasked with leading a supply chain division, his job required him to make frequent presentations to senior management and the board. Armed with data, graphs and detailed reports, he expected his work to speak for itself. It didn’t.

‘I found myself presenting graphs and numbers, and it wasn’t working, and I was getting pretty frustrated,’ he says.

That moment marked a turning point. It exposed a gap that many professionals only discover after entering the workplace: that the ability to communicate ideas clearly and persuasively often matters as much as the ideas themselves.

For Anthony, the shift from technical expert to leader came with a new set of demands, ones that were less about knowledge and more about influence.

‘When you join an organisation, the interview is about what you know,’ he explains. ‘But when they want to make you a team leader, they don’t pull out your CV. They look at your ability to manage people and produce results,’ he says.

‘You must be able to bring your people together, tell them this is what we want to do, this is the direction we’re going. The clearer your communication, the better it is for your team.’

This shift is now playing out across corporate Kenya, where communication is no longer treated as a ‘soft skill’ but as a core leadership competency.

In high-stakes environments, the impact of communication becomes even more visible.

Anthony points to ongoing engagements with revenue authorities across the region, often tense, high-pressure meetings where outcomes matter.

‘Initially, these tend to be very antagonistic meetings. People are coming to fight,’ he says. ‘But the ability to communicate, put your ideas through, and demonstrate that you’re listening… tends to break the ice and you can begin working toward a solution.’

Communication trainings

Such moments underline why companies are increasingly investing in structured communication training, not just to improve presentations, but to influence outcomes.

At Davis and Shirtliff, communication is now embedded into the organisation’s development strategy.

‘We are putting together a corporate club for our staff,’ Anthony says. ‘The reason is that we find communication skills are important.’

Across departments, the need is consistent. Engineers must explain products to clients, finance teams must present performance clearly, and teams must align around shared goals.

‘You can put up very colourful charts, but you must be able to tell the story behind those charts,’ he adds.

Beyond formal training, the company is also building communication into everyday work. Staff are regularly required to present in meetings, ensuring that no one ‘disappears through the cracks.’

As organisations place greater emphasis on communication, it is also becoming a factor in how employees are perceived-and how quickly they rise.

‘The person who can articulate themselves better is seen as a leader already,’ Anthony says. ‘They might not even be the strongest technically, but they take ownership of the narrative.’

Speaking up signals leadership

In practical terms, speaking in meetings signals leadership, builds credibility as well as confidence while driving visibility.

Even hiring decisions are influenced. Anthony recalls a case where a candidate stood out largely because of strong communication skills and was hired, only for the company to realise later that the technical ability did not match the impression.

‘Communication is powerful,’ he says. ‘It can be used for both good and bad. But it is an essential skill.’

While there has been some improvement in how graduates communicate, thanks in part to extracurricular exposure, Anthony believes more can be done.

‘It’s an area that we should focus on, not only at university level, but even from high school,’ he says.

At the individual level, the journey often begins with confronting personal limitations. For him, it was shyness and fear of speaking in front of others.

‘I thought crowds were very scary, and I avoided being in front of an audience,’ he admits. ‘But communication takes that away.’

Through structured practice on platforms such as Toastmasters International, he says, professionals can build not just speaking ability, but confidence and leadership presence.

Ultimately, communication does not replace technical expertise; it amplifies it.

Benefits of an early start

At Standard Chartered, Orege Arnold Odhiambo, Associate Director, People Capability, says the realisation comes much earlier, sometimes even before professionals formally enter the workplace.

‘I had the privilege of starting quite early on, during my university days, where I was part of an organisation,’ he says. ‘We did a lot of business interactions that normally expose you to corporates at a very early stage, even before you start your career. From that aspect, it looked like whatever it is that you’re studying is never enough; you need to do more.’

That early exposure, he says, created an awareness that communication is central to professional growth, from proposal writing to negotiations and stakeholder engagement.

‘And from that point, it exposed me to the need to boost communication skills quite early. It gave me that growth mindset to keep developing myself better,’ he says, adding that his eventual shift from biomedical science into human resources further reinforced that reality.

‘It became more about how you manage people and how you communicate with people.’

Still, like many professionals, his biggest challenge was not formal presentations but speaking in unplanned situations.

‘My biggest struggle has always been impromptu speaking,’ he says. ‘Everyone feels like they are good at communicating when they are prepared, but when it comes to impromptu situations, that’s where the challenge comes in.’

In meetings, he says, that often translates into silence.

‘You tend to overanalyse and keep quiet. It’s not that you don’t have ideas, it’s just difficult to relay those ideas in a way people can take them,’ he says. ‘And what happens is that you miss many opportunities.’

That silence, he adds, can quietly affect career progression

‘People feel like you’re not ready for the next level-not because you’re not doing well in your job, but because you’re not expressing yourself,’ he says. ‘So, you find stagnation happening, even when you’re capable of much more.’

In today’s workplace, he argues, communication is increasingly tied to visibility.

Communication in an evolving workplace

He notes that workplace structures have also evolved, with performance now shaped by how employees engage across teams.

‘It’s no longer just about impressing your direct boss. You’re working with different teams, and how they experience you; how you share ideas, solve problems, that’s what determines your growth.’

Within the bank, communication is embedded across multiple layers of training, even beyond formal public speaking.

‘We do have an in-house Toastmasters club that started in 2016, which gives people a practical platform to practise,’ he says. ‘It creates psychological safety where you can learn, make mistakes, and grow.’

He adds that even broader workplace training, from leadership to client engagement, has a strong communication component.

‘If you’re training relationship managers to be client-centric, communication plays a key role. If you’re talking about coaching or building high-performance teams, communication is still central,’ Orege says.

For him, the early gains are often visible in confidence.

‘The first improvement you notice is courage; you start putting yourself out there more,’ he says. ‘You may not be perfect, but you begin organising your ideas better and presenting them.’

He notes that improvement ultimately depends on how much effort an individual puts in.

‘It’s a journey. The more you practise and engage, the more confident you become, and the more people start noticing how you connect your ideas and influence others.’

Unacknowledged KPI

Communication, he adds, is now deeply embedded in how organisations function, even if it is not always formally measured.

‘It may not be a KPI on paper, but it’s a key driver in everything, from collaboration to leadership to client engagement,’ he says.

He also observes a clear divide when graduates enter the workforce.

‘Some have an advantage, especially those who were involved in extracurricular activities like business clubs or public speaking,’ he says. ‘But many others focus purely on academics, and when they come into the workplace, they struggle to express themselves.’

That gap, he says, becomes evident during interviews and early career interactions.

‘You can find someone with first-class honours, but when you ask them a question, they struggle, not because they’re not sharp, but because the communication element is missing,’ he says.

Ultimately, Orege believes communication is a skill that can be learned and developed over time.

Confidence is not enough

At Dormans Coffee, managing director Rozy Rana says she learnt the importance of communication long before entering the corporate world.

‘I don’t think I can say it was specifically at a certain point in my career,’ she says. ‘I learnt it when I was quite young. I may not have known better at the time, but I definitely understood the importance of communication.’

Years later, however, it was only after joining Toastmasters that she realised confidence alone did not necessarily translate into effective communication.

‘I joined at a friend’s invitation, and honestly, I thought I was a good communicator,’ Rozy says. ‘When I drafted my first speech and shared it with my mentor, I was expecting validation. Instead, he told me we had work to do.’

The experience, she says, was both accidental and humbling.

‘I realised I was probably rambling, overwriting and overexplaining, and that’s not impactful,’ Rozy says.

That lesson has since shaped how she approaches communication both personally and professionally.

‘Clarity is not so much about saying more; it’s about saying what matters,’ she says.

Cost of communication breakdowns

At Dormans, she recalls one incident where poor communication nearly cost the company a client. A customer had been promised same-day delivery, but due to Nairobi traffic, the delivery arrived after closing hours.

‘The driver assumed he could do it the following day and didn’t communicate the delay,’ she says. ‘Meanwhile, the client was very frustrated because the least they expected was a phone call.’

The issue was eventually resolved, but the experience reinforced the cost of communication breakdowns within organisations.

‘It just shows how important it is not to work in silos,’ Rozy says. ‘Each party has a role to play in keeping the promise.’

She believes public speaking and communication are becoming increasingly important in today’s workplace, even where they are not formally measured.

‘If you communicate effectively, it gives you visibility, builds your brand, enables influence and helps shift perspectives,’ she says.

Within her workplace, Rozy says communication training is now embedded in mentorship and leadership development. She mentors professionals and also facilitates a programme focused on helping women in management strengthen their influence and leadership communication.

‘The programme is very strong on communication; how to structure presentations, persuade with power and communicate intentionally,’ she says.

She argues that one of the biggest shifts professionals must make is learning to communicate with the audience in mind, rather than simply speaking to express themselves.

‘Communication is making sure the message you are delivering has been received by the audience as you intended,’ she says. ‘It’s always about understanding the audience, their context and crafting your message so that it lands.’

Looking back, Rozy says some of her own blind spots included overexplaining and trying too hard to sound structured or professional.

‘You might think adding more detail creates clarity, but sometimes the more you squeeze in, the more you squeeze out the audience,’ she says.

Over time, however, repeated practice and feedback helped refine those habits. ‘Eventually, it becomes second nature.’

While she believes younger professionals today enter the workforce more confident than previous generations, she says there is still room for growth in communication and professionalism.

‘There’s definitely more confidence now, which is a good thing,’ she says. ‘But there’s still a need for people to learn how to structure ideas, simplify complexity and communicate with intent.’

For Rozy, the strongest communicators are not necessarily the loudest or most polished speakers, but those who can make complex ideas easier for others to understand.

‘It’s very easy to make something complicated, but very hard to make something simple,’ she says. ‘That’s what effective communication really is.’

BAT Kenya has reversed a six-year downward trend in the number of contracted farmers and tobacco output, pointing to the effectiveness of its raft of interventions to secure raw materials for cigarette production.

The latest disclosures show the cigarette maker closed December 2025 with 2,440 contracted farmers, who supplied 5.5 million kilogrammes of tobacco leaf. This marked an improvement from 1,870 farmers in the previous year, when deliveries stood at 4.7 million kilogrammes.

The growth was driven in part by higher payouts, with the firm raising the per-kilogramme price to Sh254.54 from Sh234.04 in 2024. The increase lifted farmers’ earnings to Sh1.4 billion last year, up from Sh1.1 billion in the prior period.

This is the first time in six years that the Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed firm has reversed a decline in contracted farmer numbers and tobacco leaf volumes, which peaked at 5,000 farmers and 8.9 million kilogrammes in 2019. The farmers are concentrated in the counties of Meru, Bungoma, Busia, Migori and Homa Bay.

The rise in the number of farmers and the volumes of supplies made to BAT signals that the raft of initiatives such as offering free tobacco seedlings, fertiliser and personal protective equipment as well as procuring crop insurance for the farmers are beginning to pay off.

The Kenyan operation supplements the produce from the country with that sourced through BAT Group’s global leaf pool, which buys cut rag (processed loose tobacco) from its leaf growing markets worldwide.

BAT has also been encouraging crop diversification by issuing farmers free or subsidised maize and avocado seeds to plant and earn extra income without abandoning tobacco. The firm says all its contracted farmers now plant other crops.

‘We encourage our farmers to grow alternative crops after harvesting tobacco, to enhance food security and soil nutrition. To facilitate this, we provide seeds for subsistence crops, including certified maize seeds at no cost,’ says BAT in the latest annual report.

The latest price per kilogramme is 52.7 percent higher than the Sh166.67 paid in 2021 when the farmers supplied 7.2 million kilogrammes of tobacco leaf. BAT, desperate for the tobacco leaf, has been increasing the prices per kilogramme, crossing Sh200 mark in 2024.

Apart from increasing the pay per kilo, BAT has been trying to counter the fall in the number of tobacco farmers through ‘Thrive’, a global initiative that was rolled out by its parent, BAT Group, in 2016 to make tobacco farming attractive.

BAT Kenya used the programme to introduce hybrid tobacco seed varieties to enhance crop yield and disease resistance. The firm has also introduced low-cost technology, including the use of mechanised ploughing and ridgers, in bid to cut costs and maximise returns for farmers.

The company has a manufacturing plant in Nairobi and a Green Leaf Threshing Plant in Thika, making it a strategic manufacturing hub for the BAT Group’s export markets in East and Southern Africa.

BAT explains that during the growing stage, the tobacco crop is in the soil for six months, after which it is harvested and cured for about three months.

Leaf processing activities include leaf buying, warehousing, and threshing before grading and blending. The final steps include transportation of the processed leaf from the Thika plant to the cigarette manufacturing factory in Nairobi.

Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) general manager for supply chain Maureen Mwenje has left the firm after 21 years of service in various roles, becoming the latest senior executive to exit amid the fuel tender controversy.

The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE)-listed firm announced her exit on Tuesday, coming about a month after managing director Joe Sang resigned on April 3, 2026, following his arrest over a disputed oil supply deal the State labelled substandard.

Ms Mwenje’s exit was announced alongside that of two board members -Sharon Irungu-Asiyo and Mohamed Birik Mohamed- who ceased to be directors of the company on April 22, 2026 following the government’s decision to sell down its stake and list the company on the NSE through initial public offering (IPO).

Ms Mwenje joined KPC in February 2005 as a graduate trainee (supplies) and grew through the ranks to the managerial level. Her exit is effective May 6.

‘The board and management express their gratitude to Ms Mwenje for her service to the company and wish her success and fulfilment in the next chapter of her career,’ said KPC in a statement.

She was in charge of strategic sourcing and supply chain management, streamlining procurement and supply chain processes, according to previous disclosures by KPC.

Ms Mwenje leaves at a time KPC has opened the search for a new managing director to replace Mr Sang. The firm will now have to contend with at least three new faces in the boardroom as it settles into its new life as a listed company.

Mr Sang was last month arrested alongside Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority director general Daniel Kiptoo Bargoria and principal secretary for Petroleum docket Mohamed Liban over suspected irregular procurement of fuel into the country.

The trio quit after their arrest, even as the State said it had opened a full inquiry into breaches including the procurement of substandard emergency fuel at inflated prices outside the government-to-government framework.

They had justified the procurement as necessary in averting fuel shortage in the country following the supply chain disruption in the Middle East triggered by the US-Israel war with Iran.

The State has since relaxed fuel standards to allow for importation of similar fuel to avert shortage as the Middle East crisis persists.

The last two days have been a whirlwind for Nairobi’s top luxury hotels as 30 visiting presidents attending the two-day Africa-France Summit scrambled for the city’s limited presidential suites.

Many of Nairobi’s luxury hotels were forced to improvise, upgrading their best rooms to executive suites, determined not to miss out on the flood of the VVIP and VIP guests arriving for the summit.

However, the frenzy was not confined to hotels alone.

At the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), activity almost doubled as private jets ferrying the heads of state, diplomats, and high-ranking delegates streamed into the country, with the surge translating into increased revenue from landing and parking fees for the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) collected over the two days.

Ahead of the summit, a source at KAA told BDLife that they had anticipated congestion well in advance and made contingency plans for presidential aircraft that could not find space at JKIA to park at Kisumu International Airport and Moi International Airport in Mombasa.

However, there was overcrowding of jets as some presidents opted to fly commercial, with many others chartering smaller private jets.

‘Some aircraft would have been sent to Mombasa or Kisumu; those were the options we had prepared. But so far, we’ve been able to facilitate and accommodate all presidents and heads of delegation who have arrived,’ a KAA official told BDLife.

According to the official, contrary to many perceptions owing to security reasons, it is normal for many presidents to fly commercial, quietly blending in with normal passengers aboard commercial airlines such as British Airways and Turkish Airlines.

‘It usually happens more than people think. Some heads of state come with regular passengers on commercial flights. In fact, one of the heads of state from Africa arrived aboard a regional carrier, a Western African airline, because the country doesn’t have a big plane.’

The KAA official further noted that the situation would have been different with the congestion becoming a reality had all presidents and heads of state, as earlier anticipated, chosen to fly like some who arrived with considerably more fanfare.

Notably, Nigerian president Bola Tinubu, who arrived last Saturday and had been spending some quality time in Maasai Mara ahead of the summit, arrived with his entourage aboard a Boeing 737, parked in JKIA hangar.

‘The big ones we’ve seen so far are from Nigeria and France. Those two flew in 737s, which occupy bigger spaces,’ the official revealed.

Even with the surge in traffic, the KAA says it did not hike its fees to cash in on the summit.

‘There are always landing and parking fees, but the rates are standard. We do not operate in a way where, because we are busy, we suddenly increase prices,’ the official explained.

According to the official, airport charges go through government and regulatory approvals, meaning KAA cannot arbitrarily raise prices during peak periods.

‘Yes, of course, we have made money from the increased parking and traffic, but not because we charged higher rates,’ added the official.

Aircraft landing charges are based on the maximum takeoff weight of the aircraft, with the big planes such as Boeing 737 paying $2,300 (Sh295,000) for landing and $150 (Sh18,000) for parking per day.

Of the country’s major airports, JKIA is always the busiest, having generated a total revenue of Sh19 billion in the financial year 2024-2025, according to documents tabled by Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir in Parliament during the Indian firm Adani Group deal hearing.

The revenue was generated from various streams, which include both aeronautical and non-aeronautical.

Landing, parking and air passenger service charges accounted for the highest earning of Sh14 billion, while Sh5 billion accrued from non-aeronautical activities, including car parking, duty-free, advertising, cargo and general retail.

Even then, KAA notes that JKIA remains one of the cheapest airports as fare as aeronautical services are concerned compared to O.R Tambo in Johannesburg, Harare and Khartoum.