Category: Business Daily

Heaven Can Wait feels like a prodigal son returning home, not with regrets but with the goodies. It marks his return in solo exhibition after more than six years.

It is quintessentially what you would expect from Michael Soi albeit with an upgrade, the colour scale and transitions are impeccably clear, and the catchphrases on the works are downright witty. Heaven Can Wait is colourful, salacious, provocative, evocative and a perfect reflection of a society leaning on its numb side of life. It masks as a hubris for hedonists but in reality, it is the veneer of a society numb on the inside.

Heaven Can Wait centre around celebration, it highlights the urbane uppity end of the high life, the night life and a society living on the end of a tippled existence. In it one experiences a typical weekend in Nairobi, the stag and bachelorette parties, the after-work shindigs. It paints the picture of a city suckling life from the long end of a brown bottle. This is however the tip of the pinnacle; the real issue lies beneath hubbub.

‘What people classify as partying is an attempt to numb the brain from what Kenyans are going through, and these include socio-political issues, harsh economic times, and civil unrest. Since there is very little they can do, most choose to go and bury themselves in the life of the party, it is both a happy and sad scenario,’ Michael Soi says.

Soi wanted to curate a body of work flexible enough for his audience to look at and make their own conclusion.

The particulars of the pieces are presented in such a way as to have a different messaging for different members of the audience. It is a tactful masking of pain and agony with things that make it oblivious of the suffering that people go through every day. Masterfully, the paint sugarcoats the misery.

Traditionally, Soi’s style has been known to provoke by touching on issues political, economic or even sexual and in Heaven Can Wait, he does not veer off this lane. Controversy is an aspect of his life which he seems to embrace with verve.

‘Call me whatever you want but also look at me as a documenting artist. I am not doing this because I want to change society to a better place, no, that is not my goal, my role is to document moments for posterity so that 40, 50 years from today, somebody can get a book and get a picture of what Nairobi looked like. I document things that Kenyans don’t want documented. We love what we love, we do what we do but let us not talk about it openly is what we keep saying.’

The stance gets him into problems at times, but Soi remains unfazed because he says his goal, once he cleared art school, was always to be as different as possible from everyone else and to tell stories that nobody was telling and for this to happen, he had to develop a very thick skin.

He describes his current exhibition as a slight departure from his usual work which is very political. It is an overlook at a society that complains of harsh economic realities but still manages to pack up reveling joints which he sums up as people are trying to temporarily forget their problems. The appearance of having money is farcical.

Soi does not ascribe to being a moralist but rather defines himself as a cartographer of happenings, he highlights the pulse of happenings, most of which stem from his experiences tracking people’s lives, men especially.

‘There was a point around 2016/2017, I spent a lot of time around strip clubs in Nairobi. One thing that people miss the point about this body of works is that it doesn’t revolve around the women, it is the men whom I follow because I want you to know where your man, husband, brother, son is when they are missing from the house. Since 2015, these places have grown to the extent of even moving into residential areas, go to Umoja, Pipeline, strip clubs have been completely decentralised and I felt like this was a story that needed telling.’

His female figures have an uncanny resemblance to each other, and he says this is by design. He has never been able to find another muse from the time he ditched his cat and pig figures which were the custom of his political satire work.

Soi remains unbothered about government interference with his work by way of perceived threat or otherwise, mostly because he says they are clueless about what is happening in the visual art scene.

‘We have been lucky because for a very long time, the government has never looked at art as something that can be used to voice dissent. We have managed to get away with many things because there is very little interest in art here, a lot of critiques of my work also comes from a very ignorant point of view which doesn’t bother me much.’

The art scene has been experiencing tumults of its own with a large number of galleries closing up shop.

Globally, art festivals and Biennales are seeing a downside in numbers and positive reviews and closer home, the art scene has not had enough infrastructure poured into it especially by the government. Soi believes that the solution is pretty simple, ‘we need to rely on the local market’.

‘The whole dependency on the West as the market for Kenyan art should end, we have to target local audiences because that is where the money is at. I am telling you this because it is happening to me. I am probably the most collected artist in Nairobi in terms of the number of my works that people have in their houses. Social media can be a good tool if used properly, 70 percent of my clients come from Instagram.’

Occasionally, he burns his artwork on social media.

‘I struggle with space; my studio is not very big and so instead of having a sale of my work I destroy it. This is because if you buy my work at say Sh387,840($3,000) then later on you hear that I sold the same for Sh12,928 ($100), you would feel cheated. When you sell at discounted prices, you lose your credibility. Whatever remains from my shows comes back to my studio and stays for a year then I destroy it. I don’t show my work twice,’ he says.

Despite having a large volume of works, Soi’s last exhibition was six years ago. The break happened because he didn’t feel ready. He ascribes to the notion that if his work doesn’t make him happy, then he has no business showing it.

How does he feel about his current exhibition? ‘It makes me very happy,’ he says with smile.

The exhibition at the Circle Art Gallery runs until February 25, 2026.

The monthly domestic Value-Added-Tax (VAT) collections by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) have increased by up to Sh10 billion, signalling the gains from a crackdown in hard-to-tax segments, including farmers and small businesses.

KRA Director-General Humphrey Wattanga disclosed that monthly domestic VAT collections have risen to between Sh28 billion and Sh30 billion, up from Sh20 billion, lifted by a requirement that all supply transactions be accompanied by electronic tax invoices generated through the Electronic Tax Invoices (eTIMS).

‘We have seen an impact from a revenue perspective. If you look back two or three years, we were collecting domestic VAT at a rate of about Sh20 billion, and over time, once e-TIMS was made mandatory, we have seen that number rise to between Sh28 billion and Sh30 billion,’ he said on Thursday during the swearing-in of new KRA board member Risper Olick.

This translates into annual domestic VAT collections of between Sh96 billion and Sh100 billion. Domestic VAT is charged on goods and services supplied within the country by businesses, at a standard rate of 16 percent.

‘So, it (e-TIMS) has had a significant impact. And we are working on further simplification of the system to make it easier for all sectors to use e-TIMS,’ Mr Wattanga added.

e-TIMS is a digital platform run by the KRA that requires businesses to issue electronic tax invoices for taxable supplies, allowing the taxman to track sales in real time for VAT compliance.

Introduced in early 2023, first as a software-based successor to the earlier TIMS/ETR system, e-TIMS is supposed to curb malpractices such as tax evasion and fraud.

Also, by extending electronic invoicing to businesses, and not just VAT-registered ones, the government is banking on e-TIMS to bring more economic activity into the formal tax system and reduce exemptions that have created gaps in tax compliance.

From January 1, 2024, the KRA said only expenses supported by e-TIMS-compliant invoices would be recognised for income tax deduction purposes, a requirement that has proved challenging for bulk traders such as petrol stations and supermarkets.

This has led to innovations, including reverse invoicing, where the buyer, instead of the supplier, generates the tax invoice for a transaction.

The government has captured transactions worth Sh800 million through reverse invoicing, which it introduced on December 27, 2024, as part of new strategies of reaching businesses that predominantly operated in the hard-to-tax segment of the economy.

The law provides that one can raise a reverse eTIMS invoice for any business whose annual turnover is below Sh5million. In 2024/25, KRA reported having collected Sh2.9 billion through tax base expansion, which refers to the amount collected through taxpayers who were previously not captured in the tax register.

With a target of increasing revenue as a percentage of GDP to 20 percent in the medium term, the government reckons there is an opportunity to collect more from VAT compared to other tax heads, such as income tax.

In the first half of the current financial year, revenue collection hit Sh1.39 trillion against a target of Sh1. 44 trillion. This resulted in a performance rate of 96.2 percent against the target, leading to a deficit of Sh55.5 billion and a growth of 11.6 percent.

The Kenya Pipeline Company initial public offering (IPO) arrives at a critical moment for our capital markets-a chance to rebuild trust with ordinary Kenyans that was shattered over a decade ago when brokerages collapsed and took people’s savings with them.

There was a time when Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) was averaging one IPO per year: KenGen (2006), Safaricom (2008), Equity Bank, Co operative Bank, Scan Group, Eveready, Access Kenya, and Kenya Re (2006).

I witnessed the IPO boom of the 2000s firsthand from the Nation Centre, where several stockbrokerage houses shared space with the Daily Nation offices. Long queues snaked outside broker offices as ordinary Kenyans clutched application forms and cheques, eager to participate in the privatisation wave. Retail investors camped outside firms, determined to own a piece of Kenya’s corporate success.

Then came the collapses: Shah and Munge (2003), Francis Thuo (2007). Nyaga Securities (2008), Discount Securities (2000), Ngenye Kariuki (2010). These weren’t abstract corporate failures-they were catastrophes for unsophisticated investors who had entrusted hard-earned savings to firms they believed were regulated and safe. Life savings vanished overnight. Dreams of wealth creation through equity ownership turned into nightmares of loss and betrayal.

The queues disappeared. Retail investors, burned badly, retreated to bank deposits and informal savings groups. An entire generation of potential equity investors was lost, not because they lacked capital or interest, but because the system had failed them spectacularly.

Kenya Pipeline IPO offers a genuine opportunity to begin rebuilding that confidence because it has been structured to mitigate past failures.

The e-IPO structure eliminates traditional brokerage bottlenecks. Applications will be submitted digitally, reducing the role of intermediaries who previously held client funds and shares. While brokers still play a role, the electronic infrastructure creates additional transparency and reduces opportunities for misconduct.

The one-month subscription period-running from January 19 to February 19, 2026-is significantly longer than previous IPOs. This extended timeline allows retail investors time to gather information, secure funds, and make informed decisions. Unlike the frenetic, queue-driven applications of the 2000s, this structure enables measured participation.

The 20 percent allocation specifically reserved for local retail investors demonstrates commitment to ensuring ordinary Kenyans can access the opportunity. At Sh21.26 billion, this represents meaningful participation in a strategic national asset, not a token gesture.

The involvement of receiving banks-Co-operative Bank, KCB, and Stanbic-provides familiar, trusted institutions through which retail investors can participate. These are banks where Kenyans already hold accounts, eliminating the need to establish new relationships with unknown entities.

The full allocation structure spans diverse stakeholders: 20 percent for local retail, 20 percent for local institutions, 20 percent for the East African Community, 20 percent for international investors, 15 percent for oil marketing companies, and 5 percent for KPC employees.

Yet the IPO allocation is merely a starting point. What matters more than initial allocation is whether minority shareholder rights will be protected once they own the shares.

If retail investors are to return to the NSE in meaningful numbers-if the queues are to reappear, even in digital form-they deserve more than an efficiently structured IPO. They deserve governance protections that will safeguard their investment over the long-term.

First, majority shareholders must nominate and vote for directors proportionate to their shareholding. This is basic corporate governance. Second, minority shareholders-including the retail investors being courted through this IPO-must have explicit rights to nominate and elect directors proportionate to their collective stake. This cannot depend on majority goodwill; it must be embedded in KPC’s constitutional documents.

This will require the government to direct KPC’s board to convene a special Annual General Meeting to amend the company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association. These amendments should establish proportional board representation, create clear nomination procedures for minority shareholders, and include protective provisions preventing future dilution of these rights.

Retail investors considering the KPC IPO should ask hard questions: What specific governance reforms will protect minority shareholders? How will board composition be determined post-listing? Will the company’s Articles of Association be amended to enshrine minority shareholder rights? Today, minority shareholders have a 30 percent stake in Ken Gen. The board is stuffed with political appointees. The same goes for KCB and Kenya Re.

The queues outside brokerage offices disappeared because unsophisticated investors were betrayed-first by brokerages that absconded with their funds, and subsequently by listed companies whose governance prioritised political connections over shareholder value.

The Kenya Pipeline IPO can help bring those investors back. But only if we break the pattern of political board capture that has characterised too many State-linked listed entities. The infrastructure is sound; now we need the governance framework to match it.

Electricity producer KenGen wants to amend its internal rules to grant the government board control, irrespective of its shareholding, mirroring a similar move at Kenya Reinsurance Corporation (Kenya Re).

The proposal, which is set to be considered by shareholders at an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on February 12, will entrench the State’s influence over board composition and decision-making at the Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed firm even if its stake falls below current 70 percent.

The planned changes will be introduced through amendment to its Articles of Association to give the State superior class of shares that guarantee it a majority of board seats and control over the appointment of the CEO.

Articles of Association refers to a company’s internal rulebook that outlines how the business will be run, managed and governed.

The document defines the roles, responsibilities and rights of shareholders, directors and other stakeholders.

If approved, the proposals will see KenGen constitute class A and B ordinary shares.Class B shares will be those held by the Treasury Cabinet Secretary on behalf of the government, while class A will be those in the hands of the rest of the power generator’s shareholders.

According to the proposal, the State’s class B shares will entitle it to elect six directors to the board, while the rest of the shareholders will be entitled to two directors through their class B shares.

The company said in a notice on Thursday, the changes will provide ‘fair representation’ of the majority and minority shareholders in the board whose membership will be cut to nine from the current 11.’

The holders of class A and B shares shall have the same rights and privileges except with respect to nomination and election of directors,’ reads the proposed changes to the Articles of Association.

KenGen’s move closely matches what Kenya Re has proposed to shareholders ahead of its EGM on February 11.The reinsurer’s shareholders will vote to grant the government board control through class B shares and also cap the CEO’s tenure at a maximum of two terms of three years each.

The changes, if approved, would ring-fence government influence at the two companies irrespective of how the shareholding evolves over time, allowing it to maintain strategic oversight while still tapping capital markets for funding.

The proposed shareholding model in the two companies mirrors that of many private sector companies in developed markets such as the United States and the United Kingdom, where board control has been delinked from shareholding through differentiated voting rights and shareholder agreements.

Companies such as Alphabet (Google’s parent company), Meta Platforms (Facebook’s parent company), and Berkshire Hathaway operate dual-class share structures that put control in the hands of a few shareholders, often founders.

KenGen has in recent years embarked on large-scale geothermal and renewable energy projects, requiring substantial capital investment.

For decades, legacy brands didn’t need to explain themselves. The name did the work. Trust was inherited, loyalty was assumed, and scale felt permanent. Sadly, that era is over.

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Today, ‘legacy’ is no longer shorthand for credibility. In many markets including Kenya and across Africa it quietly signals slow decision-making, outdated customer journeys, and brands that are talking at people instead of with them. This isn’t because audiences have lost values; it is because they now have choice, speed, and visibility.

Legacy brands are not failing because they lack history. They are struggling because many confuse history with relevance.

The first challenge is nostalgia without translation. Many brands lean heavily on anniversaries, throwback campaigns, and past wins without adapting them to modern consumer behaviour. The story may be powerful, but the experience that follows slow checkout, unclear pricing, fragmented access breaks the promise.

Second is the culture gap. Internet culture is not noise; it’s where attention lives. Brands that dismiss creators, short-form video, and conversational tone as ‘not serious enough’ often become invisible to the audiences shaping future demand.

Third is rigidity disguised as consistency. Consistency matters, but when brand rules become cast in stone, they block evolution. Winning brands protect their core identity while updating how they show up, speak, and deliver value.

Finally, there is friction, the most underestimated threat. In 2026, your biggest competitor is often the easiest option. Brands don’t lose customers because of one bad ad; they lose them because engaging, subscribing, or paying feels harder than it should.

Adaptation for legacy brands does not mean abandoning what made them successful. It means re-engineering how that value is experienced.

First, meet audiences where they already are. Today’s consumers, especially younger ones, consume content in mobile-first, creator-led, and on-demand formats. Legacy brands must design for these environments, not simply recycle old formats into new channels.

Second, treat speed as part of the brand promise. Speed is no longer just operational; it shapes perception. Fast onboarding, clear pricing, simple access, and responsive support communicate respect for the customer’s time.

Third, communicate like a human being. Corporate language creates distance. Clarity builds trust. Brands that speak plainly, explain value simply, and remove unnecessary jargon outperform those that hide behind polished but empty messaging.

Fourth, partner with culture instead of controlling it. Creators are not just distribution channels; they are translators. When brands collaborate authentically, they gain relevance without forcing it.

Across Africa, the strongest legacy brands have evolved by expanding their value, not just refreshing their look.

Safaricom’s success, for example, comes from continuously layering digital services and ecosystems on top of its core trust.

In media, African publishers who have invested in paid digital access, community, and convenience show that audiences will pay when value is clear, consistent, and easy to access. The common thread is simple: adaptation works when it is structural, not cosmetic.

Working within a legacy media house has reinforced one truth for me: trust only scales when access is simple.

At Nation Media Group, the Nation App represents this shift. Rather than expecting audiences to navigate multiple platforms, formats, and entry points, the app brings our ecosystem together in one place allowing readers to move seamlessly across titles and formats based on how they want to consume content.

This approach is less about technology and more about mindset. We are packaging value around outcomes staying informed, making better decisions, understanding context rather than around individual products.

Equally important, we treat the customer journey as a growth lever.

The launch of the Sh106.3 billion Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) IPO and South African lender Nedbank’s Sh109.9 billion offer for a 66 percent stake in NCBA Group have helped the Kenyan capital market continue the recent deals momentum that yielded transactions worth more than Sh700 billion in 2025.

Nedbank announced its bid for a controlling stake in NCBA on Wednesday, which will be executed through a cash and stock compensation plan.

Nedbank will cover 80 percent of the consideration by issuing its shares to eligible NCBA shareholders at a rate of 4.029 shares for every 100 NCBA units, with the remaining portion of 20 percent to be settled in cash at a price of Sh2,100 per 100 shares.

The share purchase deal is the third one involving a top-10 NSE firm in just over a month, following the December 2025 notices by South Africa’s Vodacom Group and Japan’s Asahi Holdings of major equity acquisitions in Safaricom and East African Breweries Plc (EABL) respectively.

Vodacom is buying a 15 percent Safaricom stake from the government for Sh204.3 billion, and a further 5 percent from its British parent Vodafone Group for Sh68.1 billion, which will ultimately see it raise its holding in the Kenyan telco to a controlling 55 percent from the current 35 percent.

Asahi entered into an agreement to purchase the 65 percent stake in EABL held by British multinational Diageo Plc last month, for a consideration of $2.354 billion (Sh303.6 billion), making it the biggest ever equity deal at the Nairobi bourse.

The Japanese beverage maker is also buying a 53.68 percent holding in spirits producer and importer UDV Kenya from Diageo for $646 million (Sh83.3 billion), raising the total value of the transaction to Sh387 billion.

Safaricom and EABL also floated five-year corporate bonds worth Sh20 billion and Sh16.8 billion respectively in the fourth quarter of last year, boosting activity on the segment that had seen limited traction in recent years.

On Monday, the NSE welcomed its first IPO in a decade, when the government opened the sale of a 65 percent stake in KPC-equivalent to 11.81 billion shares-to the public at Sh9 per unit, hoping to raise a gross amount of Sh106.31 billion.

The KPC offer is the first divestment from a government company through the stock market for nearly 18 years, with the last such sale having been the Safaricom IPO which was on sale in April 2008 with a haul of Sh51 billion.

The pipeline offer also marks an end to a decade-long IPO drought at the Nairobi bourse.

The most recent public share sales were the October 2015 listing of the Fahari Investment Reit (I-Reit), the NSE’s self-listing in September 2014 and Britam’s IPO in September 2011.

Meanwhile tier two lender Family Bank is expected to list via introduction within the first half of 2026, having received shareholder approval to go public in November.

It will join packaging firm SKL Group (Shri Krishana Overseas Plc) which entered the market by introduction in July 2025, and Sanlam’s Satrix MSCI World Feeder exchange traded fund (ETF) which also listed in July.

Caregivers of persons with disabilities (PWDS) could each receive a monthly stipend of Sh2,000 if a proposal to expand the allowance scheme for the special group is approved.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection said in a disclosure that it targets to cover 500,000 PWDs within five years, costing the government Sh12 billion annually once fully implemented.

The Cash Transfer for Persons with Severe Disabilities (PWSD-CT) in Kenya covered approximately 47,200 to 51,890 households between 2016 and 2020.

The proposal looks to include a monthly caregiver allowance as provided in the newly enacted Persons with Disabilities Act for 130,000 caregivers of PWSDs, for Sh3.12 billion a year.

This translates to Sh2,000 per month for both caregivers and PWDs.

‘Recommendations: An expanded and individualised disability allowance targeted to 500,000 beneficiaries within 5 years with the full annual cost of Sh12 billion realised from the fifth year onward,’ the report read in part.

‘A caregiver allowance to recognise the efforts of 130,000 caregivers of persons with severe disabilities and high support needs within the next 3 years, with a full annual cost of Sh3.12 billion from year three onwards.’

The proposal also seeks to shift care into communities through 5,800 ‘circles of care and support’, for Sh928 million annually, besides expanding respite and rehabilitation centres from 12 to 47 nationwide, with running costs of Sh597 million a year.

The plan shows that assistive devices such as wheelchairs, hearing aids, and prosthetics would be covered under Taifa Care, with an estimated insurance cost of Sh700 million annually, moving disability support from charity to a state-backed public service.

The plans also present a phased approach that will provide accessible transport to 36,209 learners with disabilities throughout the academic calendar for Sh2.2 billion and 91,669 PWDs seeking medical services for Sh110 million per year.

‘Overall, the proposed disability inclusion strategy will expand coverage and guarantee participation of persons with disabilities in the community by nearly doubling the disability inclusion costs from Sh10.42 billion in year 1 to Sh19.74 billion,’ the report read in part.

‘This implies an increase of disability inclusion costs from 0.06 percent of the GDP to 0.11 percent, which will align Kenya’s spending with commitments made at the 2025 Global Disability Summit. This expansion will also position Kenya at the bottom of the good-performing countries, such as Egypt, Zambia, and South Africa,’ it added.

In September 2025, the regional auction in Mombasa traded its maiden batch of specialty orthodox tea as part of a strategy aimed at curbing plummeting fortunes. The auction had recorded a pile up of unsold stocks of black tea over two years, with farmers ‘earnings taking a hit.

George Omuga, the Managing Director of the East African Tea Trade Association (EATTA), which runs the auction, spoke to the Business Daily about the headwinds facing tea farmers and traders and the plans to improve the industry’s performance.

You recently launched sale of orthodox tea at the Mombasa auction. What has been the response so far?

The launch of the orthodox tea auction was a major milestone for the African tea sector that had over-relied on production and sale of black CTC (crush-tear-curl) teas over the years.

The response has been positive both locally and internationally with several international tea buyers who had been buying black orthodox tea from Sri Lanka, India and China now shifting focus to the African orthodox tea as an alternative source of quality pesticide and herbicide free teas.

The volumes offered in the auction have grown from the first orthodox tea auction in sale 38 of 2025 of 108,812 kilogrammes (kg) to a high of 33,933 kilogrammes in sale 42/2025 with average auction offers of above 200,000 kilogrammes.

The orthodox tea prices have remained relatively firm above $3 (Sh386.96) per kilogrammes with the absorption rate above 50 percent.

What is the main difference between specialty tea and traditional black tea?

Specialty teas are manufactured through a special process with a lot of care and artistic skills, with high-quality and high-value markets as the target.

Artisanal teas are market-driven and made in small quantities, carefully crafted to preserve quality consistency, aroma, flavour, and the make of the teas. Traditional black tea is made through mass processing for mass market.

Examples of specialty teas processed in Kenya include white, silvertip, golden tip teas, purple teas, green tea, oolong, and are processed for consumers who appreciate high-quality teas and are willing to pay premium prices.

What is your projection in terms of sales and pricing trends from orthodox tea in the medium-term?

We expect the production and sales volumes to gradually grow since the average prices for the orthodox teas at the auction are still better than black CTC prices.

Production volumes will settle at an equilibrium where optimum returns will be realised by the producers through better price discovery.

The orthodox tea price trends will follow quality, leaf make, and twist, and remain relatively firm in the medium term, with a possibility of the auction establishing an equilibrium supply and demand for orthodox teas, thereby resulting in predictable prices in the auction by addressing the mismatch between supply and demand.

What is your long-term strategy with specialty teas?

My long-term strategy with specialty tea is to build the capacity of our producer members through training to produce world class specialty teas and develop an online trading platform where the specialty tea producers in Africa can catalogue, showcase and sell the various specialty tea categories produced within the 10 EATTA member countries including Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, DRC, Mozambique, Madagascar, Malawi and Ethiopia.

We plan to allocate more resources towards marketing of specialty teas to create awareness in the world on the availability of the best quality specialty teas in Kenya and Africa. The market-driven production of specialty teas will be more sustainable and improve farmers’ earnings from products and market diversification.

What has been the biggest challenge with the traditional black tea at the auction?

The biggest challenge for the traditional black CTC teas sold at the auction has been inconsistency in the quality offered for sale (poor quality teas), over production that has created a big mismatch between supply and demand, lack of established equilibrium production volumes that the auction can sell with optimum price discovery, changing tastes and preferences and diminishing traditional markets for the black CTC teas.

Are there specific markets you are targeting with your new drive for orthodox tea?

We have conducted a comprehensive orthodox market research and intelligence, segmented specific markets for orthodox teas, with a plan to undertake an aggressive marketing campaign.

Targeted markets include, but are not limited to Russia, Iraq, UAE, Turkey, Libya, Morocco, Iran, and other Middle East countries. The association, in partnership with the government, is focusing more on creating new markets, growing the emerging markets, and maintaining the existing markets for the orthodox teas.

Is the shift to orthodox tea likely to upset trade in conventional black tea?

The gradual shift to orthodox will help create an equilibrium in black CTC production, stabilise demand, and improve prices for black CTC. Basically, it will address the current mismatch between supply and demand, hence a strategy to improve farmers’ income through product and market diversification.

There is no intention to shift completely to orthodox tea production, but the focus is on growing the orthodox production and other specialty tea production portfolio to stop over-reliance on black CTC production.

Read: Kiru, Michi, Chinga factories bag top prices in maiden orthodox tea sale

The auction witnessed a prolonged glut in black tea until recently; has that changed?

The prolonged glut experienced due to introduction of reserve prices by the Kenyan government has been corrected since the removal of reserve prices in October 2024. The high quantities of the old stocks experienced in 2024 and part of 2025 have been moved through auction and direct sales, and currently there is no glut.

The volumes offered weekly in the auction are currently at an average of 13 million kilogrammes as opposed to an average of over 18 million kilogrammes previously offered weekly during the glut. The auction absorption has stabilised to an average of 85-90 percent weekly as compared to 47-50 percent during the glut period.

In 2025, Kenyan tea production declined by over 40 million kilogrammes due to an aggressive quality drive in partnership with the Tea Board of Kenya and the unpredictable rainfall patterns experienced in the country that affected production, thereby correcting the mismatch between production and demand. We project that the tea prices at the Mombasa tea auction in 2026 will remain firm and better than the last three years.

2024 was shaky in terms of earnings for growers. What was the key drawback, and what are your projections for 2025?

The key drawback in 2024 was the implementation of reserve tea prices by the Government in 2021 without periodic review, which resulted in the huge stocks of old teas and massive losses to the smallholder farmers.

Tea loses value with time, and this negatively impacts the growers’ earnings. The implementation of reserve prices not commensurate with the quality of tea offered in the auction was therefore counterproductive, as the farmer was hurt more, contrary to the government’s intention of helping the farmer, in total disregard of the global market dynamics.

How far are your plans to fully automate the operations of the auction?

The Mombasa tea auction transitioned from the hammer/outcry auction in 2020 to an automated/digital trading platform. The auction automation has been enhanced further through the introduction of the Multihall auction platform, which has tremendously improved the auction efficiency in terms of traded volumes and price discovery.

We intend to leverage the vibrancy of the digital smart auction platform to reduce the number of black CTC auction days from two days to a single day, introduce additional halls as the orthodox tea volumes increase, and introduce the specialty tea auctions within the same trading platform.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has warned that procurement bureaucracies risk delaying the $189 million (Sh24.39 billion) upgrading of the highway linking Kenya to South Sudan.

AfDB, in its review of the Kenya – South Sudan Road Corridor Lesseru-Kitale and Morpus-Lokichar Road project, says prolonged procurement of the consultants and finalisation of civil works will derail key designs of the one-stop border posts (OSBP), technical and safety audits of the project.

The project, with a total length of 183.4 kilometres (km), will be undertaken in three lots and is meant to reduce travel time between the two economies, especially for the heavy commercial trucks, boosting inter-country trade.

South Sudan relies on Kenya for nearly all its imports, but movement of cargo between the two nations has been significantly hurt by the poor road network, prompting the push for this project.

‘The project faces a potential risk of delayed commencement due to prolonged procurement processes and evaluation timelines. Any slippage in finalising civil works contracts and onboarding supervision consultants could push critical activities,’ AfDB says in its review of the project.

‘This (procurement) delay may have a cascading effect on subsequent components such as OSBP design, technical and road safety audits, ultimately impacting overall project delivery and disbursement targets.’

AfDB says that Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) must urgently set up a procurement tracking dashboard and start weekly progress reviews to identify bottlenecks derailing the project by June 2026. The works are expected to be complete in 36 months.

The road is currently rendered impassable during heavy rains, significantly slowing down the movement of trucks between the two nations. Setting up of OSBPs will ease the clearance process of traders across the two countries. Completion of the highway is expected to further open up trade between the two countries, with Kenya being the big beneficiary.

Official data shows that South Sudan was Kenya’s fourth biggest export market in the East African region, with goods valued at Sh29.72 billion against imports of Sh17.34 billion in 2024.

AfDB has already given the National Treasury a loan of $189 million (Sh24.39 billion at current exchange rates) to fund the project.

KeNHA, the contracting authority for the project, invited interested contractors to bid for the project in August last year.

The road will open up the counties of West Pokot and Turkana to South Sudan. It will also pass through Uasin Gishu, Kakamega, and Trans Nzoia counties.

The project will be undertaken in three lots: the 55-km stretch from Lesseru to Kitale, the 54 km Morpus-Kainuk section, and the Kainuk – Lokichar spanning 74.4 km.

Have you ever received a promotional text message and wondered how the company that sent it got your contact details? Or maybe you’re casually browsing social media and you see your face, or even worse, your child’s, being used in a marketing campaign without your consent.

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Over the past decade, our increasing reliance on technology for daily tasks has resulted in an increase in the digital footprints left by web users. This has escalated the risk of personal data being misused.

In an era where a single data breach can cost offenders millions in fines and reputational damage, strict data compliance is no longer a nice to have for organisations. It is a legal requirement, crucial for building trust and achieving long-term success in today’s hyper vigilant world.

According to market research, customers are 77 percent more likely to stay loyal to or purchase from brands that are transparent about how their data is collected and used, than those which are not.

As the world marks the Global Data Privacy Week, an annual event held from January 26 to raise awareness about data risks, organisations that handle sensitive customer data such as financial details, addresses, biometrics and health records, must be at the forefront in promoting best data practices.

For instance, clearly disclosing to clients why their data is being collected and how it will be used, by replacing complex language with clear privacy notices, can help to build a foundation of trust that is essential for customer retention.

In addition, companies should commit to collect only the necessary personal information from customers, maintain the data they need for specific regulatory retention periods and have clear protocols for the eventual disposal of outdated information.

Data minimisation and digital shredding can reduce the risk of data breaches by limiting the amount of sensitive information stored and ensuring data doesn’t linger indefinitely.

Companies should only share personal information with third parties who demonstrate equivalent data privacy standards or are subject to similar local and international laws, such as the Kenya Data Protection Act (2019).

Data Protection Officers, whom companies appoint to act as internal watchdogs and direct links to regulatory bodies, must be empowered to operate independently and be involved in key business decisions.