Category: Business Daily

Across Africa last year, fewer people were uncertain about obtaining adequate food or were forced to reduce the quality and quantity of what they ate. The hunger rate fell for the first time in nearly 10 years, from 20.3 percent in 2024 to 20 percent in 2025.

Moderate or severe food insecurity fell from 58.5 to 56.6 per cent, or 8.6 million fewer people. Severe food insecurity also declined. Child stunting is falling. Even hunger, which had been rising in Africa since 2017, appears to have stopped climbing.

The change is modest, but it could mark a turning point. After a decade of deterioration, Africa has shown that the architecture behind food security can work. Keeping that progress alive will need a second shift: from reducing hunger alone to making nutritious diets affordable.

For decades, the address mattered as much as the house itself. If Kenya’s wealthy bought a second home abroad, chances were it overlooked Manhattan’s skyline, London’s parks or Dubai’s glittering waterfront.

Today, however, another skyline is gradually replacing those familiar postcards. Johannesburg and Cape Town are emerging as the new addresses of choice for Kenya’s affluent, reflecting a shift in how wealth is being preserved, diversified and deployed across Africa.

Knight Frank’s Wealth and Investment Trends 2026 report shows South Africa has overtaken the United States as the preferred offshore residential property destination for Kenyan high-net-worth individuals.

The finding signals that investors increasingly looking south rather than west as Africa’s largest economies become more interconnected through business, aviation and capital.

‘Among secondary destinations, the United Kingdom ranked at 25 percent, while South Africa also emerges as a notable regional option at 15 percent. In the previous year, the United States and the United Kingdom featured more prominently as offshore destinations,’ wrote Knight Frank in the report.

‘In 2026, the UK retains its strong position, while South Africa has emerged as a more visible alternative within Africa.’

Years ago, offshore investing was largely synonymous with Europe and North America, where property ownership symbolised status as much as financial success.

Today, Africa itself is beginning to offer many of the ingredients wealthy investors once searched for overseas, including mature property markets, professional asset managers, deeper financial systems and internationally recognised cities.

‘South Africa’s increasing relevance reflects its position as a more mature and diversified African economy, with a well-developed financial system and sophisticated commercial and residential property markets,’ said Knight Frank.

‘Its inclusion among preferred destinations signals a gradual broadening of intra-African investment flows among Kenyan HNWIs (High Networth Individuals), alongside established Western markets.’

According to Hass Consult co-Chief Executive Sakina Hassanali, African wealth is becoming increasingly regional, with the wealthy looking more within the continent as a result of matured regional markets.

‘South Africa offers a sophisticated residential market, attractive lifestyle appeal and is far more accessible for Kenyan investors,’ says Ms Hassanali.

But that accessibility stretches beyond flight times. Buying and managing property in Johannesburg is considerably easier than maintaining an apartment in New York, where taxation, regulations, financing structures and professional management requirements are significantly more complex.

African investors increasingly understand neighbouring markets better than distant global cities, making cross-border decisions less intimidating than they were a decade ago.

Despite South Africa’s growing attraction, Knight Frank’s findings indicate that, Kenya remains the dominant investment destination for affluent households, although preference slipped to 60 percent from 66 percent last year, a trend Ms Hassanali describes as typical progression as wealth grows.

‘Investors naturally move from concentrating their wealth in one market to diversifying across multiple geographies and asset classes. I don’t see this as a loss of confidence in Kenya, but rather as a sign of increasingly sophisticated portfolio construction,’ she observes.

Half of wealth advisers surveyed said fewer than 10 percent of their clients are pursuing second citizenships, while 38 percent reported none are seeking alternative passports. Those figures paint a picture of wealthy families diversifying assets without physical relocation.

The report attributes that confidence to substantial investments already anchored in Kenya across property, agriculture, technology and privately owned businesses.

Knight Frank says deep-rooted social connections and multigenerational family structures also continue influencing residency decisions as much as financial considerations.

‘The continued preference for retaining primary residency in Kenya reflects sustained confidence in the country’s long-term economic prospects and investment environment, despite prevailing global uncertainties,’ noted Knight Frank in the report.

‘Deep-rooted family structures, generational ties and community networks also continue to play a central role in residency decisions, reinforcing long-term attachment to the local market and limiting outward migration among Kenya’s wealthy population.’

The survey also found most wealthy Kenyans still keep only a small proportion of their residential wealth overseas. Thirty-five percent of advisers said less than one-fifth of clients’ residential property holdings are located outside Kenya, reinforcing the country’s position as the centre of their wealth strategies.

Ms Hassanali projects that while international diversification is likely to continue, it will not replace domestic investment.

‘Overseas property ownership comes with greater complexity from taxation and regulation to ongoing management and resale,’ she says.

‘For most Kenyan Investors, international property is likely to remain a complement to their Kenyan portfolio rather than a replacement for it.’

The findings contrast with a rapidly expanding global market for investment migration where wealthy individuals increasingly acquire alternative citizenships to secure easier travel, tax planning opportunities, as well as access to more stable jurisdictions.

Countries including Portugal, Greece, Malta, the United Arab Emirates and several Caribbean states have in recent years attracted affluent investors through residency-by-investment and citizenship-by-investment programmes.

The programmes typically require qualifying investments in property, government securities or local businesses in exchange for residency rights or eventual citizenship.

Global demand for such programmes has accelerated following geopolitical conflicts, tighter immigration rules, rising taxation, as well as heightened political uncertainty across several regions.

Cumulatively, goods worth Sh2.76 trillion exported from China to Kenya over the five years to December 2025 do not appear in KRA’s import records.

GACC says that between 2021 and 2025 the country exported goods valued at Sh5.35 trillion against KRA’s import figure of Sh2.587 trillion, leaving an unexplained gap of Sh2.76 trillion.

China has been Kenya’s largest source of imports for more than a decade, accounting for about a quarter of all goods brought into the country.

Customs taxes on imports are also one of the government’s biggest sources of revenue, making any persistent discrepancy in import records significant for both tax administration and trade policy.

While differences in trade statistics can arise from factors such as the timing of shipments, goods routed through third countries and differences in statistical classification, experts say a persistent gap of this magnitude warrants closer scrutiny because it could point to under-declaration of imports, trade mis-invoicing or other forms of customs leakage.

If a significant part of the discrepancy reflects imports that escaped customs declaration, the government may have lost substantial import tax revenue while some goods may have bypassed regulatory checks, experts argue.

The Sh629 billion gap represented about 49 percent of the value of goods that China recorded as exports to Kenya in 2025, continuing a pattern that has persisted for at least five consecutive years.

The discrepancy was Sh96 billion higher than the Sh533 billion gap recorded in 2024, which came after a Sh733 billion gap in 2023, a year when the Kenyan Shilling had significantly depreciated against major currencies.

The persistent gap between China’s export records and Kenya’s import statistics has raised questions about whether it reflects statistical differences, goods routed through intermediary countries or under-declaration of imports that could have reduced customs tax collections.

‘It has several policy implications, because with such a huge gap it points to possible revenue leakages that may have been missed,’ said economist Churchill Ogutu, head of research at Capital A Investment Bank.

The KRA did not respond to detailed questions on the source of the discrepancies via an email sent to the tax agency on July 18.

However, the Treasury has previously revealed plans to have the KRA work with its counterpart agencies in other jurisdictions to determine the true value of imports shipped in from China.

As part of its revenue strategy for the medium term, the Treasury disclosed that the government will be working with other tax authorities in determining the true value of ‘high-risk imports from China,’ which is aimed at addressing the problem of mis-invoicing.

Trade mis-invoicing involves manipulating the price, quantity, or quality of a good or service on an invoice so as to shift capital illicitly across borders.

The government reckons that the value of most of these products-especially electronics such as mobile phones and computers – has not been accurately priced, leading to tax leakages running into billions of shillings.

‘Specific tax measures to be implemented include…to establish a clear framework on the exchange of information (EOI) with other tax jurisdictions for both domestic taxes and customs to ensure the flow of information e.g. valuation of high-risk imports from China and Transfer pricing paused by multinationals,’ the Treasury said in its medium-term revenue strategy for the period 2024-2027.

Customs taxes remain one of the KRA’s biggest revenue streams. In the nine months to March 2026, the authority collected Sh733.7 billion in customs revenue, accounting for 36 percent of all tax collections, underscoring the importance of accurately recording imports.

Between 2021 and 2025, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics recorded exports to China totalling Sh121.5 billion, while the GACC recorded Sh151.9 billion. The difference of Sh30.4 billion is the cost of shipping and insurance.

‘It’s normal to see what’s recorded as imports being slightly higher than what’s the equivalent exports from the source country because one is FOB and the other includes shipping costs,’ said Mr Ogutu.

‘But a situation where imports are less than exports is difficult to explain. It could be a result of several factors.’

Some scholars have attributed such discrepancies in records to goods smuggling, especially when the goods have been illegally obtained, are contraband, or when importers want to evade paying taxes.

Motor dealer DT Dobie Kenya, now in liquidation, has been ordered to pay Sh1.1 billion in customs duty on imported vehicle parts after the National Treasury failed to honour its promise to settle the tax.

The Tax Appeals Tribunal dismissed the company’s appeal against the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), ruling that the Treasury’s undertaking did not extinguish the importer’s legal obligation to pay customs duty.

The dispute stemmed from duty-free imports of semi-knocked down (SKD) vehicle kits under a 2016 government programme aimed at reviving local vehicle assembly.

SKD kits are imported vehicle parts assembled locally. Unlike completely knocked down (CKD) kits, which qualified for duty-free importation under the customs regime, SKD kits were never exempted by law.

The tribunal upheld KRA’s review decision confirming customs duties of Sh1.11 billion, finding that no legislation had ever granted SKD imports a customs duty exemption.

The dispute originated under the Kenya Industrialisation Transformation Programme, through which the government sought to revive local vehicle assembly.

In 2016, the government negotiated with Volkswagen South Africa to re-establish Volkswagen assembly in Kenya after nearly four decades. Later that year, the government, Volkswagen South Africa and DT Dobie signed a Letter of Commitment appointing D.T. Dobie as Volkswagen’s local implementation partner.

The programme involved assembling Volkswagen Polo Vivo vehicles at the Kenya Vehicle Manufacturers (KVM) plant in Thika using SKD kits and establishing a training centre to develop local automotive skills.

To facilitate the project, the National Treasury instructed KRA to clear SKD imports without collecting customs duty immediately and undertook to pay the taxes pending amendments to revenue laws that would align the treatment of SKD kits with CKD kits. KRA implemented the arrangement by issuing exemption codes for the imports.

However, the promised legal amendments were never enacted.

Following a post-clearance compliance review, KRA in September 2025 demanded Sh1.39 billion in unpaid customs duties. After D.T. Dobie objected, the taxman removed declarations falling outside the statutory audit period and reduced the assessment to Sh1.11 billion, covering imports made between September 2020 and May 2025.

DT Dobie argued that it imported the kits only after the government committed to granting duty relief and that KRA had consistently implemented the arrangement by clearing the consignments duty-free for several years.

The company said it had invested in local assembly in reliance on Treasury’s undertaking and argued that KRA had breached its legitimate expectation by later demanding payment.

The tribunal rejected the argument, holding that administrative assurances could not replace legislation.

“The exemption from customs duty is a creature of statute,” the tribunal ruled, adding that “the anticipated legal framework never came into being.”

It added: “To date, therefore, SKDs are not exempt from customs duty.”

The judges held that the duty-free clearance merely deferred payment and did not extinguish the tax liability.

“The duty was always due; what was deferred was its payment, not its imposition,” the ruling stated.

The tribunal further found that the National Treasury’s undertaking did not transfer the statutory obligation to pay customs duty from the importer.

“The appellant’s remedy, if any, for the National Treasury’s failure to meet its promise lies against the National Treasury. It does not lie in resisting a duty that the EACCMA fixes upon the appellant as owner,” the tribunal said.

It noted that under the East African Community Customs Management Act (EACCMA), import duty exemptions are available only where expressly provided by law or under the East African Community Common External Tariff.

“Exemptions are to be strictly construed, and the party asserting an exemption bears the burden of bringing the goods squarely within the exempting provision,” the tribunal said.

On legitimate expectation, the tribunal ruled that no public authority could create a tax exemption through administrative action where Parliament had not enacted one.

“There can be no legitimate expectation against clear provisions of the law,” it held.

The tribunal also dismissed DT Dobie’s claim that the assessment had been issued outside statutory timelines, finding that KRA had already excluded declarations falling beyond the five-year limitation period before confirming the final assessment.

The main feasibility study for the planned 243-kilometer dual toll Mau Summit-Malaba highway will kick off within the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year, the public-private-partnership (PPP) directorate of the National Treasury has said.

‘The pre-feasibility study commenced in November 2025 and was completed in May 2026. Feasibility study to commence in quarter one of the financial year 2026/2027,’ the directorate said.

The project comprises upgrading the 243-kilometer Mau Summit-Malaba highway, converting it into an access-controlled tolled road and expanding its capacity from 2 lanes to 4 lanes. The strategic transport route is part of the Northern Corridor connecting western Kenya and Uganda and will complement the upstream Nairobi-Mau Summit highway already under construction.

‘The highway is also one of 9 roads that constitute the Trans-African Highway Network, a continental development policy coordinated by the African Union,’ the directorate said.

A consortium of Canadian and Kenyan firms conducted the pre-feasibility studies to expand the Mau Summit-Eldoret-Malaba highway under the PPP model. The study was funded by the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). CPCS of Canada and Kenya’s Avatech Engineering undertook the pre-study that will anchor the cost of the project and toll fees to be charged by the investors who will fund the project.

The project will join the Sh170 billion Rironi-Mau Summit dual highway, marking a departure from the earlier plan, which was to extend it on the Kisumu-Busia-Malaba side. China Road and Bridge Corporation and the National Social Security Fund have already started work on the 236-kilometre section from Rironi through Nakuru to Mau Summit.

The Mau Summit-Eldoret-Malaba section, which is part of the Northern Corridor, currently experiences heavy traffic and is prone to accidents.

The government had earlier said that the dual carriageway would be extended to Malaba through Kisumu and Busia. It had remained mum on the Mau Summit-Eldoret-Malaba section.

The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) had earlier disclosed that 24 percent of the Northern Corridor roads were in deplorable condition by 2018, forcing transporters to endure over 100 hours moving from Mombasa to Malaba, against the targeted 78 hours.

Besides the existing 27-kilometre Nairobi Expressway, KeNHA plans to construct more expressways on key transport corridors to ease the rising traffic congestion and spur both local and foreign investment.

Expressways are typically high-capacity roads designed to allow vehicles to travel quickly and efficiently over long distances with minimal interruptions. They are built to handle large volumes of traffic at relatively high speeds compared to ordinary roads and often involve tolls.

‘Major road corridors, including the Northern Corridor and routes connecting Nairobi to Central and Eastern Kenya, are increasingly congested, impeding efficient movement,’ KeNHA said in a disclosure.

‘The government recognises the significant impact that inadequate infrastructure has on economic growth and poverty reduction. It has already begun to observe how infrastructure bottlenecks are hindering both foreign and domestic investment,’ the agency added.

The National Treasury has introduced new restrictions on the transfer of cryptocurrency licences, requiring operators to hold and actively use their permits for at least three years before they can be sold or assigned to another party.

The new Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASP) Regulations, 2026, published by Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, also require successful applicants to commence operations within 12 months of receiving a licence.

The rules aim to curb speculative licence trading, where individuals or firms acquire regulatory licences not to operate cryptocurrency businesses but to later sell or transfer the permits for a profit once they become scarce or more valuable.

‘Upon grant of a licence under these rules, a licensee shall commence its virtual asset business within twelve months of the date of grant of the licence,’ the regulations say.

The rules require that a licensee seeking to assign or transfer a licence apply in writing to the relevant regulator and pay the prescribed fee. However, the application will only be considered if the licensee has held the licence for at least 36 months from the date operations began.

‘An application (for transfer of a licence) shall only be considered if the licensee has commenced virtual asset business and operated in accordance with any conditions imposed on the licence and held the licence for a minimum period of 36 months from the date of commencement of business,’ the new rules say.

By requiring licensees to commence operations within a year and hold their licences for at least three years before transferring them, the Treasury is seeking to ensure licences are issued only to genuine operators with long-term business plans, rather than investors looking to flip regulatory approvals.

The new guidelines form subsidiary legislation for the Virtual Assets Service Providers Act 2025, which became effective in November 2025.

The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) and the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) are mandated to jointly license, supervise and regulate cryptocurrency exchanges, wallet providers, stablecoin issuers and other virtual asset businesses operating in the country.

Under the framework, cryptocurrency firms seeking licences are required to submit audited financial statements for the three years preceding the application. Newly incorporated firms must instead provide opening financial statements verified by an auditor.

Where the applicant is a subsidiary of a foreign-incorporated company, the regulations require submission of the parent company’s audited consolidated financial statements for the previous three years. The CBK and CMA will determine licence applications within 30 days after receiving all required documents and completing due diligence on the applicant.

Meanwhile, virtual asset exchanges will pay an initial licence fee of Sh1 million and an annual renewal fee of Sh500,000 or 0.5 percent of gross revenue, whichever is higher.

Wallet providers will pay Sh500,000 for both initial licensing and renewal, or 0.15 percent of gross turnover, while stablecoin issuers are required to pay Sh2 million for both.

Asset managers will pay an initial Sh200,000, with annual renewal fees set at 0.05 percent of assets under management, subject to a minimum of Sh200,000 and a maximum of Sh5 million.

The Treasury has allowed firms to obtain a single licence covering more than one virtual asset activity, provided that they constitute distinct lines of business with independent risk profiles or share common infrastructure.

The tracking of bank transactions helped a State agency tasked with monitoring money laundering unearth illicit wealth worth $120.91 million (Sh15.65 billion) in the year to December 2025, reflecting increased use of financial intelligence in fight against economic crime.

Fresh disclosures from the Financial Reporting Centre (FRC), which is the country’s financial intelligence unit, show that suspicious transaction reports filed largely by banks triggered a wave of investigations that have led to the tracing and identification of the billions of shillings.

The intelligence was built from thousands of reports that banks and other reporting entities, such as real estate agencies and insurers, file with the FRC, including the weekly cash transaction reports (CTRs) that capture cash transactions above $15,000 (Sh1.94 million).

The flagged illicit deals triggered further probes by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) in the war against dirty money.

The FRC said the bulk of the Sh15.65 billion relates to proceeds of corruption, economic crimes, unexplained wealth and high-value public land.

‘Unexplained wealth has been recovered. Restriction and preservation have been put on land pending recovery,’ said the FRC.

In the leafy suburbs, five-bedroom villas with servants’ quarters sell easily for Sh100 million in cash, real estate agents say.

High-end residential property prices have shot up multiple times since 2010, with the Nairobi market emerging as one of the top performers in Africa.

Sales of luxury vehicles have also surged, with conspicuous spending not tallying with official records on income tax payments.

This points to illicit money flow from faulty trade invoicing, crime, corruption and shady business activities.

The Financial Action Task Force, the official global watchdog, has kept Kenya on its “grey list” of countries it considers high risk for money laundering and terrorist finance activities.

The seizures came in the year the FRC saw an 18.8 percent surge in suspicious transaction reports to 9,571, from 8,057 in 2024, driven largely by the banking sector-which accounted for 85.7 percent of the reports.

Lenders have formed a key cog, given that the bulk of the cash transactions ultimately end up in clients’ bank accounts.

The disclosures come against the backdrop of a 2025 Financial Reporting Centre (FRC) typologies report showing Sh6.38 trillion or about 91 percent of suspicious flows passed through banks in three years to 2023, underlining the sector’s central role in money laundering risks.

The typologies report also flagged increasingly sophisticated tactics, including the use of shell companies and structuring transactions to evade detection, with illicit flows involving Kenya linked to at least 21 countries.

The FRC receives reports on suspicious deals from reporting institutions such as banks, insurers, saccos, forex bureaus, mobile money operators, lawyers, accountants, casinos and betting firms, real estate agents and dealers in precious metals and stones.

Reporting entities must file cash transaction reports for deals above $15,000 (Sh1.94 million) and cross-border declarations for amounts exceeding $10,000 (Sh1.29 million).

They also submit suspicious transaction and activity reports on any dealings or behaviour, regardless of value, linked to crime, money laundering, terrorism financing, or potential illicit financial flows.

The information from the reporting entities forms the financial intelligence that is used to fight money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing. The FRC receives and analyses the information to pick out patterns or trends that may indicate financial crime.

The agency says it enriches the reports with information from multiple other sources to produce ‘high-quality intelligence disseminations’ used by agencies such as the DCI, the EACC, the KRA and the ARA in going after the culprits

‘The centre analyses suspicious reports and other financial transactions reports from reporting institutions from which it disseminates financial intelligence to law enforcement agencies for appropriate action,’ says the FRC in the latest report.

The FRC does not arrest or prosecute suspects, but it uses the intelligence reports from reporting entities and international financial intelligence units to connect the dots and feed leads to DCI, EACC and ARA to build watertight cases.

The latest report show the EACC was a key recipient of the 260 reports that the FRC shared to law enforcement agencies. The EACC received 72 such reports, all of which resulted in investigations that traced the Sh15.65 billion.

The KRA acted on 70 reports, completing investigations on 33 cases and raising tax assessments amounting to $4.56 million (Sh590.75 million) from which it has recovered $2.37 million (Sh307 million).

In addition, the DCI received 67 FRC intelligence reports, all of which triggered investigations.

The ARA, which focuses on tracing and seizures of proceeds of crime, handled 51 intelligence reports. The FRC says investigations are at different stages, with 31 cases advanced, two pending forfeitures in court and five already closed.

The FRC has been increasing the number of reporting institutions to step up the fight against illicit wealth.

San Diego Comic-Con 2026, the buzz was all about the future of superhero casting. David Jonsson was officially announced as the new Black Panther, a choice that had people talking since many expected Damson Idris. On top of that, Ryan Gosling is the next Ghost Rider, perfect casting. Fans have spent years claiming Gosling was born to play that character, much like Robert Downey Jr and Iron Man. All of that got me thinking about fan casting versus studio casting.

Let’s take Alan Ritchson, for instance. While casting discussions are always up to the directors, studios and producers, I am one of those people who thinks Alan Ritchson should be Batman in James Gunn’s DCU.

He has the physical presence, the look, and the presence required to play Bruce Wayne, and lately has also been quietly proving his broader acting range in different productions. To get an idea of his acting range, you only need to look at his latest film, Motor City.

Motor City is a fascinating piece of cinema because it strips away traditional dialogue, forcing you to follow the characters purely through their performance, expressions, editing and cinematography. I can only remember three lines of spoken dialogue in the entire runtime, with one line from the main female character and the other delivered by the villain at the end.

For all intents and purposes, this functions almost as a silent crime thriller with a sprinkle of action. That is not to mean that this is a non-stop John Wick-style film with action running from the second act to the credits. Based on the marketing and trailers, you might find yourself slightly surprised, almost disappointed. This is a slower film, and calling it a traditional action movie misses the point because the actual physical skirmishes are sparse.

If you spend time on the internet, this phrase should be familiar: ‘Yep, that’s me, you’re probably wondering how I got into this situation.’ Motor City is that film minus the dialogue. It kicks off with a brilliant sequence that immediately establishes the tone, builds the gritty feel of the world, and foreshadows the explosive final twenty minutes.

Once that opening hook settles, the film spends the first and second acts laying down the groundwork and character motivation that leads up to that final confrontation. You should not approach this film expecting a wall-to-wall firefight or standard modern action tropes, because it offers something not entirely different, just not what you expect as marketed in the trailers. But let’s take a step back, what exactly is this movie?

Motor City is a 2025 American action thriller film written by Chad St John and directed by Potsy Ponciroli. It stars Alan Ritchson alongside Ben Foster, Pablo Schreiber, Lionel Boyce, and Shailene Woodley. The plot follows John Miller, played by Alan Ritchson, who is an ex-con on a quest for revenge against a gangster played by Ben Foster.

The gangster framed Miller for a crime he never committed and stole his girlfriend, played by Shailene Woodley, all set against the backdrop of a colourful 1977 Detroit. Because spoken words are kept to an absolute minimum, the film relies heavily on a strong soundtrack, good direction, and performances.

The seventies

The art direction captures the look and feel of the late 1970s remarkably. They got the vintage cars right, which is important given that cars play a vital thematic and practical role in the narrative. The costume design, the period-accurate glasses, the moustaches and facial hair, and the overall wardrobe choices make the cast look like they were lifted straight out of a photograph from that era.

The movie also captures the authentic cultural habits of the time without feeling cartoonish. For anyone who grew up watching older generations, smoking cigarettes was a normal everyday part of life, and this film weaves that habit into the visual storytelling. Watching a character light a cigarette becomes a deliberate tool to convey tension and character state. Those period details, which also include a muted colour palette on the walls, interior apartment and car designs, make the title Motor City feel grounded to an era and place once you understand the industrial automotive history of America.

Another risk that somehow paid off is the near-total absence of dialogue. Modern audiences are usually spoon-fed exposition through endless on-the-nose dialogue, but this film sticks to the golden rule of showing rather than telling. With roughly 95 percent of the runtime devoid of dialogue, the soundtrack has to do the heavy lifting, and the music selection is nothing short of perfect, especially if you are into 70s music.

There is a prison sequence underscored by the Moody Blues track Nights in White Satin that is elevated by the choice of music. The movie fills its runtime with carefully picked needle drops that never feel obnoxious or overly stylised in the way modern comic-book movies tend to handle licensed tracks. Instead, the music acts as an emotional anchor, punctuating quiet moments and helping the audience absorb the narrative weight without the need for a character to spell it out.

The physical performances match this stylistic choice primarily because the actors cannot rely on long monologues. They communicate entirely through micro-expressions, posture, and heavy body language. But you never feel like the actors are exaggerating, and you can always tell what they are thinking based on their performances. Ben Foster does a phenomenal job portraying the primary antagonist, he is effective without the need to say anything. Alan Ritchson anchors the entire project with a grounded, physical performance that makes his quest for vengeance feel earned.

The film wisely keeps its runtime lean at around 90 minutes. It refuses to overstay its welcome, structuring its narrative efficiently through a proper setup, a slow-burn middle conflict, and a strong final act.

The elevator scene

That third act delivers one of the best action set pieces of the year. The elevator scene serves as the highlight of the entire production. It is brutal, messy, and painfully realistic, I mean, at some point you will look away. The tone shifts drastically in that elevator, changing how you view the entire movie up to that point. The cinematography inside the confined space gives you something to look at and sometimes allows your mind to fill in the rest, utilising realistic blood-splatter physics and stunt work to elevate the fight. I also appreciated the ending. Instead of taking the predictable route, the filmmakers pull off a conclusion that feels both satisfying and refreshingly different.

If there is any minor critique to level against the experience, it is that the film leaves you craving a bit more of that elevator fight. Since the first and second acts lean heavily into a slow-burn crime drama with minimal action, one or two intense action set pieces like the elevator scene could have gone a long way.

The plot is basic and easy to follow, predictable, even, and mainstream viewers might struggle with the lack of conventional conversation, but anyone walking in with the correct mindset will find plenty to enjoy. It is a moody crime drama masquerading as a silent movie.

Looking back at my earlier thoughts on franchise casting, there is a specific frame before the title card, shot from below, where Alan Ritchson stands near a sign, and for one brief second, you can clearly picture him suited up in a cape and cowl. Motor City is another film that proves Ritchson has the screen presence to carry a project, offering an artistic, stylish, and genuinely unique experience far from what is currently screening, which includes Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.

Esther Masese Waititu was just 23 when she joined the banking world as a graduate trainee.

Young, ambitious and fearless, she stunned the bank’s CEO during an introductory meeting by declaring that she intended to take his job one day.

In an earlier interview, Ms Waititu recalled that, even then, she believed the best job anyone could aspire to was that of a chief executive. When the CEO invited questions from the new graduate trainees, she wasted no time.

“I want to have your job. Can you show me how?” she asked.

It was a bold declaration from a fresh graduate, but one that would come to define a career marked by steady progression through Kenya’s corporate ranks.

Those who have followed Ms Waititu’s career may be forgiven for believing that she is edging closer to that childhood ambition after announcing she will leave Safaricom, where she has served as Chief Financial Services Officer since 2023.

Her departure ends a stint at Kenya’s largest telecommunications firm, fuelling speculation that a CEO role may be next.

“I wish to announce that Esther Waititu, our Chief Financial Services Officer, will be leaving Safaricom to pursue other opportunities. At her request, the company has agreed that her last working day will be July 31, 2026,” Safaricom Chief Executive Peter Ndegwa said in an email to staff.

Though her time at Safaricom lasted only three years, it coincided with some of the company’s most significant innovations. Before joining the telco, she had spent 13 years in banking, serving as KCB Group’s Director for Corporate Banking between September 2021 and February 2023 after holding several senior roles at Standard Bank of South Africa.

At Safaricom, she helped transform M-Pesa from a payment platform into a broader financial ecosystem, earning herself the title, “Mama M-Pesa”.

She oversaw the migration of the platform to the cloud-native Fintech 2.0 architecture, launched Daraja 3.0 to open M-Pesa’s rails to developers and championed products aimed at deepening financial inclusion, including Pochi la Biashara, Tuunza Mapato and device insurance.

Among her signature achievements was the rollout of Ziidi Trader, an integrated mini-app launched in February that allows M-Pesa customers to buy and sell shares on the Nairobi Securities Exchange directly from their phones.

Reflecting on her departure in a LinkedIn post, Ms Waititu said her goal had never been simply to build better payment technology but to make M-Pesa a platform that helps ordinary Kenyans save, borrow, insure themselves and build wealth.

“Three years ago, M-PESA was already Africa’s leading digital payment platform. I believed we could do more. With an exceptional team, we set out to make it a lifeline platform, one that helps people save for school fees, insure against risk, borrow to grow and build wealth for the next generation,” she wrote.

She said the launch of Ziidi Trader brought investing within reach of millions of Kenyans by placing the NSE “in the pocket of every M-Pesa customer,” while Fintech 2.0 and Daraja 3.0 laid the digital infrastructure for future innovations. The work, she added, reinforced her belief that financial inclusion and commercial performance are mutually reinforcing.

Long before she was helping reshape Africa’s largest mobile money platform, Ms Waititu was a young woman with big dreams.

Before joining banking, she briefly worked in a coffee shop, where she watched customers casually spend Sh250 on a cup of the beverage before ordering meals. Instead of seeing extravagance, she saw a future.

“I used to look at these guys spending Sh250 on just a cup of coffee before they had their sandwich,” Ms Waititu recalled.

“One day, it shall be me, and I will be served by someone like me on the other side. I wanted to be served with a smile and given options.”

Ms Waititu admits she did not grow up lacking. Her mother worked at property consultancy Knight Frank and the family enjoyed a comfortable upbringing.

Drivers picked them up from school. She attended Loreto Msongari Girls High School while her brothers studied at St Mary’s School, Nairobi. She later got admitted to the University of Eastern Africa, Baraton, though her first choice had been the University of Nairobi.

Her life has been guided by the same optimism that defines her career. She met her husband in the early 2000s at the popular Nairobi entertainment spot Kengeles, where a chance encounter blossomed into a lifelong relationship.

The two married, but not before learning one of life’s early lessons in managing the unexpected.

They had planned for about 400 guests at their wedding, only for almost 700 to turn up. Instead of panicking, they negotiated a payment plan with the venue before setting off on honeymoon.

Their destination was the Maldives, the idyllic Indian Ocean archipelago famed for its white sandy beaches, clear waters and luxurious overwater villas that have made it one of the world’s most coveted destinations.

“Things will not always work out perfectly,” she once said.

“But you have to negotiate and find your way to come out of there.”

That resilience would be tested again when she became a mother. Ms Waititu, who has twins, has spoken about the difficult pregnancy that left her hospitalised for several days after giving birth before she was finally discharged to join her newborns.

The experience deepened Ms Waititu’s appreciation for family and strengthened her resolve to pursue excellence at home and work.

Away from the office, she is an avid lover of music, art and travel.

Ms Waititu also enjoys dancing and admits that, after a demanding day, she does not mind stepping out for a night of dancing with family and friends.

Her love for music dates to the beginning of her career. One of the first major purchases she made after landing her first job was a sound system. She bought it on hire purchase.

She also developed a passion for collecting paintings and bought a car, much to the chagrin of her mother, who thought she should have invested in property instead.

“Money should be enjoyed,” she says.

“I have discovered as an adult that money is just a tool.”

Rather than measuring success by how much one earns, she believes people should focus on the quality of life they build.

“I shouldn’t be aiming to see how much money I am making. I should be aiming to see what type of life I want to lead,” she says.

That philosophy extends to travel. While many would rather use Sh1 million to buy land, she believes experiences are equally valuable.

“You have the plot, but I don’t know if you are going to have the experience and richness of life,” she says.

The confidence that led the 23-year-old graduate trainee to tell a chief executive she wanted his job has remained the defining thread of her life.

It carried her from serving coffee to leading one of Africa’s largest fintech businesses, through the demands of marriage, motherhood and executive leadership, and into the upper ranks of Kenya’s corporate world.

As she prepares to leave Safaricom after helping redefine the role of M-Pesa in Kenya’s financial system, the question is no longer if she is ready to lead a company.

It is which board will hand the ambitious graduate trainee the chief executive’s office she first set sights on more than two decades ago.

“I look forward to sharing more about my next adventure soon,” she said in her LinkedIn post.

For generations, wealthy families have encouraged their children to marry within similar socio-economic circles, partly to preserve their fortunes.

“People naturally meet partners with same experiences and hobbies,” says Moses Mathini, Head of Private Wealth and Legal at Liaison Group.

“These hobbies tend to financially exclude those who cannot afford them regularly, reducing the likelihood of people from different economic backgrounds socialising.”

However, as someone once sang, the heart is not so smart. People from rich families may marry down. This has prompted wealth managers to create structures that ensure the wealth built up over years isn’t sacrificed on the altar of romance and matrimonial property.

“Key considerations include establishing clear governance frameworks through incorporated family trusts that define roles, manage expectations and minimise the potential for disputes. These measures protect and preserve the family’s wealth by insulating it from potential divorce or predatory partners,” he says.

Affluent households are increasingly strengthening legal and governance structures that protect wealth, regardless of whom family members settle down with.

“Younger generations are entering marriage already owning businesses, investments and intellectual property,” says Onesmus Maswii, Head of Premier and Absa Wealth Segments.

As a result, open discussions about pre-marital wealth planning, transparency and asset protection have become the norm.

“Rather than holding assets individually, households are using trusts, family companies and family offices. This shifts attention from individual ownership towards governance, business continuity and dispute prevention,” Mr Maswii says.

He adds that families have become aware that poorly managed marital disputes can endanger businesses, trusts and even employees.

“Prenuptial agreements, shareholder agreements and family constitutions are now seen as management tools rather than as signs of mistrust,” he says.

The Constitution guarantees individual property rights and the freedom to marry based on consent. Mr Maswii says successful families respect these rights by educating the next generation on stewardship rather than restricting their choices.

While marriages among the business and political elite still serve as influential social and economic networks, modern unions are driven by personal choice combined with a shared long-term strategic vision.

‘Modern affluent families prioritise whether an incoming spouse understands and respects the family’s core values, long-term vision and governance structures, rather than focusing purely on their social or financial pedigree,’ he says.

Mr Maswii adds that attempting to control relationship choices often triggers conflict without safeguarding wealth. Wealthy households now rely on robust governance instruments like family trusts under the Trustees (Perpetual Succession) Act, shareholder agreements, wills and family constitutions.

“These are used to insulate family wealth from marital shifts,” he adds.

The financial independence of the younger generations has altered the approach to estate planning and marital wealth. Rather than automatically pooling assets upon marriage, couples and their families now distinguish between individual assets, matrimonial property and inherited family wealth.

“This reflects a broader trend of early entrepreneurship, advanced education and financial independence,” Mr Maswii says.

The shift becomes even more apparent when families start to consider succession. According to Mr Mathini, first-generation wealth creators are primarily focused on building wealth.

“Their priority is growing businesses and making investments that multiply the wealth,” he explains.

“Multi-generational rich families focus on preserving wealth, ensuring an orderly transfer of assets and passing on family values and governance principles across generations.”

However, first-generation entrepreneurs are more likely to rely on informal decision-making, which can expose the family and the business to avoidable conflict.

Conversely, multi-generational families tend to separate family ownership from business management by establishing family councils, implementing formal governance policies and engaging professional advisers.

They recognise that it is formal governance that secures prosperity. This difference also shapes how they prepare for future marriages. The lessons become clearest when marriages involving significant family wealth break down.

“It’s better to structure things early, when partners are cooperative and understanding comes more easily, than trying to negotiate when love has deteriorated,” Mr Mathini says.

Waiting too long to have these conversations is a mistake.

“Many families avoid discussing wealth, governance and succession until death strikes. Uncertainty and conflict that arise could have been avoided by early planning,” he says.

Families also discover that preserving wealth cannot be left to verbal agreements, assumptions or informal understanding. Without clear documented ownership and governance structures, disputes are likely to escalate.

“It is important to maintain records that distinguish matrimonial property from corporate or trust assets. Failure to make this distinction can lead to rows over asset distribution during the dissolution of a marriage, particularly when assets are presumed to be part of matrimonial property when they are not,’ Mr Mathini says.

Even with a valid will, succession planning is not always fool proof. Courts can intervene, based on the size of the estate and the needs of the beneficiaries. Plans must anticipate and mitigate potential family disputes.

“Trust structures and prenuptial agreements are only robust if they are built on full financial disclosure, proper governance and independent legal advice. Courts will not uphold arrangements compromised by deception,’ he adds.

Legal reforms recognising family trusts and prenuptial agreements, combined with the growing sophistication of family businesses, suggest that these are becoming increasingly common among high-net-worth households seeking to maintain harmony and protect their wealth.

“Trusts define beneficiaries, impose conditions and appoint enforcers to ensure compliance,’ Mr Maswii says.

“The law excludes trust assets from matrimonial property. They protect family assets while ensuring beneficiaries get their intended benefits.”

Mr Mathini believes this financial independence transforms the nature of those conversations.

‘The absence of limited resources creates an environment where both parties focus more on emotional well-being than on what they can gain or lose financially from each other.’