Category: Business Daily

As the year draws to a close, millions across the world are preparing to bid farewell to 2025 with grand celebrations, family gatherings, and parties.

These festivities often involve high food consumption and extensive travel – a tradition meant for rest, enjoyment, and reflection. While reconnecting with family, friends, and communities is important, we must not overlook a critical responsibility: caring for our environment.

During festive seasons, overflowing garbage sites, discarded plastic bottles, food waste, and increased carbon emissions from travel place additional pressure on already strained ecosystems.

The climate crisis makes it clear that such behaviour is no longer sustainable. Prolonged droughts, intermittent rainfall, persistent floods, pests, and other climate-related challenges continue to cause deaths, forced migration, hunger, disease, and malnutrition, particularly among children.

The World Meteorological Organization’s recent report, released at the COP 30 climate conference in Brazil, shows that 2025 is on track to be the second or third warmest year on record.

The devastating effects of climate change on lives and livelihoods underline the urgent need for deliberate environmental conservation. Every action we take contributes either to environmental degradation or to protection.

Responsible celebration starts with simple, impactful actions. Manage leftovers thoughtfully, dispose of waste responsibly, and prioritise reuse or recycling.

Plastic waste – from single-use plates, cups, and gift wrappings – remains a major issue; switching to reusable utensils or biodegradable packaging can significantly reduce festive litter.

Environmental responsibility need not dampen joy. Families can still celebrate fully while integrating eco-friendly practices. Tree planting, community clean-ups, and other environmentally conscious activities add meaning and life to our celebrations, fostering a sense of shared responsibility.

As we welcome 2026, let us remember that our survival is tied to a healthy environment. This festive season, the challenge is clear: enjoy responsibly while protecting the planet we depend on.

Businessman Julius Mwale has been directed to deposit Sh17 million in court pending the determination of an appeal he intends to lodge against a contractor for alleged supply of murram in 2019.

The High Court directed the US-based tycoon to deposit the amount within 30 days from the date of the ruling, as a condition for stopping Sifatronix Limited from recovering Sh17.1 million from him.

Sifatronix won the case against the businessman in February after suing him and his company Tumaz and Tumaz Ltd for the supply of murram that was used for the construction of a six kilometre road at Mwale Medical and Technology City in 2019.

The businessman went back to the High Court and obtained an order stopping Sifatronix from executing the judgment, pending the hearing of his appeal. He said was dissatisfied with the February 27, judgment.

‘I am satisfied that the matter warrants urgent attention. Accordingly, the application is certified as urgent,’ said the court.

The court ruled that the decision is suspended on condition that he deposits the amount in court within 30 days and in default, Sifatronix will be free to recover the amount.

Mr Mwale told the court that allowing the contractor to recover the money before the hearing of the appeal will render the case an academic exercise.

‘The balance of convenience tilts in favour of preserving the status quo, as no prejudice shall be suffered by the Respondent (Sifatronix Ltd) which cannot be adequately compensated by interest, whereas the Applicant stands to suffer irreparable prejudice if stay is denied,’ Mr Mwale said in the application.

The businessman said the contractor’s financial ability to refund the decretal sum, interest and costs in the event that the intended appeal succeeds is unknown, and there exists a real risk that recovering the money may be impossible.

Sifatroix sued Tumaz and Tumaz in July 2019 demanding payment of Sh30.6 million for the supply of murram.

The contractor said it supplied the goods as required but the Tumaz and Tumaz declined to pay.

Mr Mwale opposed the case and filed a counterclaim, and argued that the alleged contract for the supply of murram was signed between Tumaz and Tumaz and Epic Agency Limited, and who were duly paid.

He further claimed that Sifatronix approached Tumaz and Tumaz requesting security for a Local Purchase Order (LPO) it had been awarded for tarmacking the road.

It was under this arrangement that Tumaz and Tumaz issued post-dated cheques to Sifatronix, with the understanding that the cheques would only be presented for payment upon confirmation of work completed.

The businessman said Sifatronix requested Tumaz and Tumaz to provide financing under the LPO agreement, pursuant to which Tumaz and Tumaz made various payments totaling Sh2.59 million.

However, Sifatronix breached the agreement by failing to commence the road tarmacking works.

As a result, he said he and his firm were justified in not honouring the post-dated cheques. He further contended that the suit does not disclose any cause of action against them.

In the counterclaim, Tumaz and Tumaz sought a reimbursement of the Sh2.59 million, which he claimed was paid as a deposit for the road tarmacking works, or alternatively, an order of specific performance compelling Sifatronix to complete the tarmacking of the six-kilometre road.

But the court ruled that the evidence produced by Sifatronix showed that it was uncontroverted that Tumaz and Tumaz issued it with various LPOs for the supply of murram.

The court said the murram was delivered and received by Tumaz and Tumaz as evidenced by the delivery notes and thereafter Sifatronix issued Tumaz and Tumaz with various invoices.

The court said the documents constitute sufficient evidence of a contractual relationship between Sifatronix and Tumaz and Tumaz.

The court, however, reviewed the amount downwards and directed Tumaz and Tumaz to pay Sh17.1 million to Sifatronix.

MPs, the Presidency, and judicial officers have topped in splurging billions of shillings in public funds on avoidable expenses, putting to the test austerity measures announced by the State just two years ago.

The spend by the three offices, which represent the top echelons of the Executive, Parliament, and the Judiciary, shows that they continue to lead in use of public funds on activities such as hospitality, training, and travel, even as public development projects and programmes remained starved of cash.

In January 2025, Kenyans woke to the reality that all rateable land, except freehold agricultural land, would be subject to annual land rates under the National Rating Act, which received presidential assent in December 2024. While county governments welcomed the law, many freehold landowners bristled at the levy.

In February, President William Ruto announced plans to buy land from absentee landlords along the coast, tasking Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome and senior local leaders with identifying suitable parcels. If handled professionally, the initiative could significantly improve livelihoods for the landless.

March brought fresh controversy as the President acceded to the allocation of a public military land in Roysambu, Nairobi, to a church – raising eyebrows given the Land Act 2010’s strict procedures for public land allocation.

The same month, eight suspects were arrested in connection with a syndicate that sold non-existent land and forged title deeds, underscoring the need for vigilance in property transactions.

In May, the World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty convened in Washington DC, offering governments and stakeholders a platform to showcase innovative land governance initiatives. Kenya must continue leveraging such forums to secure financing and partnerships for land sector projects.

August saw news of a luxury camp being constructed in Ngong Forest – a matter that remains under scrutiny. Meanwhile, September marked the stalled appointment of the third cohort of National Land Commission (NLC) commissioners, creating a temporary policy leadership gap. By November, all commissioners except Esther Murugi and Tiya Galgalo, whose terms run another year, had exited office.

October brought a significant boost with the assent of the National Land Commission (Amendment) Act 2025. The amendment extends the NLC’s mandate to investigate and recommend redress for historical land injustices, and review irregularly or illegally allocated public land grants, for another five years.

In November, the Conference on Land Policy in Africa convened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with luminaries like Supreme Court Judge Smokin Wanjala and Environment and Land Court Judge Oscar Angote attending. Kenya’s NLC team joined, exchanging research, experiences, and lessons on land governance with counterparts across the continent.

The year closed with the NLC recommending that Kakuzi Ltd surrender 3,200 acres in Murang’a County for resettlement of vulnerable people, following a hearing on historical land injustice claims – a milestone in the ongoing quest for equitable land ownership.

Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have made loan disbursements to Kenya in almost unison, totaling hundreds of billions of shillings.

However, that has not been the case in 2025.

This has been a fascinating year for pop culture. We had big blockbusters like Sinners, Weapons, The Long Walk, Superman, and A Minecraft Movie. There were surprises too, the anticipated Fantastic Four collapsed at the box office, while F1 turned out far better than anyone expected and War of the Worlds (2025) gave us something to laugh at.

Animation reasserted itself as a powerhouse with Demon Slayer: Infinite Castle and Zootopia 2. Streaming gave us Denzel Washington’s Highest Lowest, Love, Death and Robots volume 4, White Lotus season 3, Peacemaker season 2, an underwhelming Stranger Things season 5, and perhaps my favourite streaming show of all time (no, it’s not Pluribus): IT: Welcome to Derry. In the comic book scene we saw DC’s Absolute Universe take shape.

But let’s step back from the Hollywood machine and look closer to home. What were the best moments I had with Kenyan productions this year?

In the world of Kenyan feature films, we saw a push towards authenticity that sometimes hit and sometimes missed. Sarah tackled the heavy subject of female genital mutilation (FGM) through a lens that blurred the line between documentary and fiction.

It avoided romanticising its subjects, using ordinary people and real locations to ground the story. However, it felt like a film ‘designed’ for festivals, where the theme outweighed the entertainment factor, following a formula that made the plot predictable by the 30-minute mark.

On the lighter side, Sayari was a romantic comedy treat that dropped in April but felt like a Valentine’s release. Set in the lush, misty backdrop of Tigoni, it followed a struggling BnB manager tasked with ensuring a runaway groom makes it to his wedding. While the cinematography didn’t fully capture the beauty of the location, the chemistry between the leads and the grounded subplot about fatherhood made it delightful.

Inside Job, a heist comedy that hit Netflix with a star-studded cast including Jacky Vike and Mammito Eunice, explored the economic gap between Nairobi’s elite and working class, specifically highlighting the often-overlooked Indian community. Yet the execution felt rushed. It suffered from uneven pacing and underwritten characters.

Mombasa’s criminal underbelly was the star of The Dog, a Swedish-Kenyan crime thriller. It was a brutal character study of a drug dealer’s descent into madness.

The film’s use of coastal locations was exceptional, though the immersion was occasionally broken by the lead actor’s jarring Swahili. A good thriller that unfortunately suffered from a near-total lack of marketing.

Crazy Kennar made his feature debut with Iscariot. The concept, a sentient car blackmailing its owner, was brilliant and absurd. While weighed down by plot holes, theatrical acting, and unpolished technical elements, it signalled serious ambition from Kennar to move beyond short-form skits into the world of cinema.

Then around Christmas we got a glossy Kenyan heist-dramedy set in Nairobi, 1992. Cards on the Table told the story of ex-lovers Beth and Jackso reconnecting through a risky holiday robbery, wrapped in vibrant visuals and nostalgic 90s details.

But above everything else I need you to keep in mind that no Kenyan film was submitted to the Oscars this year.

Documentaries and shorts

The documentary space in 2025 gave us some of the year’s most thoughtful content. How to Build a Library followed the multi-year journey of restoring Nairobi’s McMillan Memorial Library.

It served as a time capsule, capturing the decay of institutions and the persistence required to revive them. Though it felt a bit safe and lacked geographical orientation, it was an inspiring snapshot of cultural activism.

Searching for the Boy Child took a more provocative route. Led by comedian David Macharia, it investigated the narrative that Kenyan boys are being ‘left behind’. It was a vulnerable blend of stand-up and serious inquiry into gender-based violence, though it lacked hard data and sometimes lost focus on its central premise by drifting into broader GBV discussions.

In short films, John Johnny Johnté stood out for its hybrid structure, mixing scripted drama with documentary-style inserts. While the messaging, tied to a sensitisation campaign, sometimes overshadowed the drama, the edit was tight and the cinematography clean.

Streaming

Kenyan TV in 2025 was dominated by high-stakes drama. Kash Money offered a six-part dark comedy thriller about a powerful family in chaos after their patriarch’s suspicious death.

It was stunning visually, embracing creative framing and slick production design. While some performances felt one-dimensional and the environmental sound design wasn’t fully textured, it proved that Kenyan series can build serious, over-the-top tension and drama.

Then we got The Chocolate Empire, a raunchy crime drama centred on a former businessman running a high-end escort service. It excelled in wardrobe and make-up, capturing the opulence of Nairobi’s upper class. Strong performances carried what was a slow-burn story deeply rooted in the realities of Kenyan social deviance.

MTV Shuga Mashariki returned, proving that youth-centred drama can achieve global production standards. Set at the fictional Enkare University, it subverted typical plots around sexual health and gender dynamics with a slick, polished visual identity. It remains perhaps the best young adult drama to come out of the continent, even if it still lacks Kenyan ownership at the executive level.

Single Kiasi returned for a third season, the longest-running Kenyan streaming show. Set against the high-stakes backdrop of Nairobi’s social and legal elite, it subverted typical tropes of sisterhood and romance with a polished visual identity that captured the city’s vibrant energy.

The year closed with Adam and Eve, centred on a charming Nairobi playboy mystically transformed into a woman. It subverted typical gender-swap tropes by confronting deep-seated misogyny and toxic masculinity. My review of the show is coming early 2026

Stand-up comedy

This was arguably a strong year for stand-up comedy. The Hot Seat was a highlight, a brutal, unapologetically savage roast series that focused on some of Kenya’s biggest celebrities. It was dark and relentless, showing a clear distinction between the ‘Churchill Show’ style of comedy and the more structured, tight pacing of stand-up comedy.

Individual specials also made their mark. Mammito Eunice’s Maandamano Baby blended her signature observational wit with the chaotic energy of Nairobi’s social climate.

Wine by Doug Mutai was a thoughtful, 51-minute exploration of life as a Kenyan millennial, navigating the intersections of politics and ageing.

Doggies by Amandeep Jagde took a more unhinged route, offering a raw, unfiltered look at his upbringing and personal trials with his signature laid-back delivery. All specials were free on YouTube, making high-quality comedy accessible to everyone.

We also saw the Nairobi International Comedy Festival, which brought together talent from across Africa. The closing gala, despite power blackouts and delays, proved that African stand-up is a shared language, with comics like Justine Wanda, King Kandoro and Vafa Naraghi riding the room’s energy to turn technical failures into part of the act.

Other notable events included David Macharia and The People Who Agreed to Do This Show, and the Rewind, Remix, Reclaim Festival, which gave us great performances from Racquel Anyango, Nduta Kariuki, Ciku Waithaka, and Ruth Nyambura.

Robby Collins’ Come as You Are tour showcased his seasoned ability to turn uncomfortable topics like disability into laughter, while also exposing us to other African comedians such as Bexta.

Ty Ngachira recorded a special which I hope will be released. George Waweru finally recorded his long-overdue stand-up special. Maina Munene brought to us his African Dream tour. Bashir Halaiki recorded his special, A Halaiki, a tightly packed, personal set that solidified his place as one of the country’s greats.

Comics, vlogs and podcasts

Pop culture even extended into literature with Wana Wa Magere Chapter 2: Vigango. This comic book expanded on Kenyan mythology, taking the story to the Coast and exploring ancestral memorial statues.

The vlogging and podcast scene was very active and diverse. I’m sharing what dominated my ‘For You Page’. These are not necessarily the top picks or the best of 2025, taste varies in this space. The usual suspects included Mic Cheque, Ikonini, Liv Kenya, Abel Mutua and Dr King’ori.

Ultimately, 2025 was a picture of a creative industry moving toward an authentic, often messy, but always compelling rhythm.

But this year I found myself gravitating toward others: Kisiangani Podcast, Waigera, Coffee Pump Podcast, Carnversations, IOTWE (Every Other Time With Erick), Turbotaleske, ART-i-Factory, and Buslife ke, just to mention a few.

For decades, British companies sat in the front row in Kenya’s economy, straddling key sectors such as manufacturing, energy, agriculture, banking and finance.

Recent years have not been kind to the UK firms, with their grip on the Kenyan economy being loosened by new players from China, Japan, India, South Africa and Nigeria.

Funeral insurance is slowly catching on in Kenya, but fundraisers are still doing the heavy lifting. It is often said that no one needs roses when the sun has gone down. Yet for the family and friends left behind, the pressure for roses keeps coming-along with a long list of expenses to bury their loved ones.

With or without funeral insurance, a largely unseen economy thrives on death. What was once a modest communal affair has grown into an industry with professional undertakers, casket makers, hearse fleets, printers, caterers, florists and event planners – each with a price tag. Few households are prepared for the combined cost when death strikes.

Kenya’s mobile industry is bracing for another regulatory showdown in 2026 as current rate phone operators charge each other for calls made across networks near expiry, reopening debate over voice charges and competition in the market.

The mobile termination rates (MTRs) are a key influence on the cost of calls across Safaricom, Airtel and Telkom. When a customer on one network calls a user on another, the originating

For 27 licensed banks, New Year’s Eve will come and go as any other night.

But for about 10 banks, December 31, 2025 marks a crucial day as they are required to finalise capital boosting initiatives where each shall have a core capital of Sh3 billion or risk losing its Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) licence.