Category: Business Daily

At his Nairobi clinic, Dr Daniel Nduiga sees between 100 and 150 patients with heart conditions each month, with at least two of those being newly diagnosed cases of atrial fibrillation (AFib).

AFib is a condition characterised by fast, irregular, and uncoordinated heartbeats.

A decade ago, such cases were rare and primarily seen in elderly patients. Today, however, AFib is appearing more frequently in younger and middle-aged patients, a trend that Dr Nduiga attributes to lifestyle changes.

By 2030, artificial intelligence (AI) is projected to unlock 230 million digital jobs across Africa – a transformation comparable to South Korea’s post-war rise or India’s IT boom in the 1990s. Realising this potential requires bold investment in digital skills across every corner of the economy.

Despite widespread ambition, with governments, donors, and private sector leaders prioritising digital skills, progress remains uneven. The challenge is not only scale, but also coordination. Fragmented efforts and a lack of unified strategy continue to slow momentum and dilute impact.

To fully realise AI’s potential for job creation, Africa must build a coordinated, inclusive skilling ecosystem, where government, education, industry, and civil society work together to shape the AI economy. This means moving beyond isolated programmes to scalable frameworks that prepare diverse audiences, from policymakers and educators to entrepreneurs and job seekers. It also requires infrastructure and tools, including large language models (LLMs) tailored to Africa’s linguistic, cultural, and socioeconomic contexts.

There is much to learn from the ongoing rollout of Kenya’s AI Skilling Initiative (AINSI), which presents a promising approach to progress. Its framework offers valuable insights to inform similar efforts elsewhere.

Strong government leadership is essential for building national AI capacity. Governments are uniquely positioned to set strategic priorities, regulate responsibly, and provide access to critical infrastructure and data.

Kenya’s Regional Centre of Competence for Digital and AI Skilling is a compelling model for countries seeking to institutionalise AI training.

Beyond training around 1,500 public servants in AI and cybersecurity, the Centre’s structured approach, combining bootcamps and online programmes, demonstrates how targeted, scalable interventions can build capacity across government, with almost 6,500 public sector officials across the country registered.

Growing interest from countries like Uganda and Nigeria highlights its potential as a replicable model for inclusive and innovative AI ecosystems.

However, much work remains. To ensure skilling efforts lead to meaningful employment, harmonising credentials and recognised qualifications across regions is vital. This validates skillsets and helps employers identify talent with confidence. Governments play a central role in setting these standards and aligning them with industry needs.

For AI to drive national progress, it must be embedded across all industries, formal and informal. Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which account for over 44 million businesses across sub-Saharan Africa, are critical to this effort. Imagine how vast the impact would be if each MSME could use AI to hire just one more person?

AINSI’s cross-sector partnerships are helping build momentum. Collaboration with the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (Kepsa) demonstrates how industry-led initiatives can accelerate AI skilling.

Kepsa’s training of over 70,000 organizational leaders, professionals and SMEs in AI and cybersecurity is helping drive progress from the top down. Yet, there is more to learn about reaching underserved sectors and sustaining long-term impact.

Innovation in the informal economy is essential. MESH, the first professional network designed for micro entrepreneurs, reaches over one million Kenyan entrepreneurs monthly with bite-sized learning, peer-to-peer trading, and community support.

Its AI-focused content puts the voices of micro entrepreneurs at the center, also uncovering persistent challenges around the sector’s AI adoption, including affordability, data access, and connectivity.

To truly empower the informal sector, skilling initiatives must be tailored to local realities.

Education is central to Kenya’s AI transformation efforts, with strategic partnerships integrating AI into higher education, technical training, and basic education.

In higher education, faculty skilling programs have supported curriculum reviews at 10 universities and delivered hybrid AI and software development training to computer science lecturers.

Over 78,000 individuals in TVET institutions have gained AI fluency through bootcamps and online modules, helping to build foundational capacity.

At the basic education level, national initiatives are equipping K-12 teachers and leaders with AI skills, supported by master trainer programmes and curriculum modernization. These efforts help bridge the digital divide and prepare learners for a tech-driven future.

With the passing on of Francis Thombe Nyammo at 86, Longhorn Publishers continues without the towering chairman who guided the firm for almost 50 years before exiting the board in November last year.

Nyammo, usually referred to as FT, had chaired the firm since 1977, guiding the publisher to list on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) in May 2012.

He held a direct stake of 5.88 percent in the publisher and had a beneficial interest in Pacific Futures and Options Limited, which holds a 12.85 percent stake.

He stepped down as chairman in November 2024, handing over to Ali Hussein Kassim on an interim basis. Mr Kassim then handed the role over to Githu Mugai, who has a beneficial interest in Halifax Capital Corporation Limited, which owns 5.01 percent of Longhorn.

Nyammo’s death on September 28, his 86th birthday, followed by his cremation the next day as he wished, marks a turning point for Longhorn.

The publisher must now chart its course through a changing business landscape under the stewardship of relatively new figures on its board.

Nyammo was one of the local investors who acquired shares in the company in 1993, when its previous owners, Longman UK, exited the Kenyan market.

He served as a Member of Parliament for Tetu Constituency between 2007 and 2013. He was a founding member of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (Kepsa) and a long-serving member and past president of The Rotary Club of Karen. He was also a former managing director of Kenya Reinsurance.

Prof Muigai says Nyammo was ‘more than a chairman,’ ensuring that ‘every book we publish carries the weight of his passion for building brighter futures.’

‘He was the guiding light behind Longhorn’s journey as a Pan-African powerhouse in educational publishing. As a founding pillar of our organisation, he championed innovation, agility, and excellence, transforming Longhorn into a beacon of knowledge,’ said Prof Muigai in his tribute.

The Rotary Club of Karen described him as a major donor and a pillar of strength, a source of joy, and a true gentleman whose laughter and wisdom lit up every room.

Rotary Club of Karen president Linet Ayuko said: ‘FT aka Fun Times has indeed done his Full Time.’

Nyammo exits the scene at a time Longhorn has made several other changes in its top leadership. The entry of Prof Muigai as the chairman on December 19 last year was alongside Makenna Nyammo, the daughter of the late Nyammo.

Carrying her father’s legacy, she now sits on the boardroom as non-executive director, casting her presence in the shadow of the man who led Longhorn for nearly five decades – a reminder of the family’s imprint on the publisher’s leadership.

On September 30 this year, Maxwell Wahome stepped down as CEO. In his place, Longhorn announced the return of Simon Ngigi as acting CEO to ensure continuity. Mr Ngigi previously served as Longhorn CEO from 2015 to July 2018 before handing over to Mr Wahome.

In August of the same year, Longhorn appointed educationist Sara Ruto as a non-executive director, while Centum Investment – the top shareholder with 34.9 percent stake – resigned from the board.

Following Centum’s exit, Longhorn appointed Thomas Omondi as an alternate director.

Another new face on Longhorn’s board is Shikoh Gitau, who was appointed as an independent director in March 2024.

Longhorn hopes that these changes to the board will stabilise its operations as it continues to confront challenges such as piracy, rising demand for digital books, changes to the education curriculum, and competition from second-hand book sellers.

The firm cut its net loss by 58.4 percent to Sh237.9 million in the financial year ended June 2024, recovering from its worst performance (Sh571.33 million net loss in 2023) since listing on the NSE.

Last year, Longhorn divested from unprofitable textbook markets in Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania.

The government is set to face increased costs for external debt financing after taking up a new $1.5 billion (Sh193.8 billion) Eurobond, whose proceeds are partially earmarked for refinancing an existing, cheaper bond due to mature in February 2028.

The National Treasury said on Friday that the new bond has been issued in two tranches, one with a term of seven and the other 12 years, at interest rates of 7.875 percent and 8.8 percent, respectively.

While the Treasury did not disclose how the $1.5 billion bond value was split between the two tranches, it said that the weighted average interest rate on the issuance stood at 8.7 percent, meaning that the annual cost of servicing the debt stands at $130.5 million (Sh16.9 billion).

At the same time, Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo said in a statement that the government had completed the buyback of a 10-year, $1 billion (Sh129.23 billion) Eurobond that was issued in February 2018, ahead of its 2028 maturity date.

This bond paid annual interest at a rate of 7.25 percent, or $72.5 million (Sh9.37 billion), making it cheaper than the replacement paper whose effective interest charge on a similar portion of $1 billion stands at $87 million (Sh11.24 billion).

The Treasury PS said that the buyback and new issuance were necessary to give Kenya fiscal breathing space by lengthening the maturity of debt that has a short period to redemption.

‘This is the third such transaction since 2024, and it shows the government’s firm commitment to managing debt more wisely, paying off loans on time, and protecting Kenyans from sudden repayment shocks,’ said Dr Kiptoo in his statement on Friday.

A notice published on Thursday by the London Stock Exchange (LSE), where the 2018 bond is listed, also noted that investors who participated in the bond buyback would be paid a premium of 3.75 percent on the face value of their securities, after the government priced the offer at $1,037.50 per principal bond unit of $1,000.

This price premium is seen as necessary to entice holders of the existing paper to roll over their holdings to the new bond.

The previous two buybacks have also seen the interest cost of the new bonds surpass that of the papers they are replacing.

In February 2024, the Treasury floated a $1.5 billion, seven-year Eurobond at a rate of 9.75 percent, with the proceeds used to partially repurchase Kenya’s debut 10-year, $2 billion sovereign bond that was issued in June 2014 at an interest rate of 6.875 percent.

The higher rate on the new bond resulted in annual interest of $146.25 million (Sh18.9 billion), which is higher than the $137.5 million (Sh17.8 billion) the government was paying on the 2014 issuance, despite the fact that the latter bond was larger in size by $500 million.

Similarly, the 11-year, $1.5 billion Eurobond issued in February this year to fund a buyback of a seven-year, $900 million bond sold in 2019 was priced at a higher rate of 9.5 percent, compared to the latter’s seven percent interest rate.

The 2025 bond pays investors annual interest of $142.5 million (Sh18.4 billion), compared to the $63 million (Sh8.1 billion) that was being paid on the retired 2019 bond per year.

Had the government limited its uptake on the new bond to $900 million to match the buyback paper, the interest rate difference would have been equivalent to Sh2.9 billion.

You will see them on Nairobi’s roads, sometimes before the usual morning traffic builds up, and sometimes long after sunrise. Their bikes hum against the tarmac and sweat beads on their brows.

To the matatu drivers, bodaboda riders, and bystanders, they are a curiosity. In the streets, cyclists call them wafinyi – loosely translated to mean ‘those who press.’ And pressing the pedals, they do.

Cycling in Kenya has long been considered the domain of men, but Catherine, Winnie and Julia are spearheading a shift unfolding on two wheels, and championing the cause of making cycling more mainstream for women.

They all started out as novices with gear that they laugh about now because it can’t come anywhere close to the elite level they have since assumed.

Cycling has enabled them to raise the Kenyan flag high on foreign soil, both regionally and internationally. In all they do, they are determined to secure a place for women in a sport that is still struggling for recognition.

Chasing medals

When Catherine Kariuki, popularly known as Kate Karis, speaks about cycling, she oscillates between pride and disbelief.

‘I think I have over 50 medals,’ she says. At 31, she is one of the most recognisable female cyclists in Nairobi’s elite racing circles, known for her speed and lately, her gravel adventures.

Her journey began at Kenyatta University out of necessity.

‘My bike was for commuting to school,’ she remembers. It was a heavy frame, unwieldy and slow, but it offered a distraction from personal struggles she was going through at the time.

One day, a cycling group invited her on a ride. The distances escalated quickly, from casual spins around Kahawa Sukari to a 70-kilometre ‘baptism for beginners.’ She struggled with sore muscles, exhaustion, and all kinds of muscle aches, but the exhilaration was intoxicating.

Kate found her tribe in RDX – Riders Express – a cycling group that nurtured her talent. When they realised her bike was holding her back, they contributed money and bought her a better one. That moment, she says, was the real start of her racing journey.

Since then, Kate has ridden across terrains that many Kenyan cyclists only dream of. In 2023, she joined an expedition in Japan, bikepacking from Hiroshima to Tokyo with her luggage strapped to her frame.

‘Bikepacking is about adventure,’ she says. ‘You carry everything on your bike and just go. It was hard, but fulfilling.’

Beyond local criteriums at Kasarani, Karura gravel events, and the Tour de Machakos, she has lined up for the African Continental Championships, tested herself in Rwanda, where she represented Kenya at the world stage, and continues to dominate in endurance events – including some punishing 300-kilometre rides.

And each year without fail, she has been on the start line of the Jubilee Live Free Race, her most consistent proving ground and the event she credits for keeping her competitive spirit alive.

Bumpy ride

Touring abroad, however, is anything but affordable. t one point, her road bike was worth Sh450,000. Then there’s the cost of a plane ticket, bike bag, riding kit, food and accommodation to consider.

‘If you’re camping, it’s cheap, actually. But hotels are expensive, and food too, depending on where you are. Camping makes it slower, because you’re carrying gear, but it’s such a beautiful experience – like a safari on a bike.’

She has now participated in over 50 races, but her journey has not been without bumps.

A major accident two years ago left her shaken and her bike was written off. The ensuing court case dragged on, draining her mentally and led to an illness that forced her to back down from a competition.

Despite this setback, her spirit was not crushed. Sponsored by the Nairobi Hospice, she has competed in every edition of the Jubilee Live Free Race, an event she calls ‘a reminder that cycling is freedom.’

And then there is the insecurity. ‘I can’t go on long rides alone anymore,’ she says. ‘There are muggers on the bypasses, and harassment is real.’ The harassment is often gendered – catcalling, jeers, even fellow cyclists questioning why women ride. ‘Someone once told me, ‘You’re destroying your body, just get married.”

During the interview, Kate laughs at the absurdity, but admits it stings.

She laments about Kenya’s cycling federation, which she says does not support athletes enough. ‘Our riders went to Rwanda for the world championships with no proper bikes for time trials. Other countries invest in their athletes. We don’t.’

At home, her father has quietly supported her. ‘At first, he encouraged me. He told me, ‘After two years, you’ll grow.’ He hasn’t said much since, but I know he believes in me.’

She trains six days a week, juggling interval sessions, long rides, and recovery. Nutrition is cobbled together with what she can afford – bananas, ugali and the occasional supplements.

Her biggest trigger remains the stigma: ‘When people say cycling is for the poor. That mentality has to change. People are riding bikes worth a million shillings – you can’t call that poverty. My prayer is for Kenya to become like Japan, where cycling is a culture. You see people in suits on bikes. That’s what I want for us.’

To the next generation, her message is ‘You’re capable. Train hard. You have more potential than us. We are fighting for you in the federation. The future will be better.’

Going places

Winnie ‘Mashan’ Wandiga talks about cycling as though it were an extension of her heartbeat. ‘Cycling is what I do, cycling is what I live,’ she says.

At 28, she works as a sports leader for cycling at Decathlon, the global sporting retailer, where she spends her days teaching customers about gear and coaching beginners.

Her story begins in childhood. In her neighbourhood, every child seemed to own a bike, and she rode hers. She picked cycling again after high school, with a clunky mountain bike branded Cheetah, which she bought from a supermarket. She had it until it rattled itself apart.

‘I loved that bike with everything I had,’ she says. ‘But it would break down every time I rode it.’

Her next step was Speed Kings, a club that trained and raced together. The coach, spotting her passion, gave her a hybrid bike to use.

‘It was my introduction to real cycling,’ she recalls.

Soon, she moved from a hybrid to a full road bike – aerodynamic, sleek, and built for speed. Today, she dreams of owning a gravel bike: ‘It’s like a road bike but with bigger tyres. It can do both off-road and on-road. That’s my next target.’

For Winnie, the Rwanda ride in 2024 was a turning point. ‘The reason I went to Rwanda was to connect to the bigger world.’ She rode from Nairobi to Kigali in seven days, peddling for 12 hours every day.

‘It was exhausting, but it gave me perspective. Cycling can take you places, physically and in life.’

Though she rides in races, Winnie insists she is not chasing professional status. ‘I don’t train to win. I train because I love cycling, and it keeps me mentally okay. If I win, it’s fine, but that’s not the goal.’

Winnie mentors women and children, teaching them to ride and maintain bikes. She even developed her own degreaser for cleaning drivetrains, turning her passion into entrepreneurship.

For Winnie, cycling is about community – whether in Critical Mass Nairobi, a monthly ride for all levels in Nairobi, or the Gravel Riders Club, which hosts criteriums at Kasarani Stadium.

‘When you join these rides, you realise you are not alone,’ she says.

Her dream is to become a professional bike mechanic. ‘Bikes are evolving like cars. We have 2021 models, 2024 models, just like cars, each different. I want to master them inside out.’

She has served as a pilot in paracycling, riding a tandem bike with a visually impaired partner.

‘Cycling is not just for the able-bodied. It’s for everyone. Start now, don’t wait. Don’t think about when you’ll afford a better bike. When I started, cycling wasn’t even known in Nairobi. Now there are bikes everywhere. Just start. Cycling will take you places.’

A paracyclist

At 37, Julia Alice Miring’u has lived multiple cycling lives – from a girl racing a Black Mamba in Nyandarua, to a professional rider under RDX, to now a paracyclist representing Kenya on the international stage.

In primary school, she taught herself to ride her family’s heavy Black Mamba. When she relocated to Samburu to live with her sister, she picked cycling to school as a way of life since it was what other school-going children did.

‘I was racing neighbourhood children and sometimes competing with the school bus.’

Julia took part in her first-ever Samburu Camel Derby on an MTB and won. That was close to twenty years ago.

Then she dropped out in Class Eight, got married young, and left cycling behind. Years later, in 2019, she stumbled across a friend’s WhatsApp profile photo. He wore a cycling helmet. Curious, she asked to join his group, and suddenly she was in a chat with 250 cyclists. And just like that, her passion was reignited.

With no bike and no money, she borrowed Sh30,000 from M-Shwari and bought a heavy 19-kilogramme frame. Men in the group ridiculed her, warning that she would injure herself. But she persisted, training alone until she could join group rides.

Her breakthrough came in 2021 when the Kenya Cycling Federation took her to the Tour Cycliste Internationale Féminine de Burundi, a five-stage race. She finished in the top three in several stages, riding borrowed bikes. Soon after, she competed in Namibia, Morocco, and the UK, often at a disadvantage but proving her grit.

In 2023, she got into paracycling. She partnered with a blind rider on a tandem bike for the African Championships in Egypt. Navigating steep banked tracks, they won three silver medals. ‘On a tandem, you’re not riding alone,’ she explains. ‘You have to think for your partner, guide them, even at mealtimes. It’s about trust.’

Now officially a paracyclist under Kenya’s team, Julia has raced in five countries. She juggles motherhood with training, coaching children, and running a bike repair side hustle. To save on maintenance costs, she studied mechanics. ‘I own five bikes – MTB, road, gravel, plus my children’s bikes. Each service costs about Sh3,000. So I decided to learn mechanics myself.’

For Julia, cycling is both empowerment and escape. ‘Sport teaches you that you can’t go alone. You need support, you need teammates.’ She admits the sport is growing slowly in Kenya, but she is hopeful. ‘When I started in 2020, there were very few women cyclists. Now, I see private camps training girls. It’s changing.’

At this year’s Jubilee Live Free Race, Julia will compete both as a solo rider and as a paracyclist. ‘I have trained for both. I am lucky because the two rides are spaced, and I will have time to compete in both, and I hope we win in both categories.’

Billionaire investor Baloobhai Patel has bought an additional 28.4 million shares of Absa Bank Kenya with a current market value of Sh625.9 million, entrenching his position as the bank’s top individual shareholder.

Mr Patel bought the shares in the eight months ended August, during which time his stake increased to 1.72 percent, up from 1.2 percent in December 2024.

Regulatory filings show his ownership increased to 93.4 million shares worth Sh2 billion based on Absa’s closing price of Sh22 on Thursday.

This was up from the 65 million shares he held in December 2024.

The bank shares have rallied by 16.7 percent since the beginning of the year, with investors attracted by the lender’s higher dividend payout and profit growth.

The bank has been increasing its dividend payout per share by Sh0.2 each in each of the last four years, thanks to improved earnings.

Last year, the bank paid a dividend of Sh1.75 per share, meaning Mr Patel was entitled to a dividend of more than Sh113 million before a five percent withholding tax.

Absa maintained an interim dividend of Sh0.2 per share when it announced its results for the half year to June 2025.

The interim dividend is payable on or before October 15 to shareholders who were on its books as of September 19.

When he appeared before Parliament in June, National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi lamented the high public debt service costs incurred in January, February, May and July, stating that they were causing cash flow constraints for the exchequer.

January and July have stood out in terms of debt servicing for the last six years due to repayments of about Sh60 billion for the standard gauge railway loan to China.

However, rising debt service costs for February that are now in excess of Sh100 billion have also become a concern for the Treasury, mainly tied to large outstanding stocks of Eurobonds and domestic bonds totalling Sh1.66 trillion.

These debt charges, according to the National Treasury, put the government in a tight fiscal spot, given that it also needs to fund other recurrent costs, such as salaries for public servants amid persistent revenue collection shortfalls.

‘There are some months which are very bad, especially where we are repaying loans. We have challenges in January and February, and May and July because we repay debt, capitation to schools of more than Sh50 billion in January.and remember every month we pay Sh80 billion in salaries, yet revenue collection in a month is averaging about Sh200 billion,’ Mr Mbadi told MPs in June.

‘Constraints would be on cash flow challenges especially where funding is from the government and where we fail to meet revenue targets by Kenya Revenue Authority.’

The February issuances are now emerging as key targets for the Treasury’s early refinancing plans through bond buybacks and switch bonds, in order to spread the service costs to other months.

Last week, the Treasury completed the buyback of a $1 billion (Sh129.23 billion), 10-year Eurobond issued in February 2018. The bond was sold as part of a $2 billion issuance, which also included a 30-year tranche maturing in 2048.

The buyback is being financed using the proceeds from the sale of another $1.5 billion paper sold on Friday at an average rate of 8.7 percent on two tranches.

Overall, the government has $5 billion (Sh646.2 billion) worth of Eurobonds on its books that were issued in February, meaning that their semi-annual coupons are paid out in February and August of every year until maturity.

These papers, which account for two thirds of the country’s total stock of $7.41 billion outstanding Eurobonds, cost the government $221.9 million (Sh28.7 billion) in semi-annual interest charges.

World Bank data shows that other external debt obligations that fell due in February this year totalled $290 million (Sh37.5 billion). They included payments of about Sh21 billion to the Trade and Development Bank (TDB), Sh9.3 billion to the World Bank, Sh2.6 billion to the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Sh2.2 billion to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

At the same time, the State is spending Sh70.9 billion every February and August in interest payments to holders of Sh1.013 trillion Treasury bonds that were issued in the two months.

The securities include an 8.5-year infrastructure bond (IFB) issued in February 2024 at a rate of 18.46 percent, that has an outstanding value of Sh240.3 billion, a 19-year IFB sold in February 2022 at 12.97 percent with an outstanding value of Sh194 billion, and a Sh103.4 billion 10-year bond that was issued in August 2016 at an interest rate of 15.04 percent.

According to its recently published annual borrowing plan, the Treasury has lined up the 10-year 2016 paper for a switch bond issuance on October 13. If successful, this will transfer the outstanding value to a new bond with a maturity period of between 10 and 15 years, thereby sparing the government from making a bullet payment of Sh103.4 billion in August 2026.

As classic plays often do, it was inevitable that Kaggia would return on stage. The first time the cast brought to life of Bildad Kaggia, a man often described as one who would rather die than sell his soul to the devil, theatre lovers didn’t get enough of him. The second time did little to quench their curiosity either.

Now, director Stuart Nash returns is preparing for the third rerun of the play written by John Sibi Okumu that offers an in-depth narration of one of Kenya’s unsung heroes.

In its earlier runs with the Phoenix Players, the play featured a cast of four. The late Harry Ebale played the lead role in the first production, a part now taken over by Martin Kigondu, a talented, prolific, and refined performer who has a unique gift for making the stage feel like his playground. ‘I took on the role of Kaggia to honour the memory of my brother, the late Ebale. And of course, this is John Sibi’s work; anyone would want to be part of it. This time, however, the play takes a different form. The cast is no longer just four as originally written. Stuart Nash’s superpower is bringing visual aesthetics and spectacle to life. I saw his vision and agreed to join the team,’ says Kigondu.

In this latest rerun, Kigondu is the only returning cast member, though he says that has not changed his approach to the role.

‘When you go back to a show you have done before, you always approach it with fresh eyes and maturity. The good thing is that Stuart and I have worked together for so long that we understand each other. The biggest challenge is that we are performing in both English and Kikuyu, with the same cast alternating across different runs. The exciting part is that each day brings a unique version of the play, rather than cramming both versions into a single day.’ For Stuart, directing Kaggia has been a profound learning experience.

‘It is fascinating to uncover so much about a historical figure people rarely acknowledge. During our research, we found that nobody under 25 knew who he was. Those who did, only remember that he was part of the Kapenguria Six and nothing more. Yet he lived such an extraordinary life, full of surprises and challenges, that people will be astonished at what he went through,’ Stuart said.

What can audiences expect from the play?

‘I think they will discover more about Bildad Kaggia than they ever knew. When I first watched the play a few years ago, I walked out of the theatre wanting to know more about him. I think John would love people to walk out of the theatre thinking of how Kenya would be now if they had followed Kaggia’s ideals. It is a thoughtful and sophisticated piece of theatre,’ Stuart said.

For John Sibi Okumu, choosing to write about Kaggia instead of the other five Kapenguria detainees was inspired by an encounter in a bookshop.

‘I came across Kaggia’s autobiography, which he abandoned midway. It was later completed by a Dutchman in collaboration with one of his children. I was vaguely aware of the Kapenguria Six from my schooling, but I found Kaggia’s story fascinating, especially because he was a man who truly walked the talk. He lived with integrity and a strong moral compass. He was detained alongside the others and even shared a cell with Jomo Kenyatta at one point. For me, there was a compelling contrast: what might Kenya have looked like if his ideals had guided its leadership?’ Sibi Okumu posed.

He added, ‘Bildad Kaggia was what we would today call a left-leaning figure, while Kenya has largely remained aligned to the right. His life offers a case study of what might have happened had the country taken a different political path. As a playwright, I am committed to exploring the evolution of Kenyan society before and after independence. My next play will focus on the pre-independence period of the 1950s.’

Kaggia will be staged at the Kenya National Theatre from October 11 to 19.

The South Sudan government has called for a review of cargo handling charges and container deposits to lower the cost of doing business, with recommendations to set up empty container depots along the Northern Corridor.

The South Sudanese government wants a review of the current charge of $5,000 (Sh647,700) per container destined for its territory from the Mombasa port, saying that the fee is steep and harms business.

Foreign investors are shying away from buying shares at the Nairobi Securities Exchange in the wake of rising returns from the US, United Kingdom, China, and Japan markets.

The foreigners have been net sellers-sold more shares than they bought-in seven of the nine months to September, reflecting their reduced appetite for the Kenya bourse.