Category: Business Daily

China social media company TikTok removed 48,739 accounts suspected to belong to users under the age of 13 in the quarter to March 2026, marking a 47.98 percent drop compared to the preceding quarter’s 93,704-signalling the gains of previous purges on child users.

Children aged 13 and over are allowed to use the TikTok platform, which is highly popular with teenagers.

‘TikTok removed 48,739 accounts suspected to belong to users under the age of 13, a violation of its Community Guidelines, highlighting the platform’s commitment to protecting younger users online,’ the platform said.

The social media company disclosed that overall, it removed 884,591 videos in Kenya for violating its community guidelines.

This is a jump from the previous quarter to December, when 820,552 videos from the country were taken down, pointing to an increasing generation of content from Kenya that does not meet its safety rules and a heavy reliance on Artificial Intelligence (AI) moderation tools to police content.

TikTok’s Community Guidelines ban content that promotes violence, criminal activity, hate speech, harassment, or abuse. Users are not allowed to post material that encourages violence.

‘In the first quarter of 2026, TikTok removed 884,591 videos for violating its Community Guidelines in Kenya. 99.7 percent of these videos were proactively removed before anyone reported them, while 96.3 percent were taken down within 24 hours of posting,’ said TikTok.

‘These figures underscore TikTok’s continued investment in advanced detection systems and rapid response mechanisms designed to limit the spread of harmful content.’

Social media companies, including Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram, are turning to AI-powered content moderation to detect, flag, and remove harmful content, such as graphic violence and hate speech.

These systems utilise machine learning and natural language processing to handle vast volumes of data, reducing the burden on human teams. While AI accelerates the process, human moderators are mostly still used for final, nuanced, or borderline decisions.

‘Automated removals, including those by AI, now make up more than 96 percent of total removals,’ the social media platform said.

In Kenya, TikTok interrupted 103,847 LIVE rooms for violation of guidelines in the quarter to March 2026.

The platform recorded a proactive removal rate of 99.7 percent in Kenya in the three months to March 2026. Proactive removal means identifying and removing a video before it’s reported, which was significantly high, aided by the use of AI.

TikTok removed 96.3 percent of the harmful videos within 24 hours of posting on the platform.

‘In Quarter 1 of 2026, TikTok removed 14,261 videos under our policy for edited media and AI-generated content (AIGC),’ the firm added.

TikTok requires creators to label realistic AIGC. The site forbids content related to human trafficking, sexual exploitation, or abuse of adults or children.

While TikTok welcomes political conversations, remarks that create or pose a substantial danger of harm are removed.

Harassment, bullying, and doxing are also prohibited.

To safeguard users’ mental health, content that depicts suicide, self-harm, risky stunts, or eating disorders is prohibited.

Additionally, TikTok prohibits graphic violence, animal abuse, and explicit sexual content. It also eliminates false information, especially about elections, public health, and civic processes, and mandates that AI-generated or significantly modified media be disclosed.

The problem is that when you come from certain families, it becomes impossible to introduce yourself without people asking, ‘Oh, you’re so-and-so’s daughter?” The trouble, at least for Arjaa Shah, is that her name is an easy stick people use to beat her with.

She is part of the family behind the Kingsway Group of Companies, which owns Village Market Group, Tribe Hotel and Trademark Hotel. She currently serves as (acting) General Manager for Trademark Hotel and Village Market, and Deputy Corporate General Manager for Tribe Collection.

A graduate of Cornell University and Les Roches International School for Hotel Management, Arjaa does not deny her privilege; she just doesn’t want to be defined by it.

She started at the bottom-first as a housekeeper in London cleaning 16 rooms a day, waiting tables in Italy, which she had to quit because she was just not as good at it, and a stint at the front desk and concierge in the US.

‘I knew I had to start from the bottom because if I don’t understand the bottom, how will I ever be great at the top?’ she says. ‘Everyone thought I was nuts. I got paid 300 euros (Sh44,300) as a waitress in Italy. That’s not even enough to get rent.’

She speaks about stepping into her father’s shoes and challenging stereotypes about daughters taking over the family business. ‘My father will never look at me any differently as a daughter,’ she says. “But today he’s forced to look at me as a professional who’s running one of his businesses.’

Growing up, did you always know hospitality would become your life, or were there times when you wanted something entirely different?

I knew from the age of 13. My father had many issues in his life, but at the age of 13, we had to move to India for about six weeks, and we were staying in a hotel. Now, given the nature of what happened to my dad, I was basically left in this hotel as a child by myself, and the front desk was like, ‘Okay, let’s teach you how to check in someone.’

Or the chef would show me how to cook. That was my first education in hospitality. It was quite fun because they adopted me; and for six weeks with my parents not around, I couldn’t leave the hotel. Something clicked in me that everyone thinks hospitality is just service, but it can actually change your life.

Your father was away at an age I presume girls get much closer to their fathers. What was that like growing up in a hotel?

It was difficult. My father’s the oldest in our family, the patriarch. He became the patriarch at a very young age, 19, because his father got sick and passed away.

So he dropped out of university and had to look after the 25 people in our family. At that age, I never really understood it, because he was never around; it was his responsibility to make sure there was food on the table, which wasn’t always the case.

We weren’t born with this; we built it. Well, he built it [chuckles]. But as you grow older, you understand the importance of it, and the importance of family and community. It’s a joke when everyone says that children are not brought up by parents; they’re brought up by community. But in our life, that was true. I have seven moms, seven dads, and they all played a role in looking after me.

Family businesses often struggle with the question of merit versus bloodline. How do you ensure people see Arjaa the executive before they see Arjaa the family member?

That’s actually quite a tricky question. I am a director, and even to some of our staff who don’t engage with me on a day-to-day basis, they see me as a person who was placed instead of earned. I’ve worked internationally, and I made sure I worked professionally for a very long period of time, so if I ever wanted to come back, I came back with a standing of experience and not placement.

I work extremely hard, but you will never fully get over whether you got a job through blood or through credit. I worked twice as hard to prove myself that I am working based on credit, experience, and value that I’m giving, and if I no longer bring value to anything I do, family or otherwise, it’s just not worth being there.

It’s a testy subject, but do you think the proving yourself will ever end?

With age comes wisdom. When I was here at 26, I felt I had to prove myself a 100 times over. I know my worth and what I bring to the table, so I no longer try to prove myself.

If I work for a Tribe Hotel Group, or JW (Marriott), or Hyatt, or Hilton, I know my worth. My family gave me the leg up with the best education in Hotel Management; I got put in the right circles, and I don’t discount that that didn’t help me get to where I am. I count myself very grateful for everything my family has managed to give me, because even when we didn’t have a lot of money, my parents somehow figured it out to get me the education and exposure that I had.

But what I did after university, that was a lot of effort and grit. I used to work 100-hour weeks in the US. I started from the ground up; I’ve been a housekeeper in London, cleaning 16 rooms a day, a waitress in Italy, which I was horrible at and quit after six months. [chuckles].

The truth is I never cleaned my bed when I was growing up, and when you come from privilege, sometimes you just want to go into a position. I knew I had to start from the bottom because if I don’t understand the bottom, how will I ever be great at the top?

It’s easy to deny your privilege and coat it in grass-to-grace stories that discount the impact of luck and background. Why was it important for you to own that?

It would be wrong of me to say I came from the grassroots.

I didn’t, but my dad did. He went to a local school, but he got me into British schools to give me a leg up. I don’t see myself as Indian, but as Kenyan, and to pretend that I’ve gone through what most Kenyans have gone through would be wrong.

What expectations come with carrying a family name that has already been built?

Expectations. Lots of people want handouts, especially when they know who you are. Most people don’t know I am part of the Kingsway family, because I wanted to make a professional name for myself.

I own the fact that I am part of my family, but I shouldn’t be seen as a family member in this organisation, but as an employed professional who reports to an external CEO.

But I think there is a lot of expectation that because of who I am, or where I come from, people want a lot, and sometimes we’re unable to give it.

I’ll only do what I can within my own capacity. It’s a very tough question, isn’t it? I’m a very nice person, so I just kind of do everything I can, to be honest. I think we’re all born with different advantages in life, and I was given a lot, so I try and do as much as I can for people who weren’t given a lot.

Does your name weigh you down?

I can only empathise, because there are a lot of young people in Kenya today who want to make a difference and do something, but their names are tying them to a lot of expectations.

People expect me to be the visionary that my father is. I’m not even close. My father was a visionary. He knew that China and Korea would come in, so he brought them in first. I’m an executor. You give me something, I will make it work; I know how to make things work.

Have you always been this sure of yourself?

Our family has one motto: the only thing in life that will never change is you educating yourself. You don’t have to do a Master’s degree; that’s not how you educate yourself, but you have to be aware, you have to read, you have to grow.

Covid-19 was a time when everyone was firing everyone, and as an organisation, we didn’t, but we gave everyone small stipends to pay for food. But when you look inwards, you have to start realising you have value that you can give and you have value that you can’t give. It wasn’t about me doing it all, but knowing what I’m good at and then pulling other people’s resources to make it work. And that’s where I learned who I was.

How do you negotiate for your worth financially in a family business?

I earn a family business salary. So in my family, you have to give a portion of your salary back to the business; therefore, I don’t earn market rates. I know that sounds stupid because it’s usually the other way around: you get market rates and then you get a stipend for being in the business. Money is not my end goal, but it is important because it helps you survive. I come to work. After all, I like being here because I have 800+ staff who make me smile in the morning. I have enough that I can pay my rent and buy myself food and drink once in a while. I’ve always thought money would come as long as I do a good job.

Did you have money conversations at the dinner table growing up?

Yes. From the age of 14, we were given an allowance, and the only way to come back and get next month’s allowance is to submit receipts. I’ve been doing that for a very long time.

How has that influenced the way you relate to money now?

I’m very conscious about how I spend cash. Say you earn Sh20,000. What most people do is say spend Sh10,000 on rent, Sh5,000 on food, Sh2,000 on children. What we do in our family is as a percentage.

If you earn Sh20,000, you have to give 10 percent of your time or your money to the community; that’s charity or funds. I do 5 percent in kind, and 5 percent of funds in a pot to make a difference. Then I allocate 10 percent of my salary to travel and 10 percent to shopping. Always 20 percent goes into savings.

It seems that it’s important for you to be seen first as a professional before any other metric. When you look back over your career, which investment in your professional career was a smart move?

The investment of not chasing the position. The university I went to, I got three job offers to be an assistant manager straight out of college. But I chose to be a housekeeper, a waitress, a reservations agent-living hand to mouth in London with no money. I could eat out maybe once a month because you don’t earn that much, but that to me was an investment in myself to be who I am today.

What career move would you say has brought you the biggest-be it monetary or professional-growth?

I worked in a hotel called Penn Gardens. I was a reservations agent and a meeting and event agent. I was earning revenue on the side, but I was never given an official role. I needed change. So I went within the group first, and I said, which jobs are out there? I got three offers. I got an assistant meeting and events manager at a five-star property. I got an assistant GM at a small property, 52 bedrooms. And I got an events assistant position with 560 bedrooms.

So I went to my GM, who was a good mentor. I wanted the assistant manager position at 23 years old.

He said no. And he’s like, ‘I have watched you in my organisation, and you have moved three times in a year because you just crave more. You will be so bored in a small property. I know the position looks good. Take the meeting and events assistant role, because that’s the role that’s going to challenge your mind.’ He was right.

How are you demanding more from yourself now?

Nobody is perfect. If you think you’re at 100 percent, then you need to take a serious look at yourself. I’ve never thought I’ve done any better than 80 percent ever in my life. It’s a good mentality to have because you’re always pushing for more, always asking, ‘Where’s that 20 percent and how am I getting there?’ I want to be the best, and there’s no way I’m ever going to be the best because there are so many great people around me.

What’s a significant loss that has shaped who you are today?

My two grandmothers. They taught me the values that we have in our lives today. We are a vegetarian family; we don’t drink, but I drink and eat meat. I’m not a typical Indian girl, but to have two matriarchs who are so strong and who tell you, ‘Forget what your parents think. Go drink.

Go eat meat. We don’t hate you for it.’ My grandma told me at the age of 16, you will never marry an Indian. To have people who are that open in your life allowed me to find this journey in being who I am today.

What conversation did you have with yourself to turn your back, metaphorically, on the family way and be your own person?

I value my family. If you saw me when I moved here 10 years ago, I was the perfect daughter. It wasn’t a conversation with myself; it was a conversation with all seven of my parents. I am always going to strive to be the perfect daughter for this family, the best version of myself for my business, but for me to do that, I have to be the best version of me.

And the best version of me drinks, eats meat, and wants to live on my own as a single person. It’s unheard of in Indian families for girls to live on their own, unmarried. But I do it. What I chose to do was hide it for a period of time because I wanted to be who they wanted me to be.

The first time I said it, my father was like, ‘No. It’s not our way.’ But they sent us around the world, and for them to think that they could give us so much exposure and we would be the same coming back was never going to be possible [chuckles].

What has that cost you?

Nothing. Do you know why? If you don’t want to be who you are because you’re scared of losing your friends and family, those friends and family were never yours to begin with. Because the people who love you the most will love you regardless of who you choose to be. The cost of authenticity is nothing, but your option to be authentic is based on fear. And it’s fear of loss. When you realise that you lose nothing that was of value, then you always choose to be yourself.

What has success made harder?

Every time you grow in your role, you get more responsibility. And then you get into leadership, and balance becomes hard. You have to balance your personal life, your family, your friends, and your work. I’m not good at balance. I give anything a 100 or zero, but there’s no such thing as balance, because balance means you give everything equal amounts of time. Impossible. You can have an integrated lifestyle, however. You don’t have to make cupcakes for your daughter at home, but you can promise her homemade cupcakes, and ask someone else to make them at home. I will never have balance, but I can have an integrated lifestyle.

Do you think you’ve made the most of your life?

Yeah. Everyone judges your life on pillars. You graduate from high school, then university, get a job, be a manager, get engaged, get married, have a child. Nobody talks about the ones who don’t want every pillar.

Everyone looks at me and says, ‘Arjaa, you spend so much time at work. What about a husband and a child?’ It’s not that I don’t want those things, but the life I’m living right now fulfils me. Through my work, I travel, meet people, and I set and surpass boundaries. My priority today is not husband and child, and that doesn’t make me any less fulfilled.

Is that something that comes up a lot?

Oh, all the time. I’m 35, single, which is unheard of in the Indian community for people to be unmarried at this age. Usually, I ask people if they’re happy because they’re married [chuckles]. There is no linearity in life. One day, I’ll wake up, and I’ll be like, I have no husband and no child. And that day, I will go and find one. But until the day comes, it’s not necessary.

What’s a family business lesson that has remained true over the years?

You will never be over-educated, and you should always strive to educate yourself further. And education doesn’t mean learning finance more. It could be learning how to meditate, or how to do your inner child work or even a new skill like knitting.

What is one thing you would splurge on?

My car. I may work in a fancy hotel, but my favourite thing to do is camp. So next, we need to add in a shower extension and a little cooking unit at the back of my car. This will be easier than cooking on campfires. I already have a snorkel, a front bumper, and a back bumper; it’s already raised. Slowly by slowly, I keep adding to it. You should have time for anything important to you.

Advise your future self.

You often take life too seriously and don’t. Life is supposed to be enjoyed. Otherwise there’s no point in living.

Now that you are here and work in hospitality, what is the right percentage to tip?

Tipping has come from American culture, and American waiters earn nothing, so their entire livelihood comes from tipping. I’m not saying don’t tip. I’m saying, whatever you feel comfortable with, and whatever you can afford. We’re an aspirational brand. So we’ll see young Kenyans save up Sh5,000 to come eat with us. And then forget they need Sh500 more. But anywhere you go where people enjoy their jobs. Sh100, Sh200, Sh500, Sh5,000 anything makes the difference. But don’t do it outside of what you can afford.

The Geothermal Development Company (GDC) is on the spot after an audit flagged Sh15.93 billion drilling rigs that are either idle or non-functional, adding to a list of underutilised assets at the government-owned firm.

In the latest report for the year ended June 2025, the Auditor-General has questioned the value for money of the seven drilling rigs acquired several years ago, noting that three have remained out of operation for the past five years with no clear repair plan, while GDC also lacks staff capacity to operate all the rigs.

‘Review of documents provided by management in respect to the operating condition of the rigs revealed that three rigs were not in good working condition,’ the report states.

‘s failure to insure the multi-billion-shilling equipment, exposing it to significant financial risk. However, in response, GDC said it was undertaking a risk survey before procuring insurance.

‘The company is in the process of undertaking a risk survey on its assets for insurance purposes. The company will also benchmark with the sector counterparts for best practices,’ said GDC in response to audit queries.

The audit findings on the drilling rigs form part of underutilised or idle assets at the State-owned firm tasked with exploring and drilling for geothermal steam in the country.

The report further revealed inefficiencies in supporting the drilling equipment, including bulk cementing trucks used in drilling operations.

Of the 12 trucks acquired in 2016 at a cost of Sh138.9 million, eight were found to be non-functional and had not been used since purchase.

Concerns were also raised over a stalled drilling monitoring software project initially contracted in 2014 at a cost of Sh344.5 million. The system was meant to provide real-time monitoring of drilling operations, including fleet management and CCTV integration across rigs.

However, audit verification in September last year revealed that the software had not been installed despite an advance payment of Sh137.8 million.

‘Although management indicated that milestone one on fleet management had been achieved, no evidence was provided in support of the claim,’ the auditor-general said.

GDC told auditors that the matter is under investigation by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), but noted that efforts to obtain progress updates have not yielded feedback.

‘In the circumstances, value for money incurred drilling monitoring software totaling to Sh137.8 million could not be ascertained,’ the report adds.

The year ended June 2025 saw GDC’s pre-tax loss widen to Sh1.46 billion from a loss of Sh528.2 million in the previous financial year.

However, a tax credit of Sh1.82 billion saw it post a net profit of Sh352.02 million compared to a net profit of Sh1.72 billion in the previous financial year when it enjoyed a Sh2.25 billion tax credit.

GDC was formed in 2008 as a special purpose vehicle following the enactment of the Energy Act 2006, that allowed the dividing of the country’s energy sector into five sub-sectors namely generation, transmission, distribution, regulation and policy.

The firm develops steam fields and sells geothermal steam for electricity generation to Kenya Electricity Generating Company and private investors.

Bilal Auma Washikumba, a Kenyan chef, has made his way from the coastal kitchens of Mombasa to the fine-dining rooms of Nairobi and now to Kigali, where he is shaping menus, mentoring young cooks and proving that the life of a chef sometimes calls for a delicate balancing act.

At The Hemingways Retreat Kigali, where he is the executive chef, Bilal says his role is about more than putting plates before guests. It is about consistency, profit, guest satisfaction and, increasingly, training the next crop of chefs in a market he says is still growing.

He has worked in some of Kenya’s leading hotels, gaining skills in seafood, fine dining, kitchen management and hotel operations.

He was in kitchens at Leisure Lodge Hotel in Mombasa, Jacaranda Indian Ocean Beach Club, the Norfolk Hotel’s Pango fine dining restaurant, Fairview Hotel, Sopa Lodges in the Maasai Mara and Naivasha, and Temple Point Resort in Watamu before relocating to Kigali, Rwanda, in May 2022.

‘I worked with the most experienced chefs, Italian chefs, so that’s where I got my experience. I loved doing lobster, tamido and prawns piri piri.’

In 2009, he stepped away for two and a half years to study at Kenya Utalii College, a move he says gave him the management grounding that hands-on hotel training had not fully provided.

‘I really wanted to have insights into the kitchen because when you do normal in-house training, there are things that you miss out on in terms of kitchen management,’ he says.

Then called the Retreat, before Hemingways acquired it officially in mid-2025, Bilal found not just a kitchen to lead, but a team to build.

‘When I joined, we started creating menus with the junior chefs, the local Rwandese chefs,’ he says. ‘I built up a team. Many have left, and they are chefs now in other hotels.’

For him, that movement is not a loss but proof that the training is working.

‘Rwanda is a small market and the culinary world is still [fledgling]. You cannot compare it to Kenya,’ he says. ‘But I like it when people come, train, leave, and they go succeed.’

The Kenyan chef is now grooming another group.

‘Currently, we have a new team we’ve been training. I’ve had to ensure I work closely with them because most of them have not gone to culinary school.’

He plans to take some of the kitchen staff to Kenya for a hands-on experience ‘to have that experience and broaden their knowledge in culinary skills.’

On the menu, he has been blending local Rwandan produce with international ideas.

‘We have the ribeye on bone that is served with the local plantain (mizuzu),’ he says.

Another fixture is tilapia from Lake Kivu. ‘Tilapia never used to be [on the menu],’ he says. ‘So, currently I’m doing tilapia that goes with the local spinach.’

For Bilal, the rules of the kitchen are clear. ‘One, you have to be strict with your recipe. Then you must have passion for cooking. You have to control your costs so that the company can also realise profits,’ he says.

He is a Muslim, but he does not let these beliefs get in the way of his job. He tastes everything when needed to, and that may include beef, whether halal or not, and pork.

‘Yes, I taste pork,’ he says. ‘It’s part of my job…Let’s say it’s Ramadhan, then you come in the kitchen, and you are telling people you cannot taste food because you are fasting. When a guest complains, you can’t tell [unless you taste]. So, some boundaries I just leave it out then I say I’m coming to do my job. And I do it right.’

Do chefs cook at home too?

‘My kids love to see me cooking, so they challenge me,’ says the 42-year-old. ‘I do a lot of cooking when I take my off and my leave.’

He is also clear that the title chef must be earned.

‘If you want to be a good chef, you must start from the cleaning part, the stewarding part, then you grow from there,’ he says.

‘Cooking comes from the heart,’ he says. ‘You must enjoy your job.’

Funders such as multilateral lenders, donors and bilateral partners are increasingly demanding that businesses demonstrate returns beyond financial performance on investments supported by their capital.

The owners of capital are pushing local startups and other businesses to begin tracking their social impact, including metrics such as job creation, poverty reduction, access to credit, and affordable healthcare and clean water.

Financiers and philanthropists backing multilateral lenders such as the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and donors like the Gates Foundation are increasingly insisting that investments generate more than profits.

Social impact reporting is emerging as a key disclosure for businesses seeking to attract funding, particularly from external sources such as development finance institutions.

“Impact reporting is quite important for visibility to both global and regional investors, and it goes beyond the assessment of financial metrics,” said Isis Madison, an independent non-executive director at the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), who also advises global investors and philanthropic institutions on entrepreneurship and the digital economy.

“From an investor’s perspective, it is important that the capital you are deploying not only delivers financial returns but also has a wider impact on the communities where the enterprises operate.”

Acumen, the global impact investment firm, says wealthy donors and social impact investors are increasingly demanding data that measures both the financial return and the human impact of their investments.

The organisation has identified key gaps, including inadequate funding for data collection and the absence of a standard framework for measuring social impact.

Its State of Social Impact Reporting in East Africa report found that reporting is largely driven by the need to satisfy external funders rather than to improve business performance or social outcomes.

Among the 40 organisations assessed, all had a history of impact reporting, but few were using the findings to strengthen investment decisions or maximise social impact.

“SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) indicators dominate framework adoption for social impact definitions and explanations, but qualitative evidence reveals this is largely communicative rather than operational. SDGs are cited in reports, not used to drive documentation and measurement design,” the report states.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals comprise 17 global objectives aimed at ending poverty, protecting the planet and promoting prosperity.

Social impact experts argue that businesses can no longer separate social impact from financial sustainability, even though profitability remains the primary performance measure for most enterprises.

Wealthy donors and philanthropists have also been challenged to provide both funding and technical expertise to help businesses measure and manage their impact on communities.

Poverty alleviation remains the leading social impact indicator in Kenya and across Africa.

“Most of the impact we have seen is income improvement because unemployment and poverty remain major challenges in Kenya and across Africa,” said Chris Maranga, Acumen’s Regional Director for Africa.

The 40 organisations covered in the report operated across six sectors, including financial services, agriculture, education, healthcare and retail.

Most of the firms said their funding came from multilateral institutions, development partners, bilateral donors and private investors.

The Court of Appeal has struck out an appeal by the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) challenging a High Court decision that quashed the award of a Sh362 million tender for supply and maintenance of 15 forklift trucks.

The court rejected the procurement dispute after finding the appeal was filed one day late, leaving the High Court decision intact. The court reaffirmed that statutory timelines in procurement cases cannot be extended under ordinary appellate procedures.

The court ruled that the authority and its accounting officer failed to invoke the court’s jurisdiction within the mandatory seven-day period prescribed under the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act.

The appeal arose from a procurement dispute involving Finnish cargo-handling equipment manufacturer Kalmar Finland Oy, which lost the two-lot tender to Brookwood Technical Limited and Autobikes Ltd early this year. Kalmar was disqualified for failure to file audited accounts for the years 2024 and 2025, though it challenged this, arguing the requirement did not apply to it, as an original equipment manufacturer.

Autobikes Ltd was awarded Lot 2 of the contract for $721,306 (Sh93.2 million) while Brookwood Technical Limited was to get Lot 1 at $2.8 million (Sh362 million) before the Finnish firm lodged a complaint. The tender was for the supply, testing and commissioning of 15 new forklift trucks.

Kalmar Finland Oy successfully challenged Brookwood’s award at the High Court, which quashed the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board’s finding that Brookwood was eligible to participate in the tender.

In the judgment dated May 28, 2026, the court found that Brookwood had not been prequalified to participate in that restricted tender, which had been limited to four firms, whose equipment was already in use at the port. They were identified as XYMA, Hyster, SMV Konecranes and Kalmar.

‘The applicant (Kalmar) was among those prequalified to tender; the interested party (Brookwood) was not,’ said the court. ‘The list of invited bidders is a mandatory requirement, and procuring entities have no legal discretion to waive or deviate from it, and inviting bids from firms that are not in the list would amount to the procuring entity disregarding its own bid conditions, making it illegal,’ it added.

Aggrieved by the High Court judgment, KPA moved to the court of appeal seeking to overturn that decision.

Kalmar separately asked the appellate court to strike out the appeal, arguing that the statutory deadline expired on June 4 but the appeal was lodged and paid for on June 5.

KPA opposed the application, saying it filed a notice of appeal within time and requested typed proceedings from the High Court before attempting to lodge the record of appeal on June 4.

The authority said the court’s Deputy Registrar rejected the filing later that evening because certified proceedings and the High Court judgment had not yet been supplied.

KPA told the court it explained the position the following morning, after which the Deputy Registrar approved the record for filing and payment.

The authority urged the judges not to determine the dispute on procedural grounds, arguing the appeal raised substantial issues deserving consideration.

It argued that “substantive justice, fairness, and equity demand that the appeal be determined on its merits rather than being dismissed for procedural shortcomings.”

KPA also invoked constitutional provisions requiring courts to administer justice without undue regard to procedural technicalities and argued it could not file documents that were unavailable through no fault of its own.

The judges rejected those arguments, holding that procurement appeals occupy a special legal category governed by strict statutory deadlines.

“Section 175(4) of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act provides that an appeal against the decision of the High Court must be filed before the Court of Appeal within seven days,” the bench said.

The judges added that the provision forms the basis of the court’s jurisdiction and that “jurisdiction is everything.”

The court found that although KPA requested typed proceedings before expiry of the deadline, the statutory period continued running because procurement appeals are governed by special provisions overriding ordinary appellate rules.

Quoting earlier decisions, the judges reiterated that “these timelines are cast in stone and cannot be varied.”

The bench also rejected KPA’s reliance on equitable principles protecting litigants from court administrative failures.

“It, therefore, means that the appellants ought to have considered all these factors and endeavoured to file an appeal within time,” the judges said.

They added that KPA failed to demonstrate it had taken every possible step, including physically pursuing registry approval before expiry of the statutory period.

Record foreign investment inflows have put Kenya on the radar of global investors, but the next battle is likely to be fought over artificial intelligence infrastructure, green data centres and the digital economy.

Kenya Investment Authority (Invest Kenya) chief executive John Mwendwa says the country is betting on its renewable energy, skilled workforce and strategic location to attract the next wave of capital.

Kenya attracted a record $3.2 billion (Sh413.6 billion) in foreign direct investment in 2025 according to UNCTAD. What drove that performance?

It’s always good to set the landscape before jumping into the numbers. Globally, capital is looking for favourable places to locate, and Africa is increasingly becoming the next frontier for investment because by 2040 it will be home to the world’s youngest population.

Kenya is riding that wave. For the first time in our history, foreign direct investment exceeded $3 billion. That did not happen by accident. It reflects a sustained government push to facilitate investors throughout the entire journey.

We work with investors from the moment they begin considering opportunities in Africa and Kenya, providing business intelligence and helping them evaluate projects. We stay with them through implementation until they are commercially operational.

For the first time, we’ve also strengthened what we call ‘aftercare’, ensuring investors continue receiving support after establishing operations. That complete investor journey has become a major differentiator.

Much of the global investment conversation has shifted from traditional manufacturing to artificial intelligence infrastructure and data centres. Is Kenya seeing that shift?

Absolutely. AI and technology continue evolving faster than most people imagine.

We already have a pipeline of several data centre investments interested in Kenya, not only to serve the domestic market but to use Kenya as a springboard for the rest of Africa.

Green data centres represent the future. Sustainability has become a significant consideration for investors, and Kenya has a strong advantage because our electricity mix is about 93 percent renewable.

We have also seen important announcements such as Oracle’s data centre investment, and there are others evaluating similar opportunities. The demand is definitely there.

The key question now is ensuring power supply grows alongside demand.

Can Kenya realistically compete with established investment destinations like South Africa, Morocco or even the UAE for AI infrastructure?

Investors make decisions based on different competitive advantages, and I believe Kenya possesses a combination that very few countries on the continent can match.

We are strategically located on Africa’s eastern seaboard, giving us access to regional and international markets.

Our electricity is largely renewable, with a national ambition of reaching 100 percent renewable energy in the coming years. That becomes a very important consideration for companies building energy-intensive digital infrastructure.

Remember, these are not data centres designed only for Kenya. They are regional facilities serving customers across Africa and beyond.

The building blocks required to make Kenya a technology hub are increasingly falling into place.

If you want evidence, look at startup funding. Kenya attracted nearly $1 billion in startup investment in 2025, with a significant share flowing into technology businesses.

We believe Kenya is competitive, and this is one area where we can become a continental leader.

How is Invest Kenya helping investors move faster once they decide to invest?

One of the biggest initiatives we have introduced is what we call the ‘Investment Deal Room’.

Essentially, it brings together different government agencies to resolve investment bottlenecks in one coordinated process.

If an investor has challenges with land titles, we engage the Ministry of Lands. If there are taxation issues, company registration concerns or regulatory approvals, the relevant agencies come together and work through those challenges collectively.

Rather than leaving investors to navigate multiple institutions independently, we coordinate solutions.

That dedicated collaboration has significantly improved the investment process.

Apart from approvals, what is the biggest challenge you face when trying to attract global capital?

One challenge that doesn’t receive enough attention is the quality of investment opportunities.

A project cannot simply be an idea. Investors need detailed financial assumptions, realistic projections and credible data before committing capital.

That is why, for the first time, we have published an investment projects catalogue.

It brings together public, private, public-private partnership and infrastructure projects that have been developed to a standard investors can evaluate.

Instead of spending months trying to understand whether an opportunity is viable, investors can immediately see where the opportunities are and what the potential returns look like.

That shortens the investment discovery process considerably.

If you could change one thing over the next 12 months to improve Kenya’s competitiveness, what would it be?

The biggest priority is creating an even more predictable and conducive business environment.

Investment promotion is not something one agency can deliver alone. It requires coordination across government because investors interact with many institutions.

For us, the most consequential issue is improving the overall business climate. If investors know what is coming, if regulations are fair and consistent, and if decisions happen quickly, Kenya becomes much more competitive.

What are some of biggest investment projects that Kenya lost to competing countries in recent years?

If you asked a bank how many customers it declined compared to those it financed, you would probably find they turned away far more than they approved.

Investment promotion works in a similar way. Not every project comes to Kenya, and that’s perfectly normal. Sometimes another country is simply a better fit.

If another African country wins an investment, Africa still benefits.

What matters is understanding why we didn’t secure a project and whether there are lessons we can apply next time.

The encouraging part is that Kenya’s numbers continue moving in the right direction. Foreign direct investment is growing. Our pipeline continues expanding.

Our focus remains on improving conversion.

Looking ahead, are you confident Kenya can surpass the record FDI inflows recorded in 2025?

I’m optimistic, but we are only halfway through the year, so I don’t want to give a specific number.

When we held our international investment conference in March, I thought we might announce around $2 billion worth of investment commitments.

Instead, we announced $2.9 billion. That shows the strength of the pipeline.

Based on what we are seeing today, I believe 2026 can perform better than 2025.

Exactly where the number lands, we will know when the year closes. But the trajectory is positive.

The adage goes that eggs must be broken before an omelette hits the plate.

For successful women who have made their mark in various careers before the age of 40, breaking those eggs meant defying the rules they were expected to follow.

Many say they were given a template to follow, but they chose instead to live by their own rules.

Lorna Ogolla Omondi

Ms Ogolla is the partnerships lead for Google Research in Africa, spearheading machine learning and AI initiatives while ensuring that African languages are catered for.

The one rule she has broken over and over is not accepting limits.

‘I have always been unafraid of going above and beyond for what I think is right, what I think is optimal, what I think is efficient. Some people call it rogue, but if you only do what you’re told to do, you’ll only achieve what has ever been achieved, and I don’t want to live a life like that,’ she says.

‘I want to be memorable. I want to leave a legacy. I want to leave an impact far greater than anything that’s been done before. So, I go above and beyond. I do what my boss tells me, and I do more. I create more. I think around, I think beyond,’ says Ms Ogolla, a 37-year-old alumna of the Kenya High School who studied engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In her current role, she ensures that data on African languages is among those used to train AI.

Her drive to do more, she says, is what led her to develop an energy procurement algorithm ‘a 1,000 times faster than when I began in big tech’.

‘It’s not because anyone told me to; it’s because I looked into an opportunity. When I see an opportunity, I don’t wait for permission. I go do it and apologise if I [annoy] someone, but yeah, kind of rogue, but only rogue people change the world,’ she says.

Neema Nkatha

Ms Nkatha is the founder of Ohana Family Wear, and her stock-in-trade has been swimwear.

The biggest rule she has had to defy, she says, is the notion that she has to always be demure.

‘As a woman, the biggest rule I’ve had to defy is the idea that the good girl gets rewarded. You know how they say: the good girl never gets the corner office. I realised that if I was always waiting to be invited into the room, always trying to please everyone, always playing it safe, I would never build the business I dreamt of,’ she says.

Her business, sparked in 2018 when she could not find proper swimwear to pack for a trip to Europe, has grown into a regional and global brand, selling in Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar and displaying at fashion exhibitions in London, Dubai and other global platforms.

She says her desire to think beyond the box has helped push the brand forward.

‘Building Ohana has required me to speak up, negotiate, take risks countless times and confidently take up space, even when I felt like I had to earn the right to be there. So I’ve learnt that being kind and respectful is important, but so is being bold,’ says the 32-year-old.

‘Sometimes you have to ask for the opportunity, challenge the status quo, and believe in yourself before anybody else does. That’s the rule I chose to defy, and it’s made all the difference,’ she adds.

Lilian Mwai-Ndegwa

Ms Mwai is the Country Director for Kenya at TradeMark Africa, overseeing a project focused on reducing the time and cost of cross-border trade in Africa and beyond.

She has previously worked with KPMG Kenya, One Acre Fund, and Swisscontact.

To reach where she is, the 39-year-old former actuarial science student at the University of Nairobi has had to walk the path less travelled. One of the forces she has had to defy is imposter syndrome, that feeling of insufficiency even when one has all the qualifications.

‘Being able to break the imposter syndrome has been very important. You have to be able to break that barrier in your mind where you think you have to have a certain qualification and to be a certain age [to make a step],’ she says.

Another rule she has had to break is the urge to be the nice person who sweeps problems under the carpet. Whenever there is an issue that needs to be pointed out, she always endeavours to speak up.

‘People feel that [it is improper] when they give feedback, and especially when it’s not positive,’ she says.

In her opinion, you become more useful to an organisation when you challenge a certain idea or mindset.

Shaping anything, she explains, requires one to remove some things, influence people, change mindset and challenge things.

‘Most people fear articulating [a contrary opinion] when everybody is saying yes or a majority is saying yes,’ says Ms Mwai, also a Kenya High School alumna.

A mother of four, Ms Mwai also defied the common notion that a woman can’t prosper in her career while raising children.

‘In my career, there was a period where I was in mid-level management for quite a while because I was having children and I was building my family. There was a point I thought I would never get into leadership because I had spent a huge chunk of time focusing on family. But I believe that is important. There’s a time and point for everything,’ she says.

‘If, as a woman, it requires you to focus on having a family at some point and then you come back to pursue your career, then do that. For me, the barrier I had to break in my mind, and with what society thought, was that family and a career are not on the same level,’ says Ms Mwai.

Bilha Ngaruiya

Ms Ngaruiya, 36, is the Kenyan country manager for ONErpm, a platform that helps artistes access global streaming platforms and receive royalties directly. The firm has helped onboard at least 8,000 artistes.

She hasn’t trodden the beaten path to be here. For one, she didn’t complete her college studies.

‘We believe there is only one path to success: finish college, earn the right degree, choose a career, and stay in your lane. I didn’t finish college, so I didn’t have the traditional credentials many people consider essential,’ she says. ‘Instead, I learnt through apprenticeship: by serving, observing, asking questions, and earning my way into rooms where I could learn from people who had gone before me. My classroom was the music industry itself.’

She reckons that what has propelled her to where she is isn’t a degree but curiosity.

‘Every opportunity became a lesson, every challenge became a teacher, and every transition expanded my perspective. I believe continuous learning matters more than following a prescribed path, and it’s a mindset I still carry today,’ she argues.

Norah Kimathi

Ms Kimathi is the co-founder of Zerobionic, a start-up that develops assistive humanoid robots that translate spoken language into sign language.

The project began in 2021 and has earned her global recognition. Zerobionic, which is backed by the United Nations Development Programme, has expanded into seven countries across Africa, Europe and Australia, deploying more than 78 robotic systems in schools.

To succeed, she says, she had to embrace the power of teamwork.

‘As a woman, I was told I had to be twice as good and work twice as hard to prove myself. And I did. But the real rule I broke was the one that says you have to do it alone. I brought together people who had never been invited to a room like this. Street-involved girls, deaf women, young girls who had been told they did not belong,’ she says.

‘I built a reason for people to believe that they could build too. The future does not belong to the lone genius; it belongs to the community of women and men alike that build together. That is a rule I’m here to break, and I’m inviting everyone who has ever been told they are not enough to break it with me today,’ adds Ms Kimathi.

Jerop Limo

Ms Limo is the executive director at Ambassadors for Youth and Adolescent Reproductive Health Programme, commonly known as AYARHEP.

Living with HIV herself, she has dedicated her career to becoming a mirror for other young people, showing them that a diagnosis need not become the boundary of ambition.

The rule she has had to defy is that life must follow a neat sequence: school first, then work, then impact.

‘I started work and went to school later, which is out of the norm. I’m currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Development Studies,’ says the 27-year-old.

Wanjiru Mambo

Ms Mambo, 38, is the founder and chief executive of WedgeHut Foods.

Her work is rooted in agriculture, where she is helping thousands of smallholder farmers escape the grip of middlemen by connecting them directly to markets that demand specific potato varieties.

The rule she chose to break was waiting for the perfect conditions before beginning.

‘[I am for] just starting and not waiting for the perfect moment, choosing to learn as I go,’ she says.

In doing so, Ms Mambo has built a business around practical problem-solving.

Seline Achieng’

Ms Achieng’, 37, is the founder and chief executive of Empowered Women with Disability.

By addressing exclusion, discrimination and the information gaps affecting persons with disabilities and their families, she is challenging long-held misconceptions and helping build a more inclusive society. She is pushing against barriers that keep persons with disabilities out of education, employment, information and leadership, while reminding families and communities that inclusion is not charity but justice.

The rule she refused to accept was that some spaces were not meant for her.

‘I didn’t listen when I was told I can’t and that it’s not my place,’ she says.

Fiona Anyumba

Dr Anyumba, 37, is the unit head for vascular and interventional radiology at Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital. Her work reduces pain, shortens recovery and hospital stays, while expanding access to advanced, life-saving care for ordinary Kenyans in the public health system.

The rule she has broken is what she calls the ‘invisible consultant rule’; the idea that specialists should remain behind the scenes, focused only on patients and the technical work.

‘Traditionally, consultants are to focus on their patients and their work; but I am also involved in directly marketing our interventional radiology services to both patients and other doctors, advocacy for patients, negotiating prices to make the services accessible and building international networks which can be leveraged to grow the practice of interventional radiology in my institution and in the country,’ she says.

Stocks of bottled water manufactured or imported before July 1, 2026 have been exempted from a directive requiring traders and manufacturers to surrender all unused excise stamps after the commodity was removed from the list of excisable goods through the Finance Act, 2026.

‘Taxpayers holding unused V4 excise stamps for bottled water as at 1 July 2026 are required to return the stamps to the Kenya Revenue Authority in accordance with these guidelines,’ the Kenya Revenue Authority said.

‘However, taxpayers should note that bottled water lawfully manufactured or imported and stamped before July 1, 2026 may continue to be sold with the affixed stamps.’

The exemption is expected to provide relief to traders and manufacturers who may now avoid the logistical challenges of a multiple-step procedure of surrendering unused stamps.

A schedule by KRA showed that those returning excise stamps would initiate the process by logging in to the Excise Goods Management System (EGMS). Upon submission of the excise stamps return request in the EGMS system, KRA shall process the application and either approve or reject the request.

This would be followed by a physical surrender of the paper stamps before any reimbursements would be processed.

Excise duty on bottled water was charged at Sh6.41 per litre until late last month, when it was abolished by the Finance Act, 2026.

This marked the end of nearly a decade of excise taxation on one of Kenya’s fastest-growing consumer products.

As an excisable product, every bottle of water sold in Kenya was required to bear an excise stamp to track production and confirm that the requisite tax had been paid.

An excise stamp is a revenue marker affixed to excisable goods to demonstrate that excise duty -popularly referred to as the “sin tax”- has been paid by the manufacturer.

The removal of the tax came against the backdrop of a rapidly expanding bottled water market, fueled by growing health consciousness, rapid urbanisation and persistent concerns over the quality and safety of piped water supplies.

The government first introduced excise duty on bottled water through the Excise Duty Act, 2015, as part of broader tax reforms aimed at widening the tax base and increasing domestic revenue collection. The move also reflected an expansion of excise taxation beyond its traditional focus on alcohol and tobacco to include selected non-alcoholic beverages and other consumer goods.

To safeguard revenue collection, KRA requires all licensed manufacturers and importers of excisable goods to purchase digital excise stamps, which are affixed to products before they leave the factory.

The stamps, administered through the EGMS, enable the taxman to monitor production volumes, verify tax payments and curb tax evasion and illicit trade.

Initially introduced for alcoholic beverages and tobacco products, the digital stamps were later extended to bottled water, juices, soft drinks, energy drinks and cosmetics as the government intensified efforts to plug revenue leakages.

Drivers on ride-hailing platforms such as Uber and Bolt could get a reprieve on how fares and commissions are set under proposed new competition rules aimed at curbing the abuse of market power.

The government has proposed new legislation to crack down on online platforms that exploit businesses that depend on them by unilaterally slashing prices, imposing unfair commercial terms or using their influence to dictate trading conditions.

The proposals, contained in the Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2026, are expected to place ride-hailing companies under greater regulatory scrutiny following years of disputes with Kenyan drivers over fare reductions and commission structures that the latter say have steadily eroded their earnings.

The Bill introduces the concept of a strategic market position, defining it as a situation where a company is able to influence market prices, quality, service, output or innovation to an appreciable extent independently of competitors, suppliers, users or consumers.

“A person has a strategic market position in a market if the person influences market prices, quality, service, output or innovation to an appreciable extent independent of competitors, suppliers, users or consumers,” says the Bill.

In determining whether a person holds a strategic market position, the CAK will consider factors including the firm’s presence across digital markets, control of data, network effects, switching costs, barriers to entry, financial strength and the degree of dependence by business users and consumers on its platform.

A bruising price war involving American ride-hailing company Uber, Estonia’s Bolt and local start-ups Little and Faras has driven fares down to a level that many drivers say is unsustainable, prompting some of them to defy algorithms and to set their own higher rates.

Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania – with their growing economies and relatively low car ownership rates – are among the most important markets for Uber in Africa.

Drivers have repeatedly accused the multinational technology firms of using algorithms to determine fares in a manner that favours the platforms at the expense of those providing the transport service.

The concerns have fuelled frequent standoffs between drivers and the companies, with some motorists resorting to negotiating fares directly with passengers instead of accepting the prices generated by the applications.

Through the proposed amendments, the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) is seeking to regulate businesses that, although they may not necessarily dominate a market, wield disproportionate bargaining power over businesses that have few viable alternatives.

It also introduces the concept of superior bargaining position, recognising that companies can exploit trading partners because of economic dependence, even where they do not enjoy a dominant market share.

Under the Bill, “a person has a superior bargaining position in a market if the person creates an imbalance in the rights and obligations relating to its commercial relations with a counterparty and the counterparty cannot find a viable and satisfactory alternative in the market.”

Unlike existing competition law, which primarily focuses on dominant market positions, the amendments seek to regulate commercial relationships where one party possesses overwhelming negotiating leverage even in competitive markets.

The competition watchdog says the reforms are necessary because digital platforms have created new forms of market power that are not adequately addressed by the current law.

In its submission to Parliament, the agency says the digital economy has introduced unique competition concerns arising from the growing influence of large online platforms.

“The increasing prominence of large digital platforms has created risks associated with the concentration of market power, unfair trading practices, economic dependence, exclusionary conduct, and barriers to market entry,” the CAK director-general, David Kemei, told the National Assembly’s Finance and National Planning Committee.

According to the regulator, online platforms derive competitive advantages from strong network effects, access to vast amounts of user data and integrated digital ecosystems, allowing them to acquire and entrench market power more rapidly than traditional businesses.

The authority argues that this has created regulatory gaps because the existing Competition Act does not expressly provide for the regulation of competition in digital markets despite virtual marketplaces becoming a critical part of the economy.

The amendments, therefore, introduce a framework for determining whether a business holds a strategic market position in the digital economy.

The competition watchdog will also examine whether a platform acts as a gatekeeper between businesses and consumers, whether competitors require access to that platform to compete effectively, whether the company controls the rules governing the digital ecosystem and whether network effects have caused the market to tip overwhelmingly in favour of a single platform.

The concept, it says, mirrors approaches adopted in major jurisdictions that have had to grapple with the growing influence of internet giants.

In Europe, competition regulators have already relied on similar concepts in regulating companies such as Google, Apple and Meta, leading to billions of dollars in penalties over practices including self-preferencing, anti-steering rules and restrictions on competition in digital markets.

The proposed amendments would also significantly strengthen enforcement powers.

The Bill proposes a fine of up to Sh10 million, imprisonment for up to five years, or both, for a person found to have abused a strategic market position or superior bargaining position by imposing unfair trading conditions on another undertaking.

The proposed reforms come as the Ministry of Roads and Transport moves to introduce a new minimum compensation per trip for ride-hailing drivers and motorcycle operators, setting the stage for yet another showdown between the government and technology companies over pricing.

The Competition Authority is keen to address the wider imbalance in bargaining power between digital platforms and businesses that depend on them.

To address such situations, the Bill empowers the Competition Authority to develop codes of practice governing commercial relationships in sectors where abuse of strategic market position or superior bargaining position is likely to occur.

Once issued, the codes would become binding on businesses operating within those sectors, providing a framework for resolving disputes over pricing, commissions and other commercial terms.

The Authority says this flexibility will allow it to respond to rapidly evolving digital markets without having to seek fresh legislation whenever new business models emerge.

The proposals closely mirror reforms already adopted in several advanced economies.

The European Union has introduced rules targeting large digital “gatekeepers” whose platforms have become indispensable to businesses and consumers.

Companies including Google, Apple and Meta have faced regulatory action and multibillion-shilling penalties over practices ranging from self-preferencing their own services to restricting competition on their platforms.

Ride-hailing platforms have also come under increasing scrutiny.