Category: Business Daily

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has opposed a latest bid by former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu to soften his bail terms ahead of a ruling by the High Court on Wednesday.

Mr Waititu remains incarcerated at Kamiti Prison after prosecutors dismissed his request for a review of his bail terms as unmerited. The court will decide whether to relax bail conditions imposed following his February 2025 conviction to a Sh53.5 million fine or a 12-year jail term for corruption-related offenses.

‘We are objecting solely because the applicant has not satisfied the conditions warranting review of the bail terms,’ state prosecutors said on Monday.

They argued that the court’s July 2025 order requiring Waititu to deposit a Sh53.5 million bank guarantee for his release, pending appeal was reasonable. Prosecutors further contended that his repeated applications lacked substantive grounds.

According to them, Waititu’s motion ‘merely shifts prayers without meeting legal thresholds.’ They accused his defense of recycling arguments, stating, ‘this change does not necessarily meet the conditions for review.’

Waititu has been in jail for eight months since being granted bail in July last year under strict conditions. He is serving a 12-year sentence after failing to raise the Sh53.5 million fine imposed upon his conviction by a Magistrate’s court.

The case stemmed from a fraudulent Sh588 million road construction tender awarded to Testimony Enterprises, with the court finding that Waititu received Sh20 million in kickbacks.

Despite his conviction, the High Court granted him bail on July 31, 2025, citing health concerns and the need for external medical treatment. Notably, the court imposed a Sh53.5 million bank guarantee-a condition initially proposed by Waititu’s defense team.

Months later, Waititu filed a certificate of urgency on January 21, 2026, seeking to replace the bank guarantee with a Sh20 million cash deposit. His lawyers invoked the legal doctrines of impossibility and frustration, arguing that Waititu had exhausted all reasonable efforts to secure the guarantee.

“Unattainable condition”

‘Despite all reasonable efforts, the applicant has been unable to secure a bank guarantee,’ the lawyers told the court. They revealed that the defense had flagged the issue as early as December 18, 2025, and was instructed to file a formal application.

They warned that enforcing an unattainable condition would render the bail order meaningless. ‘It is quite clear that the applicant will not be able to secure the said bank guarantee,’ stated the advocates.

The motion asks the court to set aside the guarantee requirement and instead accept a Sh20 million cash deposit or another reasonable amount. Waititu’s legal team argued that bail conditions should not be oppressive, especially since appeals can overturn convictions.

Prosecutors, however, countered that the application disregarded previous rulings and amounted to rewarding delay tactics. In an earlier decision rejecting a reduction request, the court noted that Waititu himself had proposed the bank guarantee and should have understood its implications.

‘The applicant himself made an offer for a bank guarantee and must have known what it would entail to procure the same,’ the court ruled previously. ‘He cannot now turn around and say that he has not been able to meet the terms.’

The DPP further emphasised that convicts do not enjoy a presumption of innocence and must meet stringent bail conditions. ‘This is a court of law, not mercy,’ prosecutors asserted, urging the judge to prevent tactics that could further delay the appeal process.

After hearing the fresh submissions, the court reserved its decision, scheduling the ruling for February 18, 2026, at noon.

The judgment will determine whether changed circumstances justify easing Waititu’s bail terms or if the original conditions should remain unchanged.

Kenya hopes to be removed from the global financial crimes watchdog’s ‘grey list’ by May as it tightens its tools to detect and block illicit money flows.

The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) added Kenya to the list of countries under special scrutiny in February 2024, due to loopholes in countering money laundering and terrorism financing.

Getting off the list could make it easier for capital to enter the country and also benefit companies and households through lower funding costs.

Kenya said it is sharpening its tools to detect money laundering and terrorist financing and aims to have operational Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Committees.

“So everyone should go do their work, we ensure we are out of that grey list by May,” Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo told delegates at an anti-money laundering reforms forum in Nairobi on Monday.

He said that Kenya has bolstered its push to tighten the noose on money laundering.

Under the International Cooperation Review Group process, Kenyan financial institutions and designated businesses are implementing stronger Customer Due Diligence measures, including verification of beneficial ownership and monitoring of high-risk transactions.

‘We really need to work hard. I am not sure we can have the opportunity to extend the greylisting period. We can’t have. So we have to use this time to work extra hard to make sure we comply. So we are going to work with individual principals,’ Dr Kiptoo said.

Further, he said, financial institutions have heightened Suspicious Transaction Reporting, with enhanced mechanisms in place to ensure timely reporting and analysis of suspicious financial activities.

Kenya said that it will henceforth deploy an inter-agency coordination approach, which will include the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the Attorney General’s office, and select State departments.

‘Under me is the BRS(Business Registration Services). Under me is the Asset Recovery Agency. As you have seen, the Asset Recovery Agency is actually responding and doing a very good job of getting us out of the greylist,” Attorney General Dorcas Oduor told delegates at the meeting.

“So we are going to use our office as the pilot for other institutions to see what we can do to accelerate not only prosecution and investigation of cases, but the Asset Recovery Agency is mandated to go for civil recovery.’

The Kenya Financial Reporting Centre reported nearly Sh6.976 trillion in suspicious financial transaction reports over three years through 2023, with most (around 91 percent) of that funneled through banks.

The report said money is laundered mostly through real estate, lawyers, and accountants.

When a country is grey listed, its banks face tighter due diligence from foreign banks, some international transactions experience delays, and investors flag compliance risk in country risk assessments.

Since the pandemic, offices around the world have quietly shrunk. Many organisations don’t need as much floor space or as many desks, given many staff now do a mix of hybrid work from home and the office.

But on days when more staff are required to be in, office spaces can feel noticeably busier and noisier. Despite so much focus on getting workers back into offices, there has been far less focus on the impacts of returning to open-plan workspaces.

Now, more research confirms what many suspected: our brains have to work harder in open-plan spaces than in private offices.

What the latest study tested

In a recently published study, researchers at a Spanish university fitted 26 people, aged in their mid-20s to mid-60s, with wireless electroencephalogram (EEG) headsets. EEG testing can measure how hard the brain is working by tracking electrical activity through sensors on the scalp.

Participants completed simulated office tasks, such as monitoring notifications, reading and responding to emails, and memorising and recalling lists of words.

Each participant was monitored while completing the tasks in two different settings: an open-plan workspace with colleagues nearby, and a small enclosed work ‘pod’ with clear-glazed panels on one side.

The researchers focused on the frontal regions of the brain, responsible for attention, concentration, and filtering out distractions. They measured different types of brain waves.

Brainwaves are grouped into five different wavelength categories. Shutterstock

As neuroscientist Susan Hillier explains in more detail, different brain waves reveal distinct mental states:

‘gamma’ is linked with states or tasks that require more focused concentration

‘beta’ is linked with higher anxiety and more active states, with attention often directed externally

‘alpha’ is linked with being very relaxed, and passive attention (such as listening quietly but not engaging)

‘theta’ is linked with deep relaxation and inward focus

and ‘delta’ is linked with deep sleep.

The Spanish study found that the same tasks done inside the enclosed pod vs the open-plan workspace produced completely opposite patterns.

It takes effort to filter out distractions

In the work pod, the study found beta waves – associated with active mental processing – dropped significantly over the experiment, as did alpha waves linked to passive attention and overall activity in the frontal brain regions.

This meant people’s brains needed progressively less effort to sustain the same work.

The open-plan office testing showed the reverse.

Gamma waves, linked to complex mental processing, climbed steadily. Theta waves, which track both working memory and mental fatigue, increased. Two key measures also rose significantly: arousal (how alert and activated the brain is) and engagement (how much mental effort is being applied).

In other words, in the open-plan office participants’ brains had to work harder to maintain performance.

Even when we try to ignore distractions, our brain has to expend mental effort to filter them out.

In contrast, the pod eliminated most background noise and visual disruptions, allowing participant’s brains to work more efficiently.

Researchers also found much wider variability in the open office. Some people’s brain activity increased dramatically, while others showed modest changes. This suggests individual differences in how distracting we find open-plan spaces.

With only 26 participants, this was a relatively small study. But its findings echo a significant body of research from the past decade.

What past research has shown

In our 2021 study, my colleagues and I found a significant causal relationship between open-plan office noise and physiological stress. Studying 43 participants in controlled conditions – using heart rate, skin conductivity and AI facial emotion recognition – we found negative mood in open plan offices increased by 25% and physiological stress by 34%.

Another study showed background conversations and noisy environments can degrade cognitive task performance and increase distraction for workers.

And a 2013 analysis of more than 42,000 office workers in the United States, Finland, Canada and Australia found those in open-plan offices were less satisfied with their work environment than those in private offices. This was largely due to increased, uncontrollable noise and lack of privacy.

Just as we now recognise poorly designed chairs cause physical strain, years of research has shown how workspace design can result in cognitive strain.

What to do about it

The ability to focus and concentrate without interruption and distraction is a fundamental requirement for modern knowledge work.

Yet the value of uninterrupted work continues to be undervalued in workplace design.

Creating zones where workers can match their workplace environment to the task is essential.

Responding to having more staff doing hybrid work post-pandemic, LinkedIn redesigned its flagship San Francisco office. LinkedIn halved the number of workstations in open plan areas, instead experimenting with 75 types of work settings, including work areas for quiet focus.

For organisations looking to look after their workers’ brains, there are practical measures to consider. These include setting up different work zones, acoustic treatments and sound-masking technologies, and thoughtfully placed partitions to reduce visual and auditory distractions.

While adding those extra features in may cost more upfront than an open plan office, they can be worth it. Research has shown the significant hidden toll of poor office design on productivity, health and employee retention.

Providing workers with more choice in how much they’re exposed to noise and other interruptions is not a luxury. To get more done, with less strain on our brains, better design at work should be seen as a necessity.

Kenyans will be allowed to access a portion of their pension savings early for needs such as education, housing, and medical bills under fresh proposals aimed at encouraging the uptake of retirement products.

The Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA) has proposed that part of the pension savings be channelled into a separate account that can be accessed during economic hardships and for investment purposes.

The proposals, dubbed the ‘two-pot’ pension policy reform, is meant to support long-term retirement savings while offering flexibility to help fund members in financial distress.

Currently, members can access their pension benefits, including the matched employers’ contributions, before the early retirement age of 50 if unemployed or when changing jobs.

However, financial hardship is not currently recognised as a legitimate reason for accessing a pension before the retirement age.

The RBA proposals, however, will only allow savers to dip into their pension pots for contributions that will come after approval of the plan.

This means that the restrictions on early access will continue to apply to savings before the proposals are approved and come into force.

The RBA’s ‘two-pot’ pension policy reform borrows from South Africa, which in 2024 allowed savers early access to part of their retirement funds if they are facing acute financial hardships.

‘The subaccounts enable members to access a portion of their savings to meet short-term financial needs. This value proposition is an incentive that is expected to encourage uptake of retirement products, particularly by the informal sector,’ the RBA said in sector proposals.

‘The introduction of sub-accounts will make pension schemes more competitive compared to other savings products.’

Subaccounts or separate accounts will host funds that will hold pension funds that can be accessed early.

For instance, if a worker contributes Sh15,000 monthly for pension savings, Sh3,000 from the contributions can be placed in the subaccount.

‘Your employer may decide that from your 7.5 percent gross salary contribution to the occupational scheme, five percent of this would go into the pension portion while 2.5 percent goes into the subaccount,’ said Charles Machira, the RBA chief executive officer.

Schemes, with the approval of the RBA, will be allowed to decide the portion of contributions that will be channelled to the subaccount.

The RBA reckons that returns from some pension schemes are outperforming the investment classes like government securities, banking savings and money market funds (MMFs).

In South Africa, retirement contributions have been split into a savings component and a retirement component.

A ratio of one-third of total contributions go into the savings component and two-thirds into the retirement component.

The savings component will be accessible at any time, but withdrawals must be a minimum of 2,000 rand (Sh16,000) and only one withdrawal may be made in a tax year.

What is withdrawn will be taxed at the individual’s marginal tax rate, helping to boost the government’s tax take.

Within a month of introducing the early access pension plan, South African pension funds paid out $1.2 billion (Sh154.8 billion).

Critics acknowledge the potential pitfalls of granting early withdrawals, including reducing later life savings and the adverse impact of releasing lump sums could have on means-tested benefits.

Proponents reckon there is a need for retirement benefits contributors in acute financial hardship to access money from their pensions, including to pay for overseas medical care or avoid property auctions.

The fresh proposal by the RBA has come amid pressure from Kenyans to have some form of access to pension savings before retirement in tough economic times.

The regulator is also under pressure to meet its own mandate of preserving adequate savings for retirees.

The RBA will allow trustees of the various pension schemes to determine the number and uses of funds under the ‘two-pot’ pension plan.

‘There is consensus that members would want to have access to some of their savings. We still want to ring-fence the larger proportion of contributions,’ said Mr Machira.

‘If you have saved Sh5 million today, we are still proposing limiting this access to ensure that at any given point within your working life, you cannot access 70 percent of your money.’

Read: NSSF pushes for early access to contributions

The RBA is pushing to stop workers from accessing their pension savings before age 50 through changes aimed at building a decent retirement nest egg.

The regulator last year advised the Treasury to delete part of the law allowing workers under 50 to access half of their pension benefits when they change jobs.

It sees the pension industry as more than just a savings scheme for retirement and is betting on superior returns from schemes to encourage other forms of savings within the ecosystem.

‘We want to make the pensions sector competitive so that young people can also participate. This change will resonate with the GenZs who could be saving to buy a house or a car,’ said Lazarus Keizi, the director of research, strategy and planning at the RBA.

The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) is also pushing for a change of law allowing members early access to part of their pension contributions in the State-backed fund.

It wants the NSSF Act, 2013 amended and aligned to the pensions law that allows contributors to access half of their retirement benefits before attaining 50 years.

Kenya suffers from low pension coverage, with more than 70 percent of workers retiring without a pension, save for the previously less than sufficient payout from the NSSF.

Kenyans, on average, are living longer and the rank of the elderly poor is rising as the traditional social fabric yields to the forces of rapid urbanisation and changing social and family trends.

In the past, social security was not a bother to many Kenyans because there was a large extended family to fall back on in the rural areas, but as the social fabric changes and more people opt to retire in urban centres, the trend is increasingly becoming a headache to policymakers.

This is what prompted the State to start a monthly stipend of Sh2,000 for those above 70 years to cushion them from old-age poverty.

This year, Kenya’s basic education has begun a historic phase as the pioneer cohort of 1.13 million learners under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system joins senior school.

The government, as part of its 100 percent transition agenda, has intensified efforts to admit learners to schools through initiatives such as Junior Secondary School capitation, expansion of bursary schemes, re-admission drives for absent learners, and, recently, the deployment of local chiefs to ensure all school-age children are in school.

According to reports from the Ministry of Education, as of January 25, 92 percent of Grade 10 students had enrolled in senior school.

Unfortunately, this leaves out about eight percent of students, primarily from disadvantaged backgrounds, who continue to face delays due to unpaid fees or long commutes to their assigned schools.

To understand what we must do now to make this new system work, we need to start by examining the pitfalls of our previous 8-4-4 system, because those who do not look at history are doomed to repeat it. For decades, the 8-4-4 system served as the backbone of our education. It was structured, standardised, and focused on producing academically disciplined graduates.

A major challenge of the curriculum was that it left little room for innovation, creativity, or individual learner interests. This pigeonholed many children whose aptitude, interests, and abilities lie in vocational education, the arts, sports, and other non-traditional careers.

We often forget that curriculum is the vehicle which empowers citizens with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values necessary for personal and national development.

The 8-4-4 system played its role in pushing Kenya into the 21st century. However, as the world transitions into a future shaped by artificial intelligence, creative industries, sports, entrepreneurship, and green economies, where problem-solving and critical thinking are prerequisites, the shift to CBE marked a bold and confident step for Kenya.

As we move towards transforming our education system, we must embrace the power of co-creating with different stakeholders.

It is important to applaud the efforts of the Ministry of Education in implementing the CBE, which has allowed learners to choose pathways aligned with their interests, whether academic, technical, creative, or sporting. This is an important step towards co-creation.

When it comes to shaping the future of education, engaging students and youth in co-creating the education they want is essential to meeting their aspirations and ambitions, and to creating a system that works.

Strategic partnerships with private institutions are also crucial.

For many young Kenyans, especially those in informal settlements, arid regions, and refugee-hosting communities, there is an urgent need for accessible education pathways. This is where private foundations and institutions can step in to support the government, through the Ministry of Education, to ensure that the 100 percent transition policy becomes a lived reality for the youth.

For the first time, our education system has formally recognised that young people are not identical, and that their aspirations and talents should shape their learning journeys.

As we continue to develop this curriculum, there is a need to involve youth more meaningfully to achieve true co-creation and build a sustainable education system.

Across the country, foundations such as The Family Group Foundation with the Tufuzu na Elimu high school education scholarships programme for bright students from vulnerable backgrounds is already demonstrating what co-creation can look like in practice through issuing scholarships, offering mentorship, building digital hubs where learners acquire coding and digital literacy skills, and enabling youth to explore their interests.

In doing so, these initiatives move beyond supporting access to education and actively involve young people in shaping what they learn, how they learn, and how their talents are nurtured.

As we work to enroll the remaining learners transitioning to Grade 10, it is clear that to address both the challenges and opportunities ahead, we must build an education system with co-creation at its center, co-creating with youth, government, and the private sector.

John Waimiri is the Executive Director at The Family Group Foundation

In a recent public statement, the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) announced it would terminate its credit rating relationship with Fitch Ratings. The rationale for this decision was particularly striking.

The bank attributed the move to its ‘firm belief that the credit rating exercise no longer reflects a good understanding of the Bank’s Establishment Agreement, its mission, or its mandate.’

It further emphasised that its business profile remains ‘robust, underpinned by strong shareholder relationships and the legal protections embedded in its Establishment Agreement’ which is a treaty signed and ratified by its member states.

At the core of this disagreement is a long-simmering debate: should rating agencies apply a single, rigid methodology to all banks, or should their approach be adapted to the specific nature of the institution? More precisely, should a commercial bank be assessed using the exact same framework as a multilateral development bank (MDB)? Afreximbank contends that Fitch Ratings failed to account for this critical distinction, producing an assessment the bank views as an unfair misrepresentation of its true credit standing.

Fitch’s methodology, as outlined in its ‘Bank Rating Criteria,’ employs a two-part framework for both commercial banks and MDBs. The first is a Core Quantitative Model (CQM), a standardised formula calculating a ‘Viability Rating’ based on financial metrics like asset quality and capital adequacy. This serves as the initial anchor.

The second component is the ‘Support Rating’ framework, where external support is evaluated. Here, theoretically, the distinction is made: for MDBs like Afreximbank, support is assessed as the collective, contractual commitment of its member states under its Establishment Agreement that is considered extremely strong and reliable.

For high-quality MDBs, Fitch often uses a “credit substitution” approach, anchoring the MDB’s rating to the creditworthiness of its strongest shareholders.

The pivotal rupture occurred on January 28, 2026, when Fitch downgraded Afreximbank to ‘BB+’ from ‘BBB-‘ and subsequently withdrew all ratings. This action pushed the bank’s long-term issuer default rating into non-investment grade (“junk”) territory.

This rating came through despite Afreximbank having terminated its relationship with the Fitch earlier, stating it viewed the agency’s methodology as flawed and indicative of a broader bias against African financial institutions.

This confrontation forces a critical examination of enduring tensions in global finance: Are international rating agencies’ methodologies inherently biased against African institutions? Or did Afreximbank misunderstand the framework and over react? Ultimately, the central question concerns real-world impact: What will be the consequences of this dispute for the bank, the continent’s financial architecture, and the credibility of global rating standards?

Is Afreximbank an isolated case? Emphatically, no. A longstanding and widespread sentiment across Africa holds that the methodologies of the “Big Three” rating agencies (Fitch, Moody’s, and S and P) are systematically biased, fail to account for unique regional contexts and produce unfairly punitive ratings. The agencies offer robust counter-arguments, creating a classic “dialogue of the deaf.”

Ghana has regularly contested downgrades. Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria, and South Africa have all formally appealed ratings decisions.

This debate yields critical lessons.

A substantive problem has been identified: the persistent gap between agency assessments and client realities, exacerbated by a communication breakdown. This rupture exposes a global architecture failing to adequately incorporate emerging market perspectives.

That friction must now catalyse a genuine dialogue, leading to mutually accepted methodologies.

Collective action is critical. Through the African Union or other pan-African platforms, a unified bloc should negotiate for tailored, publicly disclosed criteria for African MDBs and sovereigns with strong governance, demanding clarity on how qualitative factors are scored.

People spend a lot of money on flowers that die within days. What if I told you that the fresh bouquet you received over the weekend, could last for an entire month? How is that possible?

According to Michael Wangai, who runs Flower Zone in Nairobi, the longevity of your bouquet begins the moment you select it at the florist.

“Customers usually tell us that fully opened flowers are the best. But that is not the case,” says Michael. “If you want flowers that will last longer, you have to go for those that are slightly open. A bud will gradually open over time, and you’ll enjoy watching it bloom over the next few days or weeks.”

Cynthia Kitur, who runs Sekani Flower Shop, sees another common mistake that happens before the flowers even reach a vase. “People receive flowers, get excited, and take photos to show them off. By the time they put them in water, hours have passed,” she explains. By the time the stems finally touch water, the damage has already been done, and the flowers’ lifespan has been significantly shortened.

Fragility vs endurance.

Walk into any flower shop, and you’ll see roses everywhere-red for love and pink for admiration. But here’s something that might surprise you: roses are the most high-maintenance and shortest-lived flowers you can buy.

“Roses have weak petals, and they wither faster,” Michael explains. The softness that makes them pleasant to touch also makes them fragile. Add to that the fact that what we get locally is often not top quality.

Cynthia reveals that “export-grade flowers go to Europe and other countries, while what remains is sold locally.”

If you want flowers that last, Michael says, “Chrysanthemums can last up to a month, or at least three weeks with proper care.”

Lilies, carnations, and spathodeas have a similar lifespan. While they might not have the romantic reputation of roses, they offer something roses can’t: endurance.

“Mix it up! Get a few roses for romance, but base your arrangement on longer-lasting flowers, such as chrysanthemums. That way, you get both symbolism and longevity,” says Michael.

He is categorical about one thing: “Changing the water daily, particularly for roses, is perhaps the most important factor in flower longevity.” Yet, most people skip this step, thinking they can just top up the vase every few days without any consequences.

It’s important to change the water daily because bacteria start forming in the vase water almost immediately, feeding on bits of organic matter from the stems and any leaves that fall in. This bacterial soup clogs up the stems’ vascular systems-the flowers’ “straws”-so even if your vase is full, your flowers are dying of thirst because they can’t absorb the contaminated water.

Cut the stems diagonally

Every time you change the water, make a fresh cut on each stem using clean scissors or shears. “Cut at an angle, a centimetre or so,” Michael advises. The diagonal cut increases the surface area for water absorption.

Strip off any leaves below the waterline

“Any foliage that sits below the waterline will rot and contaminate the water,” Michael warns. This is crucial because leaves underwater start rotting quickly.

Add jik and sugar to the water. This is one of Cynthia’s favourite tricks. If you have flower food packets, use those. But if you don’t, add just a capful or less of jik to a standard vase of water. Jik kills the bacteria in the water,” she explains.

Then, add a bit of sugar. “It’s for osmosis,” she adds.

Finally, spray the flowers with water since external moisture helps too by supplementing what comes up through the stems.

Keep them cool

“Even when flowers are being transported from farms in Nakuru to Nairobi, the temperature in the trucks is regulated. High temperatures make flowers wither faster,” she explains.

If you’ve bought flowers in advance, refrigerate them overnight. When displaying them, keep them away from direct sunlight and heat sources. “Direct sunlight means a higher temperature, which accelerates wilting,” Cynthia notes. That sunny windowsill that seems like the perfect spot to show off your bouquet is actually killing your flowers faster.

What about mixed bouquets?

Many bouquets mix different flowers, such as roses for romance, lilies for elegance, and chrysanthemums for fullness. However, these flowers have different needs, raising an interesting question about how to care for them.

“Use two vases,” Michael suggests, “if you’re serious about maximum longevity.” “Keep roses separate from tropical flowers like chrysanthemums and lilies.” This way, when the roses start to decline faster, they won’t drag down the longer-lasting varieties.

Cynthia offers a different perspective that feels more realistic to most of us. “When flowers are put together, it’s purely for aesthetic value. It’s not a problem to have flowers with different needs together in one place. It will still work for all of them,” she says.

Four startups got more two thirds of the Sh141 billion in venture capital funding that came to Kenya in 2025, pointing to a heavy concentration of financing within a few firms as several others struggled to raise any money.

Last year, Burn Manufacturing, electric motorcycle maker Spiro, and off-grid solar firms D.Light and Sun King together raised Sh98.5 billion ($646 million), 69.8 percent of the total funds raised by Kenya-based startups during the year, according to data from the Africa Venture Capital Association (AVCA).

The four companies, all of which are in the fast growing clean energy industry, have consistently attracted high volume venture capital funding, putting Kenya among the leading startup funding destinations on the continent.

The concentration of new funding among the four came as some startups closed down due to a funding drought even as Kenya saw a slight jump in the number of funding deals to 65 from 60 in 2024.

D.Light’s Sh39 billion ($300 million) in debt financing raised from French VC fund Mirova topped the VC funding for Kenyan startups in 2025. It was also Kenya’s most funded startup in 2024 after raising over Sh24 billion in debt and grant financing.

Sun King, the major rival of D.Light in the off-grid solar products market in Kenya, raised Sh35 billion in debt and equity financing, the second largest in the country. It raised money from the International Finance Corporation and London-based VC Lightrock.

Electric motorcycles manufacturers raised Sh12.9 billion while clean cooking startup Burn Manufacturing raised Sh11.6 billion, mostly in debt from the Trade and Development Bank.

The increased funding to these Kenyan startups came amid increased financing to the clean energy and climate technology industry, which accounted for 17 percent of VC funding across Africa in 2025.

‘Artificial Intelligence and Clean and ClimateTech consolidated their ascent into the top tier,’ argued AVCA in its latest Africa Venture Capital Activity report.

‘Together, the two verticals captured over one-third of tech-enabled deal activity, reflecting both the rapid diffusion of AI across sectors and sustained investor focus on energy transition, climate resilience, and resource efficiency.’

During the same year, several startups in Kenya collapsed after failing to raise follow-up funding to sustain operations. Startups like Antara Health, Lipa Later, and Bonto shut down operations due to funding constraints.

At Sh141 billion ($1.094 billion), Kenya maintained its position as the leading destination for venture funding in Africa, far ahead of Egypt, South Africa, and Nigeria, which attracted Sh78 billion, Sh68 billion, and Sh37 billion respectively.

But unlike Kenya, financial technology companies remain the leading recipients of VC funding in the peer countries.

Animal and human food processor Unga Group targets to save about Sh83 million annually after switching from diesel-powered thermal energy to renewable biomass at its manufacturing facility.

The company, in partnership with industrial biomass firm Lean Energy Solutions, seeks to cut energy costs and reduce foreign exchange exposure.

‘Managing input costs and exposure to foreign exchange volatility has become critical to the long-term sustainability of manufacturing. This transition strengthens cost predictability while reducing reliance on imported fuels, supporting long-term operational resilience,’ Fredrick Kinge, Plant Manager, Unga Farm Care (EA) Ltd, said.

Unga said the new system is expected to cut its steam generation costs by approximately 45 percent.

Lean Energy implemented the project through a renewable thermal energy partnership model that helps to lower the capital barriers for manufacturers. Under this arrangement, the energy firm invests in, runs, and maintains the boiler, allowing Unga to access clean thermal energy without the upfront capital expenditure.

‘Industrial thermal energy is one of the biggest cost centers in manufacturing, yet it is rarely treated as a strategic lever. This project proves that manufacturers can cut costs, reduce forex exposure, and decarbonise at the same time,’ said Dinesh Tembhekar, Founder and Managing Director, Lean Energy Solutions.

Expensive power remains a major concern for Kenya’s manufacturing sector, with higher global fuel prices inflating most production costs.

Many Kenyan manufacturers have turned to renewable energy solutions such as biomass and solar to manage costs and enhance sustainability. A growing list of manufacturers in Kenya, including Bio Food Products, Mabati Rolling Mills, Total Energies Kenya, Maisha Mabati Mills, Simba Cement, Unilever Tea Kenya, British American Tobacco, Africa Logistics Properties, Bidco, and Devyani Food Industries, have shifted to their own solar power generation to cut operational costs and lower emissions.

Multiple flight delays have been reported at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) despite government agencies’ efforts to contain disruptions resulting from the aviation workers strike which started on Monday.

Several airlines, including Kenya Airways which operates mainly from JKIA, reported delays even as the aviation and airports authorities said they are implementing contingency measures to avoid disruptions.

This comes as the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (Kawu) went on strike after failing to agree with the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) on a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) which has been pending since 2015 and has seen some employees go for over a decade without a pay rise.

The strike took off despite the Employment and Labour Relations court suspending the industrial action on Friday following a petition by Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA).

‘KCAA wishes to inform the public and aviation stakeholders that it has activated its operational continuity measures in light of the planned industrial action by the Kenya Aviation Workers Union,’ said the regulator in a statement Monday morning.

KCAA is the organization that oversees civil aviation and is responsible for safe management of airspace. It employs air navigation operators that guide takeoff and landing of airplanes.

The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), which is responsible for the management of airports such as JKIA, has also said it has ‘activated’ contingency plans as delays impacted departing flights from the country’s main airport.

Kenya Airways (KQ), JKIA’s anchor airline, reported delays due to the resulting disruptions caused by the workers’ strike even as KCAA announced the contingency measures.

‘We are currently experiencing air traffic control operational delays at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, affecting certain departures and arrivals. Passengers are advised to expect schedule adjustments, including delays,’ said KQ in a statement.

Other than KQ’s, several flights that were meant to depart from JKIA on Monday morning were delayed due to the strike, affecting a number of local and international airlines.

Live tracking data showed that as of midday, several flights meant to depart from JKIA had been delayed by over 2 hours. Affected airlines include KQ, Jambojet, Ethiopian Airlines, Uganda Airlines, RwandAir, Etihad Airways, Air Arabia, among others.

This is not the first time an aviation workers’ strike has disrupted flights from the country’s main airport. In September 2024, a similar industrial action by KAWU led to millions of losses across the industry.

The Fresh Produce Association of Kenya, which constitutes businesses that export fresh-cut flowers, fruits and vegetables, says it loses Sh410 million every day that aviation workers’ strikes cause disruptions at the airport.

The Kenya Association of Travel Agents also says it loses an estimated Sh2 million in ticket sales per day when the aviation sector is paralysed by the strike.