Category: Business Daily

We all chase high returns, but what about the costs? Investment fees, commissions, and charges can quietly erode your gains. What’s a reasonable cost of investing-and when do the charges start to hurt your portfolio?

Lydia Muriuki, Senior Relationship Manager at Standard Investment Bank (SIB), joins us to pull back the curtain on these costs. She unpacks the different types of investment fees, how they impact your returns, and how to keep them in check.

Make Money, a podcast series, hosted by Kepha Muiruri, from Business Daily Africa unravels ways to be financially savvy. Get practical tips and advice on how to increase your income, build wealth, and achieve financial freedom in Kenya. Whether you’re just starting out or a seasoned investor, we’ve got something for everyone.

Residential property developer Mi Vida Homes plans to raise between Sh15 billion and Sh20 billion from both local and international institutional investors in the first quarter of 2026 in what is earmarked to be Kenya’s first hybrid real estate fund.

A hybrid real estate fund is an investment vehicle that is designed to mobilise capital from investors by combining both an Income and Development Real Estate Investment Trust (Reit).

A Reit is a regulated vehicle that addresses the liquidity risk of real estate by allowing individual investors to pool funds and invest in property that would be otherwise out of reach for them in their individual capacity.

Development Reits focus on financing the acquisition of land, construction and development of properties with the end goal being generation of profit by selling or leasing the complete projects to investors.

Income Reits, on the other hand, allow individual players to invest in already completed and income-generating real estate projects and earn revenue primarily through rental income.

Mi Vida, which had earlier planned issuance of a Sh4 billion Development Reit in 2026, says the change in design and amount of its planned fund is geared toward addressing fast growing market demand for institutionalised real estate development.

The company adds that the just concluded management buyout that has seen the exit of the firm’s founding investor, private equity firm Actis, frees it up to tap into local capital to finance growth.

Mi Vida on October 16 announced its management team had signed an agreement to buy out Actis that had owned the property firm for seven years.

‘Much as it’s a management buyout, Mi Vida remains an institutional developer because it means now we have the capacity and the opportunity to bring onboard other local institutional capital,” Mi Vida CEO Sam Kariuki said.

“Because of the opportunity that we are seeing on the affordable housing side of the market, the plan has always been to raise a fund of some sort. We had planned a Development Reit but now want a hybrid whereby the fund takes on development risk while still holding Income Reit characteristics from a yield perspective.”

In setting up the hybrid real estate fund, Mi Vida will be looking to ride on its credentials having been granted the greenlight by the Capital Markets Authority in 2024 to act as a Reit manager in the market.

The company says the real estate fund will be Kenya shilling denominated and is banking on high double digit returns to woo international investors who would otherwise shy away from local currency exposure in their portfolio.

‘We are already at the early structuring stages of the fund and from the first quarter of 2026 we should be in the market talking to investors which will be local and also potentially international investors,” Mr Kariuki said.

“Even when we will be talking to international investors, they will be required to be comfortable with local currency exposure and as long as the fund yields something in the high teens and early twenties in total return it will meet their hard currency return requirements.”

Mi Vida’s planned hybrid fund will be joining the list of regulated assets that target crowding in more investors into real estate as an asset class. So far, ILAM Fahari I-Reit, Laptrust Imara I-Reit, Acorn I-Reit, and Acorn D-Reit are in the market with majority being listed in the Unquoted Securities Platform of the Nairobi Securities Exchange.

One question we should be asking ourselves as more banks launch their own financial technology or fintech subsidiaries is whether it creates a conflict.

Are the fintechs competitors to banks, or are they partners complementing each other? How are the symbiotic relationships between banks and fintechs being handled?

Yes, these fintechs are crucial because they have allowed digital payments, mobile money, online lending, savings and investment platforms, insurance technology, wealth management (robo-advisers), and even cryptocurrency and blockchain applications, and predict fraud and computer outages.

They are gradually stripping away the inefficiencies of traditional banking systems by using digital tools to lower costs, speed up transactions, and expand access.

In Kenya and Africa at large, this means enabling the unbanked or underbanked population to make payments, access credit, or save through mobile phones.

In an effort to keep up with technology, spur innovation, and tap into fintech’s hypergrowth, banks are now in a race to partner with fintechs.

Some operate as standalone or semi-autonomous fintech subsidiaries under their parent banks, a strategy that enables faster innovation outside legacy banking systems while maintaining regulatory compliance and brand connections.

Others do it differently.

A McKinsey report shows that of the top 100 banks by assets and other digitally advanced banks, four out of five have now partnered with at least one fintech company. That is up from 55 percent just two years ago.

For instance, Equity Group launched its fintech subsidiary, Finserve, about seven years ago. Nigeria’s Stanbic IBTC Holdings, in 2022, started a fintech subsidiary called Zest Payments.

Stanbic Kenya had similar plans, but last year it put its fintech subsidiary on hold just months after receiving regulatory approval. Barclays Plc partnered with Flux Systems to give customers itemised receipts on their smartphones, allowing them to see in detail how they spend their money.

Elsewhere, Bank of Kigali perhaps stands out. It operates a distinct fintech subsidiary. Bank of Kigali does solely commercial banking, while BK TecHouse, founded in 2016, serves as a digital enabler, collaborating directly with the bank to develop fintech products.

Digital adoption is no longer a question but a reality. Around 73 percent of the world’s interactions with banks now take place through digital channels, a McKinsey report notes. Therefore, without embracing technological innovation, banks risk fading into irrelevance.

However, the bank-fintech strategic alliance has to be a cautious one. The banks must remain the mothership, and the fintech the speedboat. In a partnership where this is not well understood, the favour will tilt towards the fintech, and these companies will become a significant threat to banks. Reason? Fintechs grow fast because they move quickly, try new ideas, and run simple operations, processes that can slow down once they face the strict rules of traditional banks.

Banks, by contrast, are known to be the opposite. They remain anchored in slow, rigid structures. Without proper separation, they risk being overtaken, or even swallowed, by the very fintechs they seek to control.

In fact, while partnerships between banks and fintechs have increased over the years, full acquisitions remain rare because, as McKinsey notes, ‘integration often slows decision-making and innovation cycles, undermining fintechs’ competitive advantage.’

Therefore, when a bank acquires a fintech, it must make sure that the same resources it has on the speedboat, which is a fintech, it has similar resources in the mothership, which is a bank.

Bank-fintech collaboration isn’t just a strategy; it is survival. But harmonisation, not dominance, must be the guiding principle.

Perhaps the other conversation we should be having is about neobanks, the digital, branchless units to capture the younger, tech-savvy generation that traditional banks often struggle to reach.

A court has dismissed SBM Bank Kenya’s bid to lift a seven-year-old injunction against recovery of a Sh29.3 million debt from a tourists resort in Naivasha, upholding an interim order protecting the luxury hotel’s prime properties from auction.

The debt is part of an unspecified amount of loan advanced to the hotel, Lake Naivasha Crescent Camp Limited, by the bank’s predecessor Chase Bank in 2017.

In a ruling that underscores Kenya’s delicate balance between creditor rights and borrower protections, the High Court dismissed SBM Bank’s application to lift the 2018 injunction, finding the lender failed to prove the hotel operator abused court processes.

“The May 29, 2018 court orders were clear that status quo be maintained pending hearing and determination of this suit. There is no doubt that this suit is yet to be determined since hearing has just commenced,” said the court.

The decision preserves the hotel’s ownership of two Nakuru Municipality properties used as collateral for Chase Bank loans in 2017, leaving the SBM bank grappling with mounting losses since the borrower defaulted.

The court ruled that SBM Bank, which took over Chase Bank Kenya’s assets through receivership after its 2018 collapse, failed to prove that the injunction had outlived its purpose.

The decision extends a legal shield for the hotel.

The dispute started in 2018 when the borrower defaulted and the bank initiated recovery efforts, prompting the company to seek court intervention and protection from forced sale of the collateral.

A status quo order was issued on May 29, 2018, barring the bank from selling the properties pending the suit’s determination.

SBM Bank, which also assumed Chase Bank’s liabilities, accused the borrower of exploiting the injunction to avoid repayment. It alleged that as at February 2024 only Sh14 million of the outstanding Sh43.3 million debt at the time had been settled, leaving a balance of Sh29.3 million.

The case took a twist when Chase Bank collapsed in 2018 and was placed under receivership. SBM Bank later acquired its assets, including the disputed loan, inheriting the legal battle.

Despite a 2022 settlement agreement where the borrower paid the Sh14 million, SBM accused the firm of breaching terms and frustrating recovery by hiding behind the injunction.

In court filings, SBM’s legal officer argued that the status quo order, initially meant to be temporary, had become a “permanent shield” for the borrower. The bank warned that delays risked rendering the secured properties worthless as accrued interest ballooned the debt.

“The plaintiff has enjoyed six years of court protection without clearing the outstanding balance. This is an abuse of equitable remedies. Unless the status quo order is discharged, the outstanding sum would outstrip the value of the property thereby plunging the applicant (SBM Bank) into losses,” SBM’s lawyers submitted.

In defense, the borrower countered that SBM lacked legal standing (locus standi) to seek the injunction’s discharge since it was never formally substituted as Chase Bank’s successor in the suit.

“No amount of averments can make it a party to these proceedings without substitution and amendment,” said the borrower’s advocate, citing the Civil Procedure Rules, 2010.

Arguing that SBM was a stranger to the proceedings, the borrower said a party “cannot assume a dead party’s role without court approval”.

The court partially agreed, allowing SBM’s belated entry as defendant but refusing to alter the injunction. The trial judge emphasized that asset acquisition did not automatically grant SBM rights to alter court orders.

While the ruling deals a financial blow to SBM in its debt recovery efforts, for borrowers it reinforces the judiciary’s reluctance to lift injunctions unless lenders demonstrate concrete abuse.

However, the court directed both parties to expedite the process, signaling the court’s impatience with the seven-year delay.

Kenya recorded an unusual spike in the value of gold exports in the three months ending June amid reports that the country is emerging as a transit hub for smuggled gold from other African countries.

The country exported 1,217.79 kilogrammes of gold to Dubai in that period, data collated by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics show, earning Sh8.19 billion.

The second-quarter earnings were more than four times the country’s average annual gold earnings of Sh1.81 billion recorded in the decade to 2023, and nearly double the full-year export value for 2023, which stood at Sh4.70 billion.

Shipments to Dubai in the three months were double the average exports for the full year in 2022.

Authorities have linked the increased shipments to the sharp rally in global gold prices, as well as increased activity among artisanal miners who sell their harvest to brokers and local investors selling the precious metal to unlock value.

Harry Kimtai, the Principal Secretary for the State Department for Mining, attributed the unprecedented levels of gold earnings largely to ongoing formalisation of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) operations and the global rally in gold prices.

The government-led facilitation of artisanal miners has contributed to higher volumes of officially recorded exports, he said, while a jump in global gold prices by ‘more than 50 percent since January 2025’ has prompted investors to sell their holdings.

‘The jump in gold exports may be attributed to ongoing reforms in the mining sector in Kenya, coupled with the global price rally that has seen gold attain the highest price in history. The price rally has led most investors to liquidate their gold holdings to take advantage of the record prices,’ Mr Kimtai told the Business Daily.

‘We have continued to facilitate gold and other minerals extraction through formalising the artisanal mining sub-sector. The ongoing registration of ASM cooperatives has led to a significant increase in formal operations that have contributed to the rise in export volumes.’

A recent report by the Swiss development charity, SwissAid showed that Kenya was increasingly serving as a transit hub for smuggled gold from other African countries, including South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Illicit outflows from the country likely exceed the amount of declared gold exports by multiple times, according to the Bern-based organisation.

Most of the gold smuggled out of Kenya, the report said, is shipped to Dubai and declared for import there, with India and South Africa among the other destinations.

Kenya may also have become a conduit for gold from Sudan, where a civil war has raged since 2023.

A similar report by the group last year argued that revenue from such trade was fuelling conflict, financing criminal and terrorist networks, undermining democracy and facilitating money laundering.

The price of gold reached a record high of more than $4,000 an ounce as investors seek safe havens for their money amid concerns about global economic and political uncertainty.

Gold has seen its biggest rally since the 1970s, rising by around a third since April when US President Donald Trump announced tariffs, which have upset global trade.

The spike in Kenya’s earnings from gold exports coincided with a sharp rally in global gold prices this year. The international average price per ounce rose 12.1 percent between March and June to $3,369, up from $3,005 three months earlier, according to global commodity trackers.

The surge lifted the precious metal to the top of its export basket to the UAE, leapfrogging jet fuel re-exports, goat meat, tea, and cut flowers.

The growing Kenya’s gold export numbers will, however, reignite scrutiny over the country’s traditionally opaque trade in the precious metal.

The report by SwissAid cited discrepancies between Kenya’s official export data and gold import records from global trading partners.

It indicated that Kenya officially exported 672 kilogrammes of gold in 2023, for example, yet import records from the UAE showed 9.65 tonnes of gold declared as having originated from the country in the same year.

The mismatch between 2014 and 2023 added up to over 33.5 tonnes worth about $1.68 billion (Sh218 billion), according to the report.

‘Almost all gold mined or imported into Kenya leaves the country, but only a fraction is recorded by official statistics,’ the report said.

Citing unrecorded gold flows, SwissAid described Kenya as a critical transit hub for illicit metal from conflict zone

Responding to questions about the surge in gold export figures this year, Mr Kimtai said: ‘Kenya is a transit country for gold from neighbouring countries and there may be instances where the gold originating from our neighbours is declared as originating from Kenya and thus contributing to the numbers.’

At the heart of the mismatch is the ASM sector, which accounts for more than 90 percent of Kenya’s gold output.

Concentrated in the counties of Migori, Kakamega, Siaya, Narok and Vihiga, the ASM industry employs an estimated 500,000 miners and supports the livelihood of about two million people indirectly.

A 2019 baseline survey estimated annual ASM production at 6.9 tonnes, dwarfing the roughly 410 kilogrammes produced by Kenya’s two licensed industrial mines – Karebe Gold Mining Ltd and Kilimapesa Gold PTY Ltd.

‘Most of the ASM (artisanal small-scale mining) gold is never recorded in government books because it is either traded by unlicensed dealers internally or smuggled to neighbouring countries through the porous borders. As such no data on gold from ASMs as of now,’ one expert told SwissAid.

The organisation noted that legislation was introduced in 2023 to formalise small-scale mining and reduce the illegal gold trade, but it has not yet become law.

Weak enforcement, lack of licensing and porous borders have allowed unregistered traders to dominate the gold supply chain in Kenya.

From mining sites in Western Kenya, gold is often transported to Eastleigh in Nairobi, where middlemen and refineries operate in the shadows, according to the report. From there, unrecorded gold is smuggled out through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), sometimes disguised as legitimate cargo.

The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) estimated in a 2023 report that between 100 and 200 kilogrammes of Congolese gold enters Kenya every month, translating to about 2.4 tonnes a year, valued at $140 million (Sh18.20 billion). The traders use Nairobi and Mombasa as re-export points to Dubai.

This explains why UAE import statistics consistently show higher volumes than Kenya’s declared exports. In 2021, for example, the UAE recorded $185 million more in gold imports from Kenya than what Kenya reported as exports.

The proliferation of private gold refineries has further blurred the lines between legitimate and illicit trade.

Companies such as Afrik Gold Testers, Gulf Refinery, and Emirates Refinery Ltd have sprung up in Nairobi and western Kenya and are reportedly backed by Dubai-based investors.

The manufacturing sector has broken into the top three most tax-compliant bracket, displacing transportation and storage from top-tier sectors in corporate income tax (CIT) payments for firms already in the tax net.

Data from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) shows that manufacturing ranked third in on-time corporate tax payments for the financial year ended June 2025, recording a compliance rate of 77.09 percent.

Factories joined companies engaged in real estate activities and financial and insurance firms, which maintained their lead in tax discipline at 80.01 percent and 79.51 percent, respectively. In contrast, transportation and storage, which held third place in the 2023-24 fiscal year with a 76.07 percent compliance rate, dropped out of the top bracket.

The manufacturing sector’s stronger tax compliance coincided with renewed momentum in industrial activity, as shown in the latest quarterly data by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).

Non-food manufacturing recorded gains in the second quarter of 2025, signalling renewed investor confidence, growing domestic demand, and steady capacity utilisation across factories.

Firms engaged in cement production raised output by a fifth (21 percent) to 2.47 million metric tonnes from 2.04 million tonnes in the same period last year, while production of galvanised sheets rose 11.3 percent to 77,200 tonnes.

The KNBS data further shows motor vehicle assembly increased 20.8 percent to 3,350 units in three months to June from 2,773 units a year earlier.

The KRA data, however, shows that firms in the real estate sector were the most tax-compliant for the second year in a row, posting the highest on-time payment rate of CIT at 80.01 percent in the 2024-25 financial year, up from 77.55 percent a year earlier.

The developers and landlords in the tax net were followed by those in the financial and insurance sector, which had an 79.51 percent on-time payment rate.

At the same time, the KRA data show that the financial services sector led in on-time filing of the annual corporate tax returns, registering a compliance rate of 74.20 percent, ahead of energy (74.16 percent) and construction (74.03 percent).

Firms in banking and insurance services beat those in the energy sector, which had topped the annual CIT filing chart the previous year ended June 2024 at 74.02 percent, followed by finance (73.61 percent) and construction (73.55 percent).

This came in a period when the KRA reported that 461,969 firms-about 74.73 percent or three out of four companies-did not remit any money due to profitability.

The proportion of firms that skipped CIT payments in the year to June 2025 grew from 401,274 of 556,329 registered firms last year, or 72.13 percent.

The KRA numbers suggested that an overwhelming share of companies in the tax net were either genuinely loss-making or had mastered the art of tax planning. Tax experts say the gap between registered firms and taxpayers cannot be explained by business losses alone.

Stephen Waweru, a senior manager for tax services at KPMG, said the numbers highlight structural and behavioural challenges in corporate tax compliance.

‘Many firms are registered, many file returns, but relatively few actually pay instalments,’ he told the Business Daily.

‘The level of compliance seems to be improving, but it still falls far below what one would expect if firms in the tax net were largely profitable.’

Mr Waweru says this could be explained by the share of businesses-especially small and medium-sized enterprises or new entrants-that are genuinely loss-making, often squeezed by high inflation, rising input costs, exchange rate swings, and supply chain disruptions.

Oil marketers and dealers will be required to keep customer details for at least two years or risk a fine of Sh20,000 in a fresh bid to boost safety and accountability in the use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).

The requirement to keep details such as customer name and mobile number is contained in the Petroleum (Liquefied Petroleum Gas Regulations), 2025. A breach of this will attract a fine of Sh20,000 for every sale.

Currently, the retention period of customer details is a year with a fine of Sh50,000 for each breach.

The extended retention of customer data is meant to entrench accountability and keep track of all LPG sold from the seller to end users , ultimately placing responsibility on the seller for any mishap caused by unsafe containers.

Dealers and oil marketers will file the customer details into a central tracking system at the point of sale. The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra) will be the custodian of this database.

‘A person licensed to wholesale or retail liquid petroleum gas in cylinders, shall issue a receipt at the point of sale which shall include the information in sub-regulation (1) and (2),’ the regulations read.

‘The records under this regulation shall be maintained for at least twenty-four months.’

Sellers will also be required to keep information such as unit and total price of the transaction, indicating the cylinder deposit where applicable.

The regulations are currently undergoing public scrutiny before going to Parliament for approval and then gazettement.

The requirement will also apply to the sale of LPG to wholesale traders, boosting the ease with which Epra can trace faulty cylinders especially when accidents occur when the end customers are using the commodity.

Besides safety, keeping of the records is also key in providing historical information to resolve disputes like billing that are filed with the industry regulator.

The requirement on dealers and oil marketers to issue receipts that include their details like name, contacts of the consumer, cylinder brand and serial numbers of the cylinders came into force five years ago.

The regulator has since 2019 been intensifying efforts to tighten rules and impose heavy sanctions for violations in the LPG sector, in a bid to stifle a thriving black market especially in the estate and informal areas.

Epra’s push to tighten the legal framework on the sale of LPG comes amid a spike in the use of the commodity as the preferred cooking fuel.

Consumption of cooking gas hit a record high of 413,960 tonnes last year, a growth of 14.8 percent from 360,590 tonnes used in 2023.

The growing LPG market has attracted both foreign and local firms who are keen to set up facilities for handling imported LPG or refilling stations. These firms include Lake Gas and Taifa Gas of Tanzania and Nigeria’s Asharami Energy.

The Co-operative Bank of Kenya has introduced an unsecured digital overdraft facility that allows customers to overdraw their accounts by up to Sh100,000 for transactions such as bill payments, raising competition for Equity Bank Kenya and Safaricom.

The lender has informed customers that the new short-term credit facility, called ‘Kamilisha’, will enable individuals and businesses to complete transactions when they do not have sufficient funds at a time of paying bills such as house rent, electricity, stock purchases or sending money.

‘The overdraft service allows you to complete transactions when you don’t have enough money in your bank account. It bridges the shortfall between what you have and what you need to pay, helping you complete important transactions instantly,’ the lender told customers.

The Employment and Labour Relations Court has upheld the sacking of a lecturer accused of sexual harassment by inappropriately touching female students, hugging them suggestively, and using uncomfortable terms to address them, such as ‘darling’ and ‘sweetheart.’

The court said that Oshwal College in Nairobi had a valid and fair reason for terminating the employment of Benard Nyamamba Mauti in May 2023 on grounds of gross misconduct.

After reviewing the students’ complaints, the court said, it was evident Mr Mauti’s conduct was inappropriate and amounted to sexual harassment, and his actions clearly breached the boundaries of the professional student-teacher relationship, expected of him.

As a lecturer, the claimant was under a strict obligation at all times to maintain professionalism in all interactions with his students and to refrain from any verbal or physical behaviour of a sexual nature,’ said the court.

Although the students described the lecturer as a good teacher, his conduct was unethical and inappropriate.

And while he allegedly referred to female students as ‘sweetheart’ or ‘darling,’ was overly touchy with them, hugged and whispered in their ears, it was claimed that he was notably harsh towards male students.

‘In light of the foregoing, the Court finds no reason to doubt the credibility of the students’ statements outlining the allegations against the Claimant,’ said the court.

Mr Mauti was employed by the college in 2010 as a lecturer under an open-ended contract of service and said that he performed his duties diligently throughout his employment.

He was fired on May 19, 2023, over allegations of sexual harassment, but he maintained that his termination was irregular, unlawful, unjustified, and in blatant violation of the Employment Act.

Mr Mauti wanted the court to issue a declaration that his sacking was wrongful and amounted to unfair and unlawful dismissal.

He also sought to be paid damages and compensation for breach of contract amounting to Sh22.7 million, being the wages for the remainder of the contract period from May 1, 2023, until retirement age of 60 years.

He testified that he was summoned to the principal’s office on April 26, 2023, in the presence of the Academic Registrar, where he was informed that he was under investigation based on student appraisal forms.

He said that, through threats and intimidation, the principal failed to fully disclose the nature of the investigation and did not allow him to view or examine the said appraisal forms, which allegedly contained claims of sexual harassment made against him.

A few days later, he said he was summoned to appear before a panel and informed that he was under investigation for sexual harassment allegations made by certain students.

Mr Mauti claimed that the panel, which he considered irregular and incompetent, interrogated him unlawfully without providing adequate or clear particulars of the allegations, including the identities of the complainants, the specific nature of the accusations, or any supporting evidence such as complainant statements, CCTV footage, or reports.

Despite this lack of disclosure, he answered the panel’s questions and categorically denied all allegations.

The lecturer said he granted only three days to respond to the show cause letter, yet he had not been furnished with full and detailed particulars of the allegations, including the names of the complainants, the specific allegations, and the evidence relied upon.

He maintained that the statements were fabricated and backdated to appear genuine after he had demanded them during his interrogation by the panel.

The college management defended the termination, saying the decision was conducted in accordance with the law, fair and lawful, and that he was in breach of the Employment Act and the college’s human resources manual.

The college said it first received a complaint regarding his conduct involving sexual harassment, specifically, an incident in which he kissed a student in the library.

Mr Mauti allegedly acknowledged his misconduct and, by a letter dated August 23, 2010, he tendered a written apology, undertaking that such behaviour would not recur.

About four years later, there was another complaint from a parent alleging that he had been sending inappropriate text messages to her daughter, which made the student uncomfortable.

Once again, he allegedly admitted to the conduct, apologised, and was cautioned regarding his behaviour and its potential consequences.

There were more complaints from students, with one alleging that he had inappropriately touched her, solicited and received a gift from her, and made unwarranted phone calls to another student.

Again, he was reminded of the college’s duty to maintain a safe and respectful learning environment and was issued a final warning, cautioning that any further breach of the institution’s ethical or welfare standards would lead to immediate termination of his employment.

The court said the alleged behaviour of touching and hugging female students and addressing them with terms such as ‘darling’ or ‘sweetheart’ was wholly improper and constituted sexual harassment.

‘As a learning institution, the Respondent bore a duty of care to its students to ensure that the learning environment remained safe, both physically and emotionally. This duty required the Respondent to investigate any allegations of sexual harassment and to take appropriate disciplinary measures if such allegations were substantiated,’ said the court.

The court said it should also be appreciated that the college was not required to prove the allegations against the lecturer beyond a reasonable doubt.

Kenya is introducing an integrated digital platform at the port of Mombasa for faster clearance of goods, marking a significant step in efforts to reduce congestion and shorten turnaround times at the country’s busiest maritime gateway.

The platform, known as the Port Community System (PCS), is being implemented in a joint partnership between Kenyan software development firm EMEA Port Logistics and Dubai-based logistics group DP World, working alongside the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA).

The new system is designed to link all players involved in import and export processing, including shipping lines, clearing and forwarding agents, transport firms and government departments, on a single online network.

Through the system, users can track shipments, submit documents, make payments and book gate entries electronically, replacing the multiple digital and manual steps that currently slow down cargo release.

‘This partnership with DP World marks an important step in advancing Kenya’s logistics capabilities. Together, we’re creating a connected and transparent ecosystem that benefits all players in the trade chain,’ said Jack Rono, director at EMEA Port.

DP World said the platform would simplify coordination among agencies that handle cargo clearance, allowing information to move simultaneously across institutions that traditionally rely on separate databases.

It projects that once fully deployed, the new framework could cut average cargo clearance time by about 30 percent.

The initiative seeks to address long-standing inefficiencies at Mombasa port, where overlapping systems and paper-based procedures have kept dwell times among the highest in the region.

Efficiency at the port is closely watched through Time Release Studies, which measure how long it takes for goods to move from vessel arrival to release.

The most recent review by the statistics and customs authorities put average clearance at between 13.5 days, depending on cargo type.

The Mombasa port handled 32.86 million tonnes of cargo throughput between January and September 2025, compared to 29.97 million during the same period last year, marking a 9.6 percent growth.

In the latest data, the port registered 1.55 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) between January and September 2025 compared to 1.46 million TEUs in 2024.

The increase represents a growth of 91,000 TEUs, equivalent to 6.2 percent.

Kenya operates several parallel digital tools, including the Kenya TradeNet System, which handles trade documentation, and the customs platform run by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), which do not always communicate seamlessly.

By merging these processes into one interface, the PCS is expected to reduce duplication and lower compliance costs for importers and exporters.

In practice, that means information on a single container will be entered once and updated automatically across all relevant agencies.

DP World has been expanding its digital logistics platforms in Africa as part of a wider strategy to modernise trade flows.

The firm already operates similar systems in Tanzania and Mozambique, linking ports, customs agencies and transport corridors under unified data networks.

The deployment in Mombasa also underscores Kenya’s renewed push to digitise trade procedures and align with regional efficiency standards under the African Continental Free Trade Area framework.

A seamless digital chain is considered key to cutting non-tariff barriers that raise logistics costs across East Africa.