Category: Business Daily

The High Court has rejected an application to suspend contempt of court proceedings against officials of Zakhem International Construction Limited for failing to pay a Sh460 million debt.

The company had argued that it was facing parallel legal proceedings from Azicon Kenya Limited, arising from the same dispute.

According to the Lebanese firm, maintaining the contempt of court case concurrently with the liquidation petition constitutes multiplicity of proceedings aimed at recovering the same debt.

This amounts to gross abuse of the the court proceedings, the firm’s director Ibrahim Zakhem said.

The court, however, noted that the application was made without seeking permission to file the matter during recess as required by vacation rules.

‘In any event, the application for stay of proceedings arising out of liquidation ought to be made in the insolvency court and not the present court,’ said the court.

The court directed that the matter be mentioned on February 24, 2026, for directions.

Azicon Kenya said in the application that there was evidence that Zakhem International was paid by Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) but had refused to settle its debts even after being served with a court order.

‘The open contempt of court decree herein warrants the arrest and committing the directors of the Defendant to civil jail in the event that they continue to disregard the decree in contempt of court,’ Azicon said in the application.

Zakhen International Construction argued that it was extremely prejudicial to be subjected to the double jeopardy of simultaneous recovery actions in respect of the same debt.

Azicon was among the companies subcontracted by Zakhem International Construction for the replacement of the 450-kilometre Nairobi-Mombasa pipeline in 2018.

Azicon Kenya Ltd said it was subcontracted by Zakhem International for electrical, instrumentation, and telecommunication installation works.

The construction firm said that by commencing the liquidation petition, Azicon had elected the insolvency proceedings as its preferred mechanism for recovering the money.

‘The simultaneous prosecution of the instant execution proceedings alongside the pending insolvency petition gives rise to a multiplicity of proceedings pursuing the same objective or recovery of the same decretal debt from the judgment debtor,’ Ibrahim Zakhem, a director of the company.

The Kenyan firm said the contract was for $10,137,424 (about Sh1.3 billion) and Zakhem only paid about 840 million, leaving a balance of $3,560,857 (about Sh537.3 million).

The Kenyan firm said in the insolvency proceedings that Zakhem International was busy scheming and deliberately avoiding paying the debt by incorporating new companies to hide its money and assets.

Kenya is often celebrated as a regional leader in digital innovation. From mobile money to online tax systems, technology has reshaped how citizens and businesses interact with the state.

However, when it comes to financial reporting and regulatory oversight, much of the system still relies on static documents, spreadsheets and PDFs that are costly to produce, hard to analyse and easy to manipulate.

While policymakers grapple with persistent challenges around tax leakage, weak compliance and limited regulatory capacity, digital technology presents one opportunity they can leverage.

An opportunity lies in combining the eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) with emerging artificial intelligence (AI) tools.

At its core, XBRL is a standardised, machine-readable way of preparing and submitting financial information. Instead of numbers being buried in lengthy reports, XBRL tags each figure so it can be automatically analysed, compared and verified.

The emergence of AI technology on the other hand presents an opportunity to augment XBRL when paired with AI-driven analytics.

Think of XBRL as the language of financial data, and AI as the intelligence that interprets it at scale. Together, these technologies can allow regulators to move from reactive, manual review of reports to proactive, data-driven supervision.

These technologies can assist with flagging unusual deals quickly, detect inconsistencies across filings and identify emerging risks long before they crystallise into scandals or systemic failures.

If properly implemented, AI-enabled XBRL reporting can help to meet regulatory compliance and significantly cut the cost of financial reporting. It can weed out down repetitive data entry, shorten reporting cycles and eliminate human error.

Over time, companies and organisations would spend less time and money correcting mistakes and responding to regulatory queries, thus freeing up resources for productive activities. This can also be especially helpful for SMEs, which often bear a disproportionate compliance burden.

For regulators and policymakers, such as the Capital Markets Authority and the Central Bank of Kenya, which currently receive large volumes of reports that are difficult to analyse quickly or consistently.

With XBRL-based submissions, these regulators can access clean, comparable data across firms and sectors. AI tools can also be deployed to monitor trends, stress-test institutions and support evidence-based policymaking.

The tax system stands to benefit as well, since emerging evidence shows that when financial data is standardised and machine-readable, tax authorities are better equipped to track liabilities and close compliance gaps.

For the Kenya Revenue Authority, integrating XBRL-aligned financial data with AI analytics could strengthen audit selection, reduce evasion and widen the tax base without increasing tax rates. Rather than relying on blanket enforcement, resources can be targeted where risks are highest.

Globally, regulators in the United States, Europe and India have adopted XBRL and are increasingly layering advanced analytics on top of reported data. Closer home, South Africa’s Companies and Intellectual Property Commission mandated XBRL reporting in 2018.

While firms initially fretted about cost and complexity, many now report lower reporting burdens and smoother regulatory engagement.

For Kenya, implementation of iTax and eTIMS shows that large-scale digital reforms are possible when policy intent is clear and thus the country would not be starting from scratch.

The rollout of iTax and eTIMS shows that large-scale digital reforms are possible when policy intent is clear. The next step is to move beyond digitising forms into building intelligent reporting ecosystems. This could take the form of a phased approach that begins with listed companies and large institutions to refine the infrastructure and slowly expand to other sectors.

Professional bodies such as ICPAK would also have a critical role to play by training accountants and auditors in data-driven reporting and analytics.

In the public sector, the Public Sector Accounting Standards Board can align XBRL templates with IPSAS requirements, particularly for state-owned enterprises, where transparency and accountability concerns are most acute.

Kenya is once again at the threshold of a new wave of mega projects-spanning transport corridors, energy systems, urban infrastructure, and complex public-private partnerships (PPP). The scale and ambition are unmistakable, and so too is the expectation that these investments will accelerate growth, create jobs, and reposition the country competitively within the region.

Yet experience shows that the success or failure of large infrastructure programmes is rarely determined by capital availability alone. It is shaped much earlier, and far more quietly, by the quality of upstream governance: how projects are prepared, how costs are tested, how risks are identified and allocated, and how long-term fiscal exposure is understood before commitments become irreversible.

As Kenya moves faster to mobilise capital, governance must move with equal speed-not as a constraint, but as a safeguard for value-for-money, credibility, and long-term economic resilience.

This reality was underscored at the recently concluded World Economic Forum in Davos, where global investors repeatedly emphasised that capital today is mobile but increasingly selective.

What attracts long-term investment is not ambition alone, but credible project pipelines-those backed by robust feasibility work, realistic cost assumptions, transparent risk allocation, and a clear understanding of contingent liabilities. These expectations are not tested at conferences, but project by project, contract by contract, long before financial close.

As multilateral institutions have long emphasised, ‘good infrastructure is not just about spending more, but about spending better.’

One persistent source of value erosion lies in the quality of Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) cost estimates. In many cases, costs are not developed from first principles. Instead, averages from previous projects-often already inefficient-are escalated for inflation and foreign exchange movements.

This practice quietly carries forward embedded inefficiencies, meaning that projects can be over-priced before the first tender is issued. As successive layers of scope additions, risk premiums, and financing costs are added, weak cost foundations almost guarantee overruns or, in the case of PPPs, higher user-pay charges.

Implementation further compounds these challenges. Delays, coordination failures, and scope changes across the project lifecycle translate into time overruns, cost escalation, and deferred economic benefits.

Even where assets are eventually delivered, the opportunity cost of delayed or underperforming infrastructure can be substantial.

PPPs, in particular, demand advanced governance capacity. Value for money in PPPs depends fundamentally on how risks are identified, priced, and allocated. Where public sector teams face gaps in specialised expertise-especially in detailed risk mapping, probability assessment, and project finance-information asymmetry can emerge between the public and private sides of a transaction.

This may result in sub-optimal risk transfer, mispriced guarantees, or poorly understood contingent liabilities that surface years later through renegotiations or fiscal exposure.

Efficient risk allocation is not about transferring all risks to the private sector. It is about allocating each risk to the party best able to manage it.

Achieving this consistently requires disciplined appraisal, technical depth, and the ability to challenge assumptions early-particularly when delivery timelines are compressed.

Countries that have successfully leveraged infrastructure for long-term growth have recognised these challenges and responded institutionally. Independent technical review mechanisms stress-test assumptions, interrogate cost foundations, and assess fiscal exposure before projects proceed to procurement or financial close.

Their purpose is not to slow delivery, but to improve outcomes while adjustments are still feasible and relatively inexpensive.

This distinction matters because infrastructure credibility is ultimately tested in capital markets.

As global investors and institutional leaders emphasised at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, capital tends to flow where governance is strong, transparent and predictable. For countries seeking long-term, patient investment, governance quality is not an abstract principle-it is a competitive advantage.

Kenya’s infrastructure ambitions are both necessary and timely. But ambition alone does not deliver lasting value.

As the country accelerates investment, the most consequential decisions will be those that strengthen governance systems early-before projects become irreversible. When capital moves fast, governance must move faster.

The administrative decision by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to suspend ‘Nil’ filing of returns amounts to a brazen cocktail of illegality, irrationality and impropriety all rolled in one odious basket to taxpayers.

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Our tax system is based on the principle of self-assessment under section 28 of Tax Procedures Act (TPA). This right is unfettered under the law, only subject to accounting periods mapped at the point of registration.

Invariably, the commissioner may assess any taxpayer based on information available without being bound by tax return so submitted. This implies any decision must flow from a pre-existent return.

Nowhere does the TPA give discretion to suspend due date. In any case, the commissioner only has restricted powers, in writing, to request a taxpayer to file before due date, not the other way round.

It is irrational to take an administrative decision that undermines a written law without public participation. That amounts to a fiat and flies in the face of principles of legality and common sense.

The i-Tax system is the repository of all tax data. It then beats logic why the taxman suddenly makes presumption that the documents held by the taxpayer, which form basis to filing, must somehow be screened prior to filing. Properly said, the commissioner has every right to undertake additional assessment following an audit or investigation where notable discrepancies are reported or detected.

Procedurally, the KRA has made it impossible for any taxpayer to apply for tax compliance certificate (TCC) while any return is pending.

It is advisable therefore that the KRA demonstrates adequate and robust measures to ensure traders seeking the TCC for whatever reasons are not precluded from enjoying this right.

It should be borne in mind that there exist entities under non-December accounting period. To put their tax affairs in abeyance evokes insensitivity. Think of traders who need TCC to unlock payments, get jobs, secure tender bids or for statutory compliance. How do they remedy for delay ”until March”?

The KRA is not affording taxpayers any convenience. In late 2025, the taxman put out a notice disallowing expenses not supported on TIMS. Early this week, it was geo-referencing. Today, all stand suspended from filing. Where is the canon of certainty?

It should be appreciated that tax laws are generally technical in content and amenable to fluctuating context based on Finance Bills. No tax guru could possibly keep abreast with this Muguka van speed. Moreover, it is irregular for KRA to presuppose that nil-filing or credit filing amounts to tax larceny.

Complexities in taxation leading to credit filing may range from loss carried forward from previous year; specially-exempt category; tax refund; and investment or industrial deductions claims.

It is preposterous to imply the taxpayer either holds wrong, falsified or incorrect data and thus, must suffer inconvenience until the all-powerful commissioner is otherwise pleased.

The Tourism Fund is set to expand the 2.0 percent tourism levy to operators of short-term rentals sold through digital hospitality platforms such as Airbnb, Booking.com and Jumia in a bid to grow and modernise tourism revenue collection by taxing bookings at source.

The Tourism Fund (TF) says the shift, slated to start by the end of June, will bring online accommodation providers into the formal levy system, addressing enforcement gaps created by the rapid growth of short-term rentals and digital booking platforms.

Latest official figures from the State Department for Tourism show the Fund collected Sh5.1 billion from the levy in the year ended June 2025, falling short of Sh5.5 billion target.

This was, however, a growth from Sh4.9 billion collected in the year ended June 2024 and Sh3.9 billion in the year ended June 2023.

The Fund attributed the shortfall in the 2024/25 financial year largely to its inability to collect the levy from short-term rentals, including Airbnbs, homestays and villas, which operate largely outside traditional enforcement mechanisms.

TF chairperson Samson Some says there is no legal hurdle to collecting the tourism levy from online platforms, stressing that the challenge has been largely operational rather than legislative.

‘There is no legal gap,’ Mr Some said in an interview. ‘The systems we had were built for traditional hotels, restaurants and bars. What has changed is the entry of digital platforms and short-term rentals, which the old systems were not designed to capture.’

Under the Tourism law, regulated hotels, restaurants and other licensed tourism establishments are required to remit a two percent tourism levy on gross sales to the Tourism Fund.

Failure to remit the monthly levy by 10th of the following month attracts an instant fine of Sh5,000 in addition to a penalty of three percent of the amount due for each month it remains in arrears.

However, the expansion of short-term rentals has complicated compliance, particularly where operators manage multiple units within residential buildings or relocate properties while retaining the same online identity.

‘You may have someone running 10 units on one floor of a residential block while the rest of the building is private housing,’ Mr Some said. ‘Without the right digital system, you may not even identify the operator, let alone enforce levy collection.’

Under the proposed model, the levy would be deducted automatically at the point of booking, with platforms remitting the required amount directly to the Tourism Fund. The approach mirrors systems already in use in other African markets, notably Rwanda and South Africa.

In Rwanda, accommodation service providers – including short-term rental operators using platforms such as Airbnb – are required to pay a tourism tax of 3 percent of the amount paid by guests to the Rwanda Revenue Authority.

The tax, effective from July 2025, is collected directly from guests at the point of sale, with providers required to register with the tax authority and issue Electronic Billing Machine invoices.

South Africa has adopted a data-driven enforcement approach, where platforms such as Airbnb provide transaction details to the South African Revenue Service upon request.

The information includes host identities, gross earnings, platform fees, property addresses, rental periods and bank details, enabling authorities to track compliance without physically inspecting properties.

‘If $100 (about Sh12,900) is collected from a guest, a percentage is remitted directly through the system,’ Mr Some said. ‘That way, we don’t have to chase operators to their residences or follow properties that keep shifting locations.’

The TF plans to implement the system through third-party digital payment partners, similar to how Kenya’s eCitizen platform facilitates visa fee collection.

While the board had initially targeted a rollout in the current quarter (January-March), engagement with external providers has delayed implementation to the next quarter (April-June).

‘We were on schedule as a board, but this is not just a fund discussion -it involves third-party participants,’ Mr Some said. ‘We expect to have a system in place by next quarter.’

The Fund has called on short-term rental operators to formalise their businesses through licensing and membership in tourism associations, which Mr Some said offer legal protection, access to training and improved security.

As part of its capacity-building efforts, the Tourism Fund says it has certified more than 7,000 tourism workers nationwide through two-tier training programmes targeting technical staff and managers, covering areas such as housekeeping, security, financial management and destination marketing.

‘These are not just regulatory requirements,’ Mr Some said. ‘Training improves service quality and productivity, and it directly affects the bottom line for operators.’

Government suppliers have been dealt a blow after the High Court dismissed a petition by 46 contractors seeking to compel the Garissa County Government to settle nearly Sh488 million in pending bills, ruling that unpaid contractual claims do not automatically rise to constitutional violations.

In a ruling delivered on January 19, Justice John Nyabuto Onyiego upheld a preliminary objection by the county government, finding that the dispute was fundamentally a commercial debt recovery matter that needed to be pursued through ordinary civil litigation rather than a Constitutional petition.

As a result, the court declined to hear the merits of the contractors’ claims and struck out the case, with each party ordered to bear its own costs.

The judge noted that while the petitioners wanted their debts paid from funds set aside for pending bills, a constitutional court was not the right forum to order payment of contractual debts arising from alleged non-payment.

‘Ideally, the only suitable forum is a civil court, which will then have the power to interrogate the claim in case there is a dispute over the amount or the claim itself,’ added the judge.

A report by the Controller of Budget (CoB) Margaret Nyakang’o, for the quarter ending in September last year, shows that the overall pending bills for the national government rose from Sh524.8 billion in June to Sh525.4 billion.

Outstanding pending bills for the 47 counties stood at Sh176.9 billion as of June 30, 2025, according to data from the CoB.

This comprises Sh126.86 billion for recurrent activities and Sh50.05 billion for development activities. The total pending bills for the County Executive are Sh171.75 billion, while those for the Assemblies amount to Sh5.16 billion.

Most of these pending bills have remained unpaid for years, pushing some suppliers into financial ruin.

The contractors who lodged the petition argued that, despite fulfilling their contractual obligations to the satisfaction of the county government, they had been sidelined while newer contractors were paid using funds that had allegedly been set aside by the National Treasury specifically to clear verified pending bills.

They claimed this amounted to discriminatory treatment, poor financial governance, and unlawful diversion of public resources, all of which are constitutional issues.

The petition further alleged that the prolonged non-payment had caused severe financial distress among suppliers, including poverty, mental anguish, and, in some cases, death.

However, the court refused to hear the case, dealing a blow to a viable effort to resolve the problem of pending bills. A constitutional issue touches the supreme law of the land, not just ordinary legislation or policy.

In refusing to hear the case, the judge relied on a legal concept known as constitutional avoidance, whose objective is to discourage clogging of the High Court with suits or issues which have alternative legal remedies.

A constitutional petition is the preserve of strictly deserving cases, which cannot be resolved through any other mode of dispute resolution.

Garissa County opposed the petition through a preliminary objection, contending that the High Court, sitting as a constitutional court, lacked jurisdiction to entertain what it termed a purely commercial dispute.

The county argued that the contractors were attempting to ‘constitutionalise’ debt recovery claims that should properly be handled by the civil or commercial courts. It further invoked the doctrine of constitutional avoidance, which discourages courts from determining constitutional questions where alternative legal remedies exist.

In response, the petitioners maintained that their case went beyond ordinary debt recovery and raised serious public law questions concerning accountability, lawful management of public funds, and compliance with statutory and constitutional obligations.

They argued that ordinary civil proceedings would be inadequate to address alleged violations involving diversion of funds earmarked for pending bills and sought public law remedies such as mandamus orders to compel performance of statutory duties.

Global trade is evolving at an unprecedented pace, presenting customs authorities with the dual challenge of facilitating trade while safeguarding security and ensuring optimal revenue collection.

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is emerging as a critical enabler in addressing these challenges, offering solutions to streamline operations, enhance risk management, and improve compliance.

As trade volumes surge due to e-commerce, supply chains diversify, and illicit activities become more sophisticated, traditional customs operations are struggling to keep pace.

This highlights the urgent need for transformation. AI is at the forefront of this evolution, poised to revolutionise customs by driving operational efficiency, enhancing security, and streamlining processes.

Currently, many customs administrations are exploring AI through fragmented, siloed initiatives, such as automating document processing or experimenting with machine learning for risk management.

Locally, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has also taken significant steps, piloting AI powered cargo scanners at the port and integrating them into its automated risk management systems. These scanners leverage machine learning to interpret cargo images and flag suspicious consignments for further verification, an important milestone in applying AI to enhance border security.

AI refers to a broad field of technologies and methods that enable machines to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as reasoning, problem-solving, decision-making, and learning. AI is not a single technology but a collection of approaches, including rule-based systems, machine learning, and more.

Machine learning is a subset of AI that focuses on developing algorithms that learn patterns from data and improve performance over time without relying on explicitly hard coded instructions.

Machine learning models use statistical techniques to make predictions or decisions based on input data. For example, in computer vision, machine learning can classify objects in images – such as identifying mobile phones, clothes or shoes – or in natural language processing, it can interpret and analse text.

While KRA’s use cases demonstrate progress, they remain isolated and fall short of unlocking AI’s full potential across the entire customs value chain.

KRA can expand its AI implementation by automating broader risk management processes.

For example, AI can detect tax fraud and unlawful cross-border trade by analysing customs declarations and flagging suspicious transactions far more efficiently than traditional methods.

In post-clearance audits, AI can review vast data sets and match fields across multiple documents such as customs declarations, pre-verification certificates of export, packing lists, bills of lading, invoices, and certificates of origin, among others.

This enables automated identification of discrepancies like quantity mismatches, value inconsistencies, or origin gaps, significantly improving compliance and operational efficiency.

To manage the evolving challenges in international trade and customs, KRA should transition toward a cognitive customs model, characterised by advanced technological and operational capabilities. This transformation requires substantial investment to embed AI into the core of customs operations.

While many customs authorities remain at the experimental or opportunistic stages of AI adoption, moving toward a cognitive stage enables benefits such as predictive analytics, autonomous processes optimisation, and data-driven decision-making.

This shift enhances efficiency, security, and adaptability in an increasingly complex global trade environment, while enabling proactive risk management, improved trade facilitation, and a more transparent supply chain, ultimately fostering economic growth and international cooperation.

In February 2025 KRA’s Commissioner General announced that its ambition to become a data-driven revenue administrator would be realised through the creation of a technology-focused department – the Business Strategy, Technology and Enterprise Modernisation Department.

This internal alignment aims to streamline workflows, reduce redundancies, optimise internal resources, and leverage advanced analytics and automation for effective delivery of KRA’s mandate. This transformation underscores KRA’s commitment to tax compliance through efficient administration, technology-driven solutions and service excellence.

International initiatives can also accelerate this transformation.

Misclassification of commodities and Harmonised System (HS) codes leads to significant revenue loss for Customs worldwide. To address this, the World Customs Organisation (WCO) launched BACUDA (Band of Customs Data Analysts) project – a collaborative research platform that brings together Members and data scientists.

One of its flagship outputs is the HS Code Recommendation AI, designed to assist traders and Customs officials by using historical data to suggest accurate HS codes based on commercial descriptions of goods, reducing classification errors and improving efficiency.

To fully harness AI’s potential, KRA should pair its internal modernisation efforts with selective adoption of proven international solutions or best practices, engage stakeholders, and follow a results-driven implementation roadmap.

This approach will deliver safer, more efficient, and transparent customs processes, strengthening compliance, facilitating trade, and positioning Kenya as a leader in modern Customs administration.

Absa Bank Kenya has poached from Stanbic Bank Kenya as it restructures its business, reflecting the rising competition for top talent in the banking industry.

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Absa has appointed Renato D’souza as its director of business banking while moving Elizabeth Wasunna-Ochwa to the newly created position of director strategic partnerships.

Mr D’souza joined Absa at the beginning of the year from Stanbic Bank, a subsidiary of South African lending giant Standard Bank Group, where he worked for nine years, his last post being head of commercial banking.

Ms Wasunna will remain part of the bank’s executive which will see the company’s top leadership grow to 12 directors.

‘Elizabeth is not leaving the bank but she will be in charge of deepening strategic partnerships that the bank has with key players such as National Chambers of Commerce, Kenya Private Sector Alliance and such; so the bank looked for a suitable suit to replace her in business banking,’ said sources within the bank.

‘The bank is not in a position to bring in more people but more of reorganising ourselves to keep growing by exploiting the existing relationships,’ added the source.

Ms Wasunna had held the position for seven years. Absa books business from the small and medium sized enterprises and corporates under business banking.

Mr D’souza joins a list of top executives that Absa has poached from subsidiaries of Standard Bank Group.

Ms Wasunna was poached from Standard Bank of Malawi, with others -legal and compliance director Kenneth Kanyarati and chief risk officer Chiera Waithaka poached from Stanbic Kenya. Absa had a loan book of Sh309.7 billion as at end of September 2025 which was a drop compared to Sh311.4 billion a year earlier.

Top talent has been a major hunt in the banking industry as lenders seek to push for growth following a two-year period of slow credit growth and pile up of bad debts.

Its deposit base had grown to Sh384.3 billion from Sh351.7 billion over the same period showing the slow conversion of liabilities to assets.

Egyptian lender, Commercial International Bank recently poached NCBA Group’s director of corporate and investment banking Tirus Mwithiga to head its Kenyan subsidiary.

SBM Bank meanwhile on May 8, 2024 appointed former I and M Group chief operating officer Bhartesh Shah as its new chief executive.

If you’ve spent time in African creative circles, you’ve probably heard the phrase: ‘Let’s create our own stories, our own way.’ It’s a rallying cry that has echoed across conversations about film, comics, and animation.

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The frustration behind it is that we’ve spent too long imitating or being influenced by foreign narratives, while neglecting the wealth of traditional and cultural stories around us.

One studio that has consistently pushed against that tide is Avandu Studios.

They’ve carved out a distinct identity in African comics, blending research, artistry, and cultural depth. If you’ve seen their earlier projects like Beast from Venus, Wana wa Magere or their contributions to international productions like Enkai (part of Kizazi Moto on Disney+), you know they’re serious about pushing African visual storytelling into the global space.

This year, they’ve released The Sankofan Files, an anthology of three short stories that showcase different shades of African myth, folklore, and imagination.

1. DCI Buzeki: Little Tears

This feels like a Kenyan procedural with a heavy supernatural touch. It follows a detective in the DCI (Directorate of Criminal Investigations) who handles cases that the regular police can’t explain, the supernatural.

It’s grounded, absurd, atmospheric, and treats local urban legends with the seriousness of a crime thriller.

2. Warum

This is where the artistry gets experimental. It follows a young Taita man named Mwaloli who becomes a host for an ancestral force. The genius here is the visual execution: the spirits manifest in a way that mimics Makonde Ujamaa sculptures-those “Tree of Life” carvings where bodies are stacked and intertwined.

It’s a brilliant way to take a physical piece of heritage and turn it into a dynamic, supernatural superpower.

3. Man of Nyatiti

This one takes us to the shores of Lake Nam Lolwe (Lake Victoria). It’s a mythic tale about Hawi, a traveller who uses the Nyatiti, a traditional Luo instrument, to connect with the world around him. Mermaids show up in a story that feels like a tribute to how music was once seen as a bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds.

The Avandu Touch

What makes Avandu’s work stand out is that they design with intention:

Cultural Symbiosis:

You don’t feel like you’re looking at a foreign comic translated for a Kenyan audience. The influence of African sculpture and traditional motifs is baked into the character designs.

Atmospheric Contrast:

The book moves from the detective-noir feel of DCI Buzeki to the bright, legendary world of Man of Nyatiti.

Education Through

Art: They use the pages to explain the cultural artefacts they’re referencing, like the Nyatiti or fertility dolls. They’re grounding the fantasy in real history.

Artistry and Creativity

The publication features a unique approach to character and creature design, strengthened by dynamic action sequences.

While the aesthetic remains consistent with Avandu Studio’s established style, this work represents a significant expansion of their creative portfolio.

Gripes

My primary critique concerns the lack of colour beyond the cover. While the black-and-white illustrations are strong, a fully coloured edition would be necessary to appreciate the depth and detail of the artworks.

The “Why”

The creator, Salim Busuru, had something to say about the “why” behind this:

“We truly believe that comics are the best way to beat the structures that keep African storytelling and expression at the level it is at now, and unable to grow creatively.

Where is our Lord of the Rings? Where is our Star Wars? Well, it has always been there in the words and wisdom of our ancestors, our fathers, our mothers, our warriors, our medicine men, our elders, our spirits, our demons and our dreams.

This anthology project is us working together with other creatives to bring to life African worlds. The fantasy, mythology and culture that we would like to see in movies, videogames and high-concept movies.

The cost of doing those is too high. They require that we ask somebody to say yes and give us the money to fund these dreams and visions. Let us be the ones to make this change for us and for those who come after us. Let us permit ourselves to live in our own dreams.”

By doing these 10-page anthology stories, the team at Avandu is bypassing the gatekeepers and putting out the wild ideas that would normally never see the light of day. It’s a move that’s both bold and exciting.

If you’re looking for accessible, unique African stories told in a way that feels like home, you should be looking at this. The Sankofan Magazine launches digitally on the 26th, with physical copies rolling out as well. You can find more info by looking up Avandu Vosi on their website and social media.

The Employment and Labour Relations Court has faulted the office of the vice-chancellor of the Technical University of Kenya (TUK) for unlawfully ordering deductions of alleged salary overpayments to a senior lecturer, totalling Sh4.1 million, without an explanation or a hearing.

While reinforcing protections for workers against unexplained and unilateral payroll actions, the court ruled that recovery of alleged overpayments must follow due process, including giving the employee notice and a hearing before deductions are effected.

The court held that the Vice Chancellor’s directive violated constitutional and statutory safeguards when the recovery order of the amount was made in regards to Professor Lawrence Otweyo Migire Gumbe’s salary without following due process.

TUK is presently headed by Vice Chancellor Benedict M. Mutua.

The court stated that the decision to recover the money was reached unilaterally and communicated abruptly through a letter dated January 5, 2024, issued by the vice chancellor.

The letter did not explain how the figure was arrived at or how the deductions would be implemented, prompting Prof Gumbe to seek the Labour Court’s intervention.

‘The respondent had already taken the decision to recover the said money without giving the petitioner any opportunity to be heard,’ the judge ruled, underscoring that recovery efforts must be transparent, justified, and preceded by a fair hearing.

Prof Gumbe, who had served the university for 15 years, said the threatened deductions breached his rights to fair labour practices and fair administrative action.

The university defended its action, arguing it was seeking to recover public funds allegedly paid to the professor for periods when he did not render teaching services. It maintained that the recovery notice was lawful and based on internal records.

After the letter was issued, Prof Gumbe moved to court. In April 2024, the court issued interim orders barring TUK from making any deductions.

The institution complied and later argued that the dispute had become moot since no money was ultimately recovered.

However, the court rejected this defense and found that the university’s later compliance did not erase the initial infringement of the lecturer’s rights.

It held that legal compliance after litigation did not cure the initial breach. By the time the petition was filed, no fairness had been accorded, the court ruled.

‘From the outset, the respondent acted unlawfully by not granting the petitioner a hearing. The decision was only revoked upon the petitioner filing this petition,’ the court said, terming the university’s move as unconstitutional and procedurally unfair.

The judge held that Prof Gumbe’s rights under Articles 41 and 47 of the Constitution had been breached, noting that fairness must precede administrative decisions affecting an employee’s livelihood.

‘It is apparent in these circumstances that the rights of the petitioner were breached,’ the court ruled, adding that the recovery decision was only halted after litigation had commenced.

While the university argued that no actual loss had occurred because deductions were never made, the court stated that Constitutional violations can still attract remedies even where harm is prevented through judicial intervention.

It awarded Prof Gumbe Sh500,000 in damages for violation of his rights, along with the costs of the petition.

The court emphasised that employers cannot retroactively justify flawed decisions by later compliance. ‘The decision was only revoked upon the petitioner filing this petition,’ the judgment noted.