Category: Business Daily

Kenya is exploring ways to tap into corporate Social responsibility (CSR) funds raised by large companies to support startups and innovators, borrowing from models in India.

Tonny Omwansa, Chief Executive at Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA), said the agency has begun drafting a proposal for the government to establish a framework that would channel a small percentage of CSR budgets into a national innovation fund.

The rural folk, especially in the arid and semi-arid areas, always experience hardship and poverty exacerbated by the adversity of climate change. It was not any different in the eastern part of Kenya, where my story begins.

Daily life revolved around one basic need: water. As a child, my marathon was running to the Athi River with donkeys, carrying jerricans down dusty paths and rocky hills. It was always under the scorching sun and the threat of crocodiles.

The lack of alternatives meant we had to disturb their dangerous habitat. Every so often, children and adults alike escaped with injuries, while others were not as fortunate.

We drank directly from the river, polluted by upstream waste from Nairobi. We swam not for leisure, but to cool our bodies before the uphill climb home. That was our childhood.

No packed lunches, no clean water, no safety nets. It was survival, and it came at the cost of missed school days and the burden of child labour.

Looking back, there is nothing about that life to miss. It was real human suffering. And yet, it is this very experience that explains why I am deeply passionate about climate action.

I know, firsthand, what degraded ecosystems mean for families. Deforestation upstream disrupted river flows. Soil erosion stripped the land bare.

Prolonged droughts pushed communities deeper into poverty. Climate vulnerability was not an abstract idea; it was the reality of my childhood.

The World Resources Institute notes that by 2050, nearly one billion people in Africa will face severe water stress unless urgent measures are taken. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report warns that children in Africa born in 2020 will experience four to five times more climate extremes in their lifetime compared to those born 60 years earlier.

These numbers confirm what some of us have lived through since birth.

This is why I advocate for the restoration of landscapes, for clean energy, sustainable food systems, and protection of natural resources that communities depend on.

Climate action should go beyond policy frameworks on paper and fancy global conferences. It is all about human dignity. It is about ensuring that the next generation does not spend its childhood fetching unsafe water or battling odds that should not exist in the first place.

May the policies get better and the actions move faster, so that no more generations have to endure the kind of suffering we went through. Because of that suffering, I now dedicate my voice and work to building solutions.

Climate action, for me, is not just a career path. It is a personal mission to turn pain into purpose and to make sure no child has to endure what we did in the dry and semi-arid eastern part of Kenya.

During the interview, Andrew Mwanyota Lewela, the self-styled barefoot CEO of KeNIC (Kenya Network Information Centre), will attempt to persuade me to remove my shoes, but will fail. It’s not that he’s starting a cult or flirting with some earth-aesthetic religion, though it’s a shame, for he could work a congregation. The man just loves walking barefoot.

He has dabbled with Buddhism, had a pas de deux with Jewish kippahs. How then do you define him? He rejects, in many ways, the very premise of the question. There is, he says, no way to pigeonhole him.

Tanzanian-owned Lake Gas has snapped up two percent of the local market for handling imported cooking gas, taking a piece of a business that has been dominated for decades by African Gas and Oil (AGOL).

Industry data from the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra) revealed the market share of the Tanzanian oil marketer, adding that AGOL and the Shimanzi Oil Terminal (SOT) dominate with a combined share of 94.56 per cent. AGOL’s facility has a capacity of 25,000 tonnes, while SOT connects to five storage facilities with a combined capacity of 2,335 tonnes.

The Employment and Labour Relations Court has upheld the dismissal of a hotel supervisor for serving as a director in a newly established company that was planning to venture into a business that would directly compete with his employer.

According to the court, this amounted to a conflict of interest since the business the employee and some colleagues sought to establish was a potential competitor to his employer’s operations.

Kenya Reinsurance Corporation (Kenya Re) has extended the suspension of managing director Hillary Wachinga for a further 21 working days starting October 2, 2025.

Dr Wachinga was first suspended on September 3 for 21 working days following what the board termed as a ‘preliminary review of internal matters, which is ongoing.’ This, even as sources linked his suspension to a talent review process he had initiated to streamline operations at the State-owned reinsurer.

A notice on Friday morning announced the extension, which will keep Dr Wachinga out of the office at least up to the end of the month. ‘The board of directors of Kenya Reinsurance Corporation Limited wishes to inform the public that it has extended the suspension of the managing director, Dr Hillary Wachinga, for 21 working days from October 2, 2025,’ read the notice in part.

The extended suspension means general manager for property and investments, Nicodemus Gekone, will continue to serve as the acting managing director for the intervening period. Dr Wachinga, a part-time lecturer at Strathmore Business School, a golfer and poet, became Kenya Re managing director in March 2023, with the board hailing him as a ‘multiskilled strategic thinker’ and a ‘flexible and adaptable corporate leader.’

Kenya Re share price shed 8.38 per cent of its value on the day Dr Wachinga was first suspended, closing the day as the top loser at Sh3.17.

The share price opened Friday trading at Sh3.18.

In the financial year ended December 2023, Dr Wachinga led Kenya Re in a 41.5 percent growth in net profit to Sh4.97 billion that saw shareholders’ dividend per share raised 50 percent to Sh0.30 amounting to Sh839.94 million plus bonus shares of one for each share already held.

Last year, the profit retreated by 10.6 percent to Sh4.44 billion mainly on foreign exchange losses, even as the reinsurance service result -reinsurance revenue less service expenses- grew 4.4 times to Sh2.95 billion. The dividend payout was maintained.

His continued suspension comes at a critical time for Kenya Re given that the September-November window is critical for renewing businesses which has a bearing on the next financial year’s performance.

Kenya Re is also awaiting a new rating from one of the key ratings agencies, raising the risk that the boardroom happenings might filter into the ratings.

A reinsurer’s credit rating is the opinion of an independent agency regarding the company’s financial strength and ability to pay claims coming from insurers. A strong rating points to a reinsurer that can settle insurer’s claims without struggle.

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

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

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

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

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

Chasing medals

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

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

Her journey began at Kenyatta University out of necessity.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bumpy ride

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Going places

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A paracyclist

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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