Category: Business Daily

Family-owned enterprises are a significant feature of Kenya’s and East Africa’s business landscape. Many have grown from founder-led operations into diversified groups with domestic, regional and international interests.

That entrepreneurial model has created significant value. East African entrepreneurs have proved exceptionally effective at building businesses; the next challenge for many families is ensuring that the value created by founders can be protected, governed and passed on successfully. As more East African family businesses move from founder-led ownership into second and third-generation involvement, succession is becoming a practical issue rather than a theoretical one.

The question is no longer simply how to grow the business, but how to preserve continuity as leadership changes, ownership becomes more dispersed and the next generation brings different expectations around purpose, participation and impact.

For many families, succession planning is still treated primarily as a question of who receives shares or assets. That is important, but it is only one part of the equation. Passing ownership without addressing decision-making, control, voting rights, management roles and dispute resolution can leave the next generation with wealth but no workable framework for managing it.

Governance is therefore not a luxury reserved for large groups. It is an essential part of protecting both business value and family relationships. Family constitutions, a shareholders’ agreements, articles of association, advisory boards and clear employment policies all have a role to play. Their purpose is not to remove trust from the family, but to give trust practical expression through agreed rules.

Governance is no longer simply about succession. It is increasingly becoming a strategic capability. Families that invest in it early tend to be better positioned to attract investors, professionalise management, navigate generational transitions and preserve relationships. These conversations are rarely easy, but they are considerably easier around a boardroom table than in the middle of a family dispute.

The cost of avoiding these conversations can be high. Where roles, compensation, dividends or exit rights are unclear, families often end up resolving issues under pressure, when relationships are already strained. A well-designed framework can help answer difficult questions before they become disputes, including who may work in the business, how performance is assessed and how a shareholder can exit fairly.

These issues become sharper as family enterprises professionalise. External investors, including private equity partners, often expect stronger reporting, deeper access to information and disciplined financial controls. Professional management can bring capability and scale, but it also requires clear incentives so that executives, family shareholders and family members working in the business remain aligned around long-term value creation.

Generational change adds another layer of complexity. Founders may be used to intuitive, founder-led decisions, while younger family members often expect data, transparency, digital capability, environmental and social purpose, and a voice in strategic direction. Some may wish to lead the operating business; others may prefer investment, philanthropy, entrepreneurship or impact-led initiatives. The task for families is not to force one model on every member, but to create pathways for contribution, education and accountability.

As wealth becomes more diversified, the operating company may no longer be the only centre of gravity. Families may need separate forums for family matters, business decisions and investment matters, with clear mandates for the family council, board and family office.

Structures should come after those questions, not before them. For some families, a robust will, shareholders’ agreement and updated company documents may be appropriate. For others, particularly those with cross-border assets, internationally mobile family members or multiple branches, trusts, foundations, holding companies or family office structures may be relevant. The right answer depends on the family’s objectives, tax position, residency profile, asset base and appetite for complexity.

Kenyan and East African advisers are central to that process. International structuring should not be viewed as a substitute for local legal, tax and fiduciary advice. It should complement it. Questions around management and control, tax residency, reporting obligations, regulatory transparency and beneficial ownership need to be addressed carefully from the outset. Some legacy offshore arrangements may need to be reviewed if they no longer reflect where decisions are made, how assets are managed or how the family actually operates.

This is one reason international finance centres (IFCs) continue to be relevant for globally minded families. Where assets, family members and advisers sit across multiple jurisdictions, a stable and well-regulated centre can provide a neutral platform for holding assets, coordinating investment and embedding fiduciary oversight. Jersey’s relevance is not that it offers a single answer, but that it provides an experienced jurisdiction in which families and advisers can bring together ownership structures, investment vehicles and governance arrangements.

The family office conversation is also evolving. In more complex families, the family office can act as an investment platform, reporting hub and education centre. It can help bring discipline to asset allocation, support impact objectives and provide continuity as family members become more geographically dispersed. But it should be built around real need. Governance and structuring should be proportionate to the family’s stage, complexity and resources.

Ultimately, continuity is built before it is tested. Families that begin early can educate the next generation, clarify values, review assets, define roles and create mechanisms for disagreement before disputes arise. Governance documents should not be placed in a drawer and forgotten. They should be reviewed periodically as families, laws, markets and priorities evolve.

For Kenya’s family-owned enterprises, the next phase of growth will be shaped not only by entrepreneurial ambition, but by the strength of the frameworks that sit behind it. At Jersey Finance, we believe that as East African family businesses and family offices become more international, professionalisation, transparency and well-considered structuring will become increasingly important. Jersey’s role is to support that evolution as a stable, substance-based and well-regulated IFC, working alongside local advisers to help families think through cross-border ownership, fiduciary oversight, investment diversification and long-term governance in a way that supports continuity across generations.

On September 9, John Ternus took the stage in his new role as Apple’s CEO during the ‘Surprise and Shine’ event. Many announcements were made, the new foldable Apple Duo overshadowed everything.

Among the announcements was the expansion of Apple TV to 59 new countries, including Kenya. The big twist was that access will not require a standalone streaming subscription; it comes bundled directly with your existing iCloud+ storage plan and Apple Arcade.

Starting at just $0.99 (around Sh129) a month for 50GB of storage, this instantly becomes one of the most competitive entertainment options in the market.

Naturally, this move will encourage more Kenyan users to consider Apple hardware and step into the ecosystem. But once you log in, where do you actually begin?

Well, let’s look at some productions that might be the perfect consumption jump off point for you.

Note that this list is just the tip of the iceberg, there is a lot that the service offers, my objective is to give you options from my point of view.

Denzel Washington

I am starting off with Denzel as a category because it’s Denzel Washington, and a Denzel Washington movie is a good place to start. He has two movies on the service.

Highest 2 Lowest – Directed by Spike Lee, with Denzel as a music mogul, also featuring ASAP Rocky.

The Tragedy of Macbeth – Denzel Washington as Macbeth, a beautiful black-and-white production that can be viewed for the drama or the technical elements.

You’ve heard of it but never seen it

These are productions you have probably heard of or come across in debates on social media because of the buzz they created.

F1 – the blockbuster racing film, dominated the global box office in 2025 as one of the year’s highest-grossing cinematic releases. As an Apple Original film, it stands out as one of the signature feature titles to come out of the service.

Ted Lasso – After watching this there is a possibility that you will become that one friend who recommends that one show. Starring Jason Sudeikis as an overly optimistic American college football coach hired to manage a British football team, remains the ultimate feel-good show. .

Silo – Starring Rebecca Ferguson, is a gripping post-apocalyptic sci-fi drama set in a massive underground bunker where strict rules govern the remaining populace. Across its multiple seasons and 30-plus episodes, you get tightly paced, layered mysteries, and strong character work that science fiction enthusiasts rave about.

Foundation – If you love sci-fi someone has probably recommended this to you.

Foundation is based on Isaac Asimov’s seminal novels, stars Jared Harris and Lee Pace in an epic, sprawling galactic saga. It spans multiple worlds and generations, pairing intricate political storylines with some of the most impressive visual effects on television today.

Pluribus -It was all over social media before it was even released, captivating viewers with one of the best opening hooks and mystery setups on TV. Even if the eventual payoff divided opinion among viewers, the sheer tension and early world-building make it worth watching.

Severance – If you are reading this in the office this is for you. Severance, starring Adam Scott and directed by Ben Stiller, explores a chilling concept where employees surgically divide their work memories from their personal lives. It is an exceptional, mind-bending thriller.

My recommendations

The Afterparty – This is at the top of my recommendations, I love this show, Season 1 specifically might be one of the most inventive comedy-mysteries you will ever watch. Created by Christopher Miller, I am not going to tell the premise because it might spoil the gimmick. But this show, especially for people who love mystery and film, is a must-watch.

Hijack – Season 1 (I am yet to start season 2), starring Idris Elba as a professional corporate negotiator on a compromised long-haul flight, is the definition of tension. This show had me on the edge of my seat up to the very end of the last episode. And of course, Idris is great in this.

Wolfwalkers – A beautiful 2D animated fantasy feature directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart. It offers a refreshing alternative to standard 3D animation. Utilizing a gorgeous, hand-drawn watercolor aesthetic, it presents a visually stunning fable that appeals just as much to adults as it does to animation enthusiasts.

Prehistoric Planet – A visually mind-blowing documentary. Narrated by Sir David Attenborough and Tom Hiddleston, it is astonishing what they are able to do with CGI. The visual effects rendering these ancient creatures feel so real that they rival Nat Geo. In fact, you can easily watch this for its production value alone.

Bad Monkey – An easy watch. Starring Vince Vaughn as a former detective turned restaurant inspector in Florida, it balances witty, low-key comedy with an intriguing crime mystery. Its relaxed structure and effortless storytelling make it engaging.

Slow Horses – or what I like to think of as the Rejects, stars Gary Oldman as the cynical Jackson Lamb. It offers a brilliant spin on the spy thriller genre. Instead of suave, infallible agents like in James Bond movies, it follows a dysfunctional department of washed-up MI5 rejects.

Sugar – I love the look and tone of it. Starring Colin Farrell as a film-obsessed private investigator looking for a missing woman in Los Angeles, it is one of those shows I would recommend for the performances and mystery.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters – starring Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell across different timelines, is for Godzilla, King Kong, and creature-feature fans. It has impressive scale, top-tier monster effects, and a cinematic experience you don’t usually associate with TV shows.

Notable mentions

The Studio offers a biting film industry look. For football fans, or Lionel Messi fans, there are two productions that cover him. Jason Momoa fans also have a lot to enjoy with the service, with two shows, See being a favourite because of the original concept. AlsoMayDay, a movie recently addded is a good one.

My nitpicks with the service

While the price point in Kenya is unmatched and even as the company keeps releasing new titles, if you are a series binge machine you could exhaust the titles within a couple of months.

But my biggest problem with the service is that, like much of modern global streaming tropes, the service leans heavily on identity politics at the expense of pure, focused storytelling. You can see the checklist in fact it looks like producers are handed that checklist before they begin production, and many productions feel like they are pandering to a particular demographic, an immediate trope you can pick up from the landing page.

A bargain

Yes, it is still a strategy to slowly rope you into the Apple ecosystem, but when evaluating overall value, getting access to a high-end streaming service alongside your monthly cloud storage for under Sh130 is a bargain.

Bamburi Cement risks asset auctions over a cash claim for 224 tonnes of cement that were not delivered to a Chinese contractor eight years ago.

Bamburi says GPS data from the transporter’s truck showed that the vehicle never entered Chinese contractor China Communications Construction Company (CCCC)’s Kimuka, Kajiado site, prompting the cement maker to recover Sh3.9 million paid to its transport firm, Masai Kenya Ltd.

Masai Kenya disputed the explanation and secured a judgment against Bamburi at a Nairobi magistrate court in March 2025.

However, the High Court has stopped execution after finding that Bamburi’s appeal raises arguable questions over GPS records, delivery notes and the transport agreement.

Bamburi contended that Masai Kenya, through Betabase Auctioneers, had commenced execution of the lower court judgment and proclaimed its movable assets, including its essential tools of trade.

Masai Kenya was contracted to transport Bamburi cement. The contested consignments were allegedly delivered to CCCC at Kimuka between April and July 2018.

Bamburi told the trial court that CCCC later reported that about 224.7 tonnes had not been received. It said investigations included GPS tracking of the truck.

According to Bamburi, the data showed the truck did not enter the customer’s premises.

Masai Kenya sued, leading to a judgment by a Principal Magistrate on March 14, 2025, awarding the transport firm Sh4.4 million. The trial court relied on Masai Kenya’s delivery notes and found Bamburi had not sufficiently established fraud or theft.

Bamburi appealed, challenging the interpretation of the transport agreement, treatment of GPS evidence and delivery notes.

“The applicant has also demonstrated sufficient circumstances to warrant preservation of the status quo, particularly having regard to the proclamation of operational assets,” the High Court ruled.

At the same time, the respondent’s interests can be protected through security,” t, granting the application.

The decision means Masai Kenya and its auctioneers cannot attach, remove or sell Bamburi’s proclaimed movable assets while the appeal is pending.

Execution documents put the amount claimed at about Sh7.1 million, including interest, costs and other execution amounts.

The court ordered Bamburi to deposit 50 per cent of the decretal sum. Bamburi had already deposited Sh2.2 million in May 2025, an amount that Masai Kenya argued was insufficient because execution was based on the higher figure.

The judge rejected that argument and found that Bamburi obtained an invoice from the Court for Sh2.2 million and paid the said amount.

The court found a real risk of prejudice because the assets were said to be essential to Bamburi’s operations.

‘If such assets were sold before the appeal is determined, the resulting disruption may not be adequately remedied by a subsequent order for repayment of money,’ the judge said.

The court stressed that finding an appeal arguable did not determine its outcome. It declined Bamburi’s request to nullify the decree and warrants over alleged procedural breaches.

‘I therefore decline to set aside the decree or the warrants solely on the basis of the alleged non-compliance with Order 21 Rule 8,’ the court said.

Moving a cat or dog out of Kenya can cost anywhere between Sh65,000 and Sh2 million, depending on where it is going, how big it is and how the airline decides to carry it.

Dr Dennis Maube, a veterinary surgeon at Small Five Vet Clinic, puts the range at $500 (about Sh64,780) to $15,000 (about Sh1.9 million).

“Cats are cheaper than dogs because of the volume they occupy,” he says.

For dogs, the bill climbs with size. The airline also decides whether the animal travels as cargo, excess baggage or, in some cases, in the cabin, depending on its rules and the route.

The bill covers far more than a plane ticket. Vet checks, paperwork, a crate, airfreight and charges at the other end all add up, and much of it is hard to price until you know the route.

Dr Maube says the process is more involving than most owners expect.

“The process of pet relocation is quite complex. It involves different parties, including the veterinary side, customs, the receiving country agents and the airline,” he says.

‘You will need a valid vaccination card or pet passport, a health certificate and the relevant import and export permits. The vaccinations must be given by a vet registered with the Kenya Veterinary Board.’

Vaccinations and wait period

Timelines often depend on the destination. A pet going to Uganda can sometimes be cleared the next day, but other routes take far longer.

“Some destinations can take seven months to one year,” Dr Maube says, citing Australia, where the process is longer because Kenya is classed as a high-risk rabies country. European destinations take more than three months and up to seven.

Many countries require a rabies titration test, which measures antibody levels, followed by a waiting period. Depending on the country, pets may also need tests or vaccinations for distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis and Ehrlichia.

Dr Japheth Nyangari Mairo, director and veterinarian at Queens Veterinary Clinic in Nairobi, advises starting the tests four to six months before travel, and earlier for destinations with rabies testing and waiting periods. The process also depends on why the pet is travelling, whether that is permanent relocation, medical treatment or service work.

“For the UK and many European destinations, the pet may need to complete a mandatory three-month waiting period after the rabies blood sample is collected,” he says.

Before anything else, Dr Mairo says, check the destination’s import rules, including breed restrictions. Then the vet looks at the pet’s species, breed, age, health and vaccination history.

Hard requirement

The first hard requirement is an ISO-compliant microchip, then vaccinations. “Administer rabies vaccination in the correct sequence after microchipping,” Dr Mairo says.

Routine vaccinations are seldom the costly part, he says, but they must be valid and properly recorded. Some countries also want parasite treatment within a set window before arrival.

For a cat or small dog leaving Nairobi, Dr Mairo estimates about Sh200,000 for the UAE, Sh250,000 to Sh350,000 for the European Union, Sh400,000 or more for the UK and Sh350,000 or more for the US. “These figures are indicative and not fixed quotations,” he says.

The final bill also depends on crate size, airline, route, travel season and charges at the destination. Age, health and breed restrictions can shift it too.

Size matters

Size matters most with big dogs, because airlines may charge by the volume of the crate rather than the animal’s weight.

“The pet may be relatively light, but if it requires a large crate, the airline can charge based on the crate’s volumetric weight rather than the pet’s actual weight,” Dr Mairo says.

Some costs are easy to predict: the vet consultation and health check, microchip, vaccinations, titre testing, veterinary certificates and Kenyan government export papers. Others are not, including the crate, airline freight or excess baggage, cargo and airport charges, customs clearance, permits, overnight boarding and destination inspection and delivery.

“The airline, crate and destination-handling costs are usually the most variable components,” Dr Mairo says.

A pet flying as accompanied baggage can cost differently from one travelling as manifest cargo, and connecting flights can add charges and transit requirements. Seasonal freight rates, and whether an airline takes pets on a particular aircraft, can move the price as well.

Paperwork

You will need a rabies vaccination certificate, vaccination and veterinary records, a fitness-to-fly certificate, Kenyan export documents and, where required, an import permit from the destination country. You may also need parasite-treatment records, your passport, flight and air-waybill details, customs documents and, if the pet travels separately from you, an authorisation letter.

‘Names, dates, microchip numbers and treatment details must match across every document. Even small inconsistencies can cause problems,’ Dr Mairo says.

Dr Maube notes that a fitness-to-fly assessment is essential before the pet travels, as existing heart problems or medication can affect whether an animal can fly at all.

Failing to meet an import requirement can mean denied boarding, delayed clearance, extra tests, quarantine, or the pet being sent back to Kenya at the owner’s expense.

The titre test is a common trap, and it adds both cost and preparation time. “If the result does not meet the destination country’s required antibody level, the pet may need to be revaccinated and tested again. This can increase the cost and delay travel,” Dr Mairo says.

“The common mistakes are starting late and taking shortcuts,” Dr Maube says.

Dr Mairo lists other mistakes including: buying an undersized or non-compliant crate, assuming every aircraft takes pets, missing blood-test or parasite-treatment deadlines, and submitting documents with mismatched details. Each can lead to repeat tests, reissued paperwork, changed flights and extra boarding fees. One problem tends to trigger the next: a missed deadline can mean a changed flight, and a changed flight can mean more nights of boarding.

Dr Mairo advises keeping a contingency of 15 to 25 percent above your expected cost. It can cover repeat exams or blood tests, a newly found medical condition, changes in freight rates, cancelled flights, extra boarding, a replacement crate, customs storage, quarantine or emergency vet care.

“An initial figure may not necessarily include the crate, airline freight, government documentation, customs clearance or destination delivery,” DrMairo says.

A professional pet mover can review destination rules, arrange vet visits and lab tests, apply for permits, source the right crate, book the airline and coordinate airport clearance. That takes a lot of coordination off your hands, though it is another cost to weigh against doing the work yourself.

If you use one, Dr Maube says to check that it is certified by bodies such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the International Pet and Animal Transportation Association (IPATA) or GEM, a global association of animal relocation specialists.

Doing some of it yourself is possible. “Owners may handle some veterinary appointments, purchase the crate or apply for certain permits themselves,” Dr Mairo says. The hard part, he adds, is juggling the different requirements and deadlines without experience.

Whichever route you take; it is important to budget for the destination end too. Dr Maube says owners should plan for clearance and an agent in the receiving country, since, in his case, Small Five Vet Clinic’s role ends when the pet’s flight lands.

Kiharu Member of Parliament Ndindi Nyoro will pocket Sh32.3 million from Kenya Power after the electricity distributor hiked its dividend payout for the year ended June 2026 by 50 percent.

The MP is the top individual investor in Kenya Power with a stake of 1.1 percent being 21.5 million shares.

Kenya Power announced a final dividend of Sh1.20 per share which combined with an interim payout of Sh0.30, brings its full year distribution to Sh1.50 per share up from Sh1 per share paid for the prior year.

Mr Nyoro has been harvesting capital gains from the growth of the utility’s share price with regular cuts to his stake which he had accumulated when the counter was trading at lows of Sh1.58 per share in 2023. This implies the latest dividend payout is nearly equivalent to the MP’s investment in the stock.

Between February and April this year, Mr Nyoro disposed of 2.57 million shares valued at approximately Sh44.24 million working with the then trading price of Sh17.2 per share.

Mr Nyoro’s stake is currently valued at Sh491.3 million based on Friday’s closing price of Sh22.75 per share. The Kiharu MP had accumulated 32.5 million shares of the company at much lower prices to emerge as the top individual shareholder with a stake valued at Sh51.3 million at the end of June 2023 when the share price was Sh1.58.

The stake, if left unchanged, would now be valued at Sh739.3 million.

Mr Nyoro is among investors who have benefitted from Kenya Power’s return to profitability and incremental dividend payouts, indicating the potential gains for those who bet on low-priced equities in anticipation of a change in tide.

Other politicians including leader of majority at the National Assembly Kimani Ichungwa, Thika MP Alice Ng’ang’a and former chairman of United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Anthony Mwaura also took positions in Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed firms in the wake of Mr Nyoro’s reported gains.

Other individual shareholders in Kenya Power include Nehemia Ikuah with 12.2 million shares, Carl Ogola with 10.5 million shares and the Hirani Family which has a combined 22.4 million shares.

The National Treasury is the majority shareholder in the utility firm with a 50.09 percent stake which will see it receive Sh1.46 billion in dividends.

The listed electricity distributor hiked its payout to shareholders by 50 percent despite a slower growth in net profit of 2.1 percent to Sh24.9 billion in the year to June 2026.

‘In recognition of this continued improvement, an interim dividend of Sh0.30 per ordinary share was paid during the year. Building on this momentum, the Board is pleased to recommend a final dividend of Sh1.20 per ordinary share for the year ended 30 June 2026,’ said Kenya Power in a statement.

The utility’s electricity sales jumped 12 percent to 12,777 Gigawatt-hours (GWh) in the year under review compared to 11,403GWh a year ago but this did not translate to a similar growth in revenue amid a reduction in the base tariff across all consumer categories.

Electricity revenue rose 8.6 percent to Sh238.24 billion with the slow growth attributed mainly to the year-on-year drop in base tariffs for all consumers, meaning that the revenue yield per kilowatt-hour of power sold was lower compared to the year ended June 2025.

Nairobi Hospital has defended its financial position, arguing at the High Court that it remains financially stable, well-capitalised and capable of supporting its current operations and future growth despite allegations by petitioners that the institution is facing financial collapse.

Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah, Bernard Muchiri Muchere and Naomi Nyakerario Misati claimed in a petition alleged financial and governance failures and challenged the legitimacy of the hospital’s register of members, which determines voting rights at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).

The High Court temporarily halted the AGM scheduled for February 6, 2026, pending determination of the dispute.

But in its response, the hospital said its trustees, as of December 11, 2025, reaffirmed that the institution’s asset base was strong, strategically deployed and well positioned to support both current operations and future growth.

The Board of Management, which is statutorily responsible for preparing the company’s annual financial statements and reports, also found that the hospital had maintained financial stability.

‘In fact, the Hospital reported an increase of its revenue from Sh12.21 billion to Sh12.86 billion despite a repressed macro environment,’ the company secretary Gilbert Nyamweya said in an affidavit.

The petitioners are seeking, among other orders, declarations concerning the hospital’s public-interest status and the completion of investigations by agencies including the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, Assets Recovery Agency and Kenya Revenue Authority.

The hospital said it is misleading for the petitioners to claim that the Hospital is in financial ruin.

Mr Omtatah and co-petitioners said the hospital’s own audited 2024 accounts had a Sh2.214 billion deficit, a negative operating fund, and governance chaos serious enough for a probe by a multi-agency team.

‘My Lord, the Petitioners seek conservatory and interim orders to preserve the substratum of the Petition pending its determination on the merits,’ Mr Omtatah said.

The petitioners also cited alleged losses exceeding Sh3 billion, supplier arrears of more than Sh4 billion and questioned the status of approximately Sh9.1 billion in accumulated depreciation funds.

The hospital, however, disputed the broader interpretation placed on these figures and says it is misleading to characterise the institution as being in financial ruin without considering its wider asset base, revenue performance and financial position.

It argues that the revenue growth demonstrates that the institution continues to generate substantial income and maintain its operations, contrary to the petitioners’ portrayal of a hospital on the verge of financial collapse.

Mr Nyamweya said the petitioners have presented an incomplete picture of the hospital’s affairs in an attempt to justify judicial intervention in its internal management.

The official also challenged the authority of the petitioners to file the case arguing that they are not shareholders, members, directors or officials of the company.

He argued that restraining the AGM could expose the hospital and its officials to statutory breaches and personal liability.

The hospital has also rejected claims that its status and public-interest role make it a State entity. It maintains that it is a private company limited by guarantee, registered under the Companies Act, and is neither a State corporation, public body nor government-owned enterprise.

Whereas the petitioners contended that the institution sits on public trust land and performs an essential public function warranting heightened constitutional accountability, the hospital disputed the claim saying the properties, Nairobi/Block27/467 and Nairobi/Block27/470, are held under 50-year leaseholds commencing in 2023.

It argues that the leasehold interests constitute private land and that the titles specifically provide for use of the properties as a hospital and for approved ancillary purposes.

The Kenya Capital Markets Tribunal (CMT) is facing a severe operational crisis, crippled by a complete lack of quorum for close to five months now, leaving several high-profile corporate disputes and regulatory appeals in limbo.

Sources told Business Daily that the Tribunal has been without the quorum required to hear and determine appeals since mid-May 2026.

‘We still lack quorum at the Tribunal. The JSC (Judicial Service Commission) advertised for the positions, and I think the recruitment process is still going on.

“There is a backlog of cases, and this, coupled with the uncertainty related to the nature of the disputes we deal with, is actually not a good thing for the investment space,’ the source said.

The appointment of the Tribunal’s chairperson Paul Lilan as a judge of the Court of Appeal in January, coupled with the expiry of the terms of members and subsequent delays in State reappointments, has affected operations, locking in millions of shillings in pending cases.

Mr. Lilan had been appointed the chairman of the Tribunal for a three-year term following the revocation of the appointment of the former Chairperson Adrian Kamotho Njenga on May 22, 2023. The National Treasury appointed Mr Njenga via a Gazette Notice of April 19, 2023, with effect from the April 20, 2023.

However, a month later, the National Treasury revoked the appointment of Mr. Njenga and instead appointed Mr Lilan the new chairperson of the Tribunal, together with Constance Gikonyo, Godwin Wangongu, and Paul Wanga, as members for a period of three (3) years, with effect from May 26 2023.

The JSC in July 2026 advertised positions for the chairperson and two non-advocate members and set August 13, 2026 as the deadline for the submission of applications. The appointments haven’t been made.

The CMT settles complaints from persons aggrieved by a direction, refusal, limitation, restriction, revocation, or suspension imposed by the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) or the Investor Compensation Fund Board.

It also makes inquiries into matters referred to it in writing and issues formal, binding written awards or decisions distributed to concerned parties and the CMA.

The CMT was reconstituted in June 2023 after years of inactivity. Before its reconstitution, disputes arising from regulatory action in the capital markets were largely taken to courts. These cases were framed as judicial review or constitutional matters, focusing on whether due process had been followed in the course of taking regulatory action.

ýýHowever, this kind of oversight, although important, left deeper issues around corporate governance failures, board responsibility, and market conduct unaddressed.

The energy regulator has capped power prices for electric vehicles (EVs) in fresh efforts to lower costs and boost e-mobility adoption amid the global fuel crisis.

The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra) has allowed charging stations to charge the special tariff beyond the monthly consumption limit of 15,000 kilowatt-hours (KhW).

This means that electric motorbikes, cars and buses will be charged Sh16 per KhW, with the rate falling to Sh8 per unit during off-peak hours between 10pm and 6am.

Previously, the special e-mobility tariff was capped at 15,000 kWh a month, and owners of EV charging stations charged motorists up to Sh5 extra per KhW after exceeding the limit.

The significance of the change, contained in an amendment to the 2023 electricity tariff schedule published in the Kenya Gazette on September 18, is that an operator is no longer faced with a sharp tariff penalty simply because its business has grown beyond 15,000 kWh a month.

It forced some charging station operators to limit the number of electric vehicles they could serve at a single facility to avoid crossing the threshold and incurring higher electricity costs.

For motorists, it offers a less costly and predictable tariff.

‘The cap was removed so that mass charging stations, particularly for buses or busy battery swapping stations, can benefit more from electricity consumption and reduced tariffs,’ an Epra official told the Business Daily.

The global energy crisis sparked by war in the Middle East has supercharged African demand for electric vehicles, delivering a boost for China, which dominates the market.

A surge in orders for electric motorbikes and buses assembled in numerous African countries using Chinese components has coincided with record fundraising by start-ups rolling out EV infrastructure like charging stations and battery swapping facilities.

Some of Kenya’s biggest EV companies such as the bus maker BasiGo and Dubai-headquartered e-motorbike company Spiro have been exhausting the monthly limit at their charging stations.

Removing the cap allows EV firms to charge more electric vehicles or swap batteries at a single facility without losing access to the special tariff.

Industry analysts say this also gives EV companies room to expand their charging stations countrywide and open them up beyond their vehicle brands, creating room to accommodate more Kenyans switching to electric vehicles.

‘With more power consumption headroom, we can expand our charging infrastructure beyond buses to serve other forms of transport: two-wheelers, vans and even private EVs,’ said Moses Nderitu, vice-president of the Electric Mobility Association of Kenya (EMAK).

Mr Nderitu is also the managing director of BasiGo Kenya-which operates 17 charging stations in the country, a majority of them having been exceeding the monthly cap.

Spiro, which operates Kenya’s largest e-motorbike fleet, said more than 20 of its 500 battery-swapping stations exceed the monthly cap.

‘Investors, charging infrastructure providers and fleet operators have greater confidence to plan, expand and scale based on actual market demand rather than tariff limitations,’ said Flora Limukii, the firm’s head of government relations in Kenya.

Kenya has seen an increase in EVs over the past decade as consumers and businesses seek alternatives to fossil fuels.

Electricity is cheaper than petrol or diesel, and rising fuel prices have been driving EV uptake.

East Africa leads Africa’s EV usage, which was already increasing before Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas previously flowed.

The adoption of electric motorbikes and three-wheel ‘tuk-tuks’ has moved ahead of cars.

Average daily petrol costs for a motorbike taxi have risen more than 20 percent from Sh540 a day to Sh670 since the war, according to industry estimates, which indicate electric bikes can do the same distance for Sh300.

For governments, the adoption of EVs seeks to offset huge fuel import and subsidy bills and reduce reliance on oil supplies from the Gulf.

Data from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) shows the country had 35,661 registered electric vehicles as of January 2026, including 33,374 motorcycles, 1,065 three-wheelers, 591 station wagons, 98 buses, 54 minibuses and matatus, 67 saloons, 13 vans, four lorries and two prime movers.

Motorcycle and car taxis, as well as public buses, find EVs attractive.

In the year to December 2025, electricity consumption linked to charging EVs increased 188 percent to 8.43 million kWh, from 2.9 million kWh in 2024, according to Kenya Power, underlining the growth.

Industry analysts have called for more regulatory incentives to encourage EV owners and operators to charge during the 10pm to 6am off-peak period when electricity demand is typically lower.

Lack of charging infrastructure is one of the biggest deterrents to EV uptake.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) recently placed Kenya as the second-most developed EV charging network in Africa in 2025, behind Egypt.

Kenya’s private sector has taken the lead in installing EV charging stations, but most are clustered in the capital Nairobi and its satellite towns such as Kikuyu and Athi River.

The State-owned Kenya Power has in recent times installed several stations at its offices.

Across Africa, Rwanda, Ghana and Egypt have dedicated EV charging tariffs. Rwandan charging station operators are billed at the preferential industrial electricity rate of about $0.10/kWh (Sh12.95), half the standard commercial rate.

The world of sports is changing fast, and knowledge-sharing is how we keep up with it. I recently attended the SportsBiz Africa Forum held in Kigali which brought together a range of voices from across the business of sports.

Data, AI and the future of sport in a rapidly changing landscape was key among topics that took my interest. It crystallised something I have been thinking about for a while, the biggest shift happening in global sport right now isn’t a new league or a new investor – it is data, and what it is about to do to the value of everything we sell.

For decades, sports business has been built on sponsorship. A company sponsors a club, an athlete, a marathon, a federation. In return, it gets branding, visibility, media exposure and association with the sport. The conversation has been simple; how many people attended, how many hours on TV, how many logo appearances, how many impressions?

These metrics still matter but are no longer sufficient. Sports rights are increasingly being viewed as investment assets, not just marketing opportunities.

A sponsor buys a marketing outcome. An investor buys an economic opportunity – ownership in a team or league, a share of media revenue, a rights package, an athlete’s IP. Private equity, family offices and sovereign wealth funds are moving in.

Firms like Arctos have built portfolios across major US sports, and Asia-Pacific sports M and A reportedly hit $3.69 billion by this July, 12 times the prior year. Sport is becoming an asset class. Which raises the obvious question, how do you value the asset? That takes us straight to data.

Two competitions can each claim a million viewers and still not be valued the same. One audience might be young, urban, affluent, mobile-money users and frequent travellers; the other, older and lower-spend.

The real asset was never audience size, it’s audience quality. Sophisticated sponsors and investors now want to know where audiences live, what they earn, what they buy, how they travel, and whether exposure actually shifts purchase intent. That’s the difference between media measurement and commercial intelligence: one tells you people watched, the other tells you what they’re worth.

Nielsen a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics has already made this shift, combining exposure data with demographics, brand-health and sales impact, one study of 100 sponsorships found a 10 percent average lift in purchase intent among exposed fans. The Australian Football League uses consumer research on fan behaviour to build sharper, more targeted partnership deals. The pattern: data isn’t just reporting sponsorship value anymore, it’s discovering new value.

Africa has extraordinary sports stories. Kenyan distance running, Nigerian football culture, South Africa’s sophisticated market, Rwanda’s positioning around cycling and major events, Morocco’s tourism-football play. Yet African sports properties remain significantly under-monetised not for lack of audience, but for lack of commercially structured information about that audience.

A Kenyan athletics event with 20 million views sounds impressive; it’s a far stronger pitch if the rights holder can show five million viewers aged 18 -34, two million frequent travellers, 800,000 likely sportswear buyers, and 40 percent of the audience outside Kenya. That’s the difference between selling impressions and selling a defined, investable consumer segment.

NBA Africa illustrates what this looks like in practice. It isn’t selling basketball games, it’s built an ecosystem of media, partnerships, grassroots programmes and retail. In 2023/24, over 140 live telecasts drove a 41 percent year-on-year rise in viewership and nearly six million watch hours; local social accounts generated almost 90 million video views; NBA Store sales in South Africa rose almost 150 percent. Its 2021 strategic investment round, led by Tunde Folawiyo and Helios Fairfax Partners, shows investors backing the ecosystem around the audience, not just a sponsorship line.

Imagine a Kenyan Sports Audience Index combining media, demographic, behavioural, fan, engagement, commercial, geographic and economic data across football, athletics, rugby, basketball, golf and motorsport.

For Kenyan athletics specifically, this could identify running tourists, marathon participants, sportswear consumers and destination travellers, turning a marathon from a broadcast asset into a tourism and investment asset, this is exactly where sport and tourism converge, a thread that ran through more than one session in Kigali this week.

The same logic applies to football, knowing which banks, telecoms and products a weekly viewer actually uses turns a league’s pitch from perimeter boards into access to defined consumer communities. It applies to individual athletes too, a smaller, more affluent, highly engaged following can be worth more to a brand than a much larger, generic one.

Sponsorship isn’t disappearing; it’s becoming more investment-like, as CFOs increasingly ask marketing teams for evidence, not just awareness. Deloitte’s work on sports partnerships makes the same point, brands need data on outcomes, not generic reach.

Africa doesn’t have a shortage of sports audiences; it has a shortage of proof about who those audiences are.

That’s a valuation gap as much as a data gap, and it’s why African properties get undervalued even when the audience is genuinely there.

The next generation of sports commercialisation, for Kenya and the continent, has to be built on a simple principle – don’t just measure how many people watch, measure who they are, what they do, what they’re worth, and what economic value their attention can create.

The most valuable sports rights won’t be the ones with the largest audience, it will be the one that understands its audience best.

Every progressive nation requires a long-term national survival strategy to shield its future generations from global economic and geopolitical shocks. In fact, nations do not stumble into first-world status by accident.

They are engineered through a disciplined, uninterrupted application of statecraft – the deliberate alignment of a government’s political will, economic infrastructure, and institutional assets toward a singular existential objective.

For Kenya to cross this economic threshold, our leadership must abandon reactive policymaking and instead adopt statecraft as a long-term, predictive science.

To understand where Kenya must go, we must candidly audit where we have been. Statecraft in Kenya has historically been episodic, tethered to the unique philosophies and shortcomings of individual presidencies rather than an institutionalised national doctrine.

Jomo Kenyatta’s foundational statecraft established a sovereign state from the ashes of colonial rule, demonstrating exemplary diplomatic restraint that positioned an infant Kenya as an anchor of stability in a volatile region. However, this early blueprint faced structural vulnerabilities due to institutionalised insularity, land distribution imbalances, and centralised political authority, leaving the young republic exposed to early global market shocks and internal friction.

Daniel arap Moi shifted the apparatus toward survivalist statecraft, focusing heavily on regional mediation and defensive diplomacy. Yet, the domestic economic cost of this hyper-focus on political stability was severe.

The centralisation of power, systematic erosion of State corporations, and resistance to early economic liberalisation led to prolonged stagnation, decaying infrastructure, and a friction-filled relationship with international financial institutions.

Mwai Kibaki is credited as the man who introduced Kenya to its most exemplary era of economic statecraft. Kibaki recognised that true sovereignty is built on fiscal autonomy and domestic productivity.

Nonetheless, his economic statecraft operated largely in a vacuum, detached from the necessary political engineering required to manage domestic ethno-political competition, a blind spot that ultimately culminated in the devastating institutional and social scar of the 2007/2008 post-election crisis.

Uhuru Kenyatta sought to institutionalise statecraft through rapid, legacy-defining infrastructure development. His administration pushed through monumental capital projects like the standard gauge railway to the Nairobi Expressway, aiming to anchor Kenya as the logistical gateway to East and Central Africa.

The failure of this model, however, lay in its fiscal execution. The aggressive expansion was funded by an unprecedented accumulation of commercial debt, which outpaced immediate domestic productivity, resulting in severe fiscal strain, structural inflationary pressures, and public anxieties over the deepening culture of state capture.

President William Ruto’s administration has fundamentally redefined Kenyan statecraft by pivoting toward an inclusive, structurally anchored, and forward-looking economic doctrine. Moving past the transactional frameworks of the past, this modern approach utilises global financial diplomacy, digital connectivity platforms like the Hustler Fund to democratise economic opportunities, and systemic domestic restructuring to balance historical debt obligations while building permanent national wealth.

This model positions Kenya as a vocal advocate for reform of the global finance architecture while executing an aggressive domestic agenda designed to secure the nation’s social and economic future.

Under Rutonomics, Universal Health Coverage serves as a core social anchor. By structuring healthcare as a universal, State-guaranteed right rather than a privilege, the government made a deliberate decision to insulate Kenyan households from poverty-inducing medical shocks.

Alongside health, the Affordable Housing Programme functions as a deliberate engine for macroeconomic stimulation. Beyond providing dignified shelter, it has formalised the construction sector and created millions of manufacturing and jobs for the youth.

To sustain these developments, the National Infrastructure Fund (NIF) was created to act as a strategic vehicle to mobilise domestic and private capital.

Breaking the historical dependency on volatile foreign commercial debt, NIF will ensure that critical transit, logistics, and energy projects are financed through sustainable, non-inflationary partnerships, guaranteeing uninterrupted development across political transitions.

Finally, the Sovereign Wealth Fund is now the ultimate guardrail for future generations by institutionalizing national savings.

By anchoring a portion of state revenues, resource rents, and investment yields into a permanent fund, Kenya will build the fiscal cushion necessary to absorb global macroeconomic shocks and command sovereign respect in international capital markets in the same way as Singapore and western democracies act to cushion their populations in times of crisis which are brought about by acts of God or human failings.

When we look beyond our borders, first-world nations demonstrate that successful statecraft demands absolute harmony between institutional assets, economic goals, and future-focused planning. The United States and the United Kingdom practice a deeply institutionalized form of economic statecraft.

They systematically deploy their financial architectures, international trade frameworks, and foreign assistance programs not merely as altruistic charity, but as strategic tools to secure global supply chains, mandate market access for their domestic industries, and project permanent soft power.

Israel, operating under existential geopolitical vulnerabilities, pioneered a highly specialized security-to-innovation statecraft pipeline. The Israeli state deliberately channels its defense research and military intelligence capabilities directly into civilian technology, advanced agriculture, and global cybersecurity sectors.

By treating a national survival challenge as an incubator for commercial enterprise, Israel transformed itself into a multi-billion-dollar global economic powerhouse.

Closer to home, Rwanda offers an extraordinary continental masterclass in disciplined, vision-led statecraft. By utilizing rigorous institutional accountability and clear structural design, Rwanda has intentionally repositioned itself as a premium African hub for technology, international conferences, and specialized financial services.

Through absolute consistency in policy execution, the state has systematically built unwavering investor confidence, proving that clarity of purpose can override geographical and historical limitations.

For Kenya to break out of its historical cycles and ascend to the first world, we must refine our statecraft into a highly coordinated, multi-generational discipline that transcends electoral timelines.

First, we must aggressively pursue structural economic diversification. Much like Dubai deliberately pivoted away from a finite dependency on oil to build global logistics and tourism sectors, Kenya must look past traditional agrarian exports. We must consciously deploy state machinery to solidify our position as Africa’s green energy titan and principal digital economy.

This is precisely where the long-term vision of the Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA) becomes foundational to our national statecraft. True industrialization cannot occur on erratic power grids. As we advance plans to integrate reliable base-load power into our national grid, we are not just planning an energy project.

We are securing the foundational infrastructure required to power future industrial parks, support electric mass transit, and sustain advanced manufacturing. Nuclear energy represents the exact type of generational asset insulation demanded by Kenya – a safeguard for our economy against the vulnerabilities of climate-induced hydro-power shortages and global fossil fuel volatility.

Second, our statecraft must establish an unbreakable synergy between the public and private sectors.

The government must cease to view itself merely as a regulatory tax collector and instead act as a deliberate economic enabler. This involves using our international diplomatic networks to actively champion Kenyan businesses, secure expansive regional markets within the African Continental Free Trade Area, and deliberately attract high-value global manufacturing plants to our soil.

Finally, Kenya must foster a deeply entrenched culture of institutionalised generational investment.

Through the synchronised execution of universal healthcare, affordable housing, infrastructure funds, and sovereign wealth accumulation, we guarantee absolute policy predictability for investors.

By converting statecraft from a tool of short-term political management into a unified blueprint for generational prosperity, Kenya can confidently claim its rightful position as a permanent, first-world leader on the global stage.