Author: Martin Mwita

The Kenya Power Board of Directors has appointed Bernard Ngugi as the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

This brings to an end to the short-term leadership of outgoing acting managing director Jared Othieno who has been at the helm of the company since July last year, when he temporarily took over to replace former graft embattled MD Ken Tarus.

READ ALSO:Kenya Power appoints interim management team after arrest of top bosses

Prior to his appointment, Mr Ngugi was the company’s general manager in charge of Supply chain.

The appointment now places a substantial boss in the top office at the Nairobi Securities Exchange listed firm , which has been struggling with dwindling profits in recent times.

Mr Ngugi has over 30 years’ experience in the company with expertise in financial and revenue accounting, internal audit and supply chain management. He holds a Master of Business …

Kenya is on the right path in the fight against corruption, The International Monetary Fund has said.

IMF Director for African Department Abebe Selassie has commended President Uhuru Kenyatta for spearheading the war against corruption, saying the country was well.

According to Abebe, the IMF is satisfied with the stable economic growth that averages between 5.5 per cent and 6.0 per cent as a result of the ongoing fiscal reforms that the Kenyan Government is implementing to ensure macroeconomic stability.

READ ALSO:Kenya whets investor appetite with Special Economic Zone

“Because of this, Kenya is a leading light in terms of economic reforms and growth in the region,” Selassie said.

The Director for the African Department of the IMF spoke on Monday when he paid the President a courtesy call at State House, Nairobi.

During the meeting, the President and Mr Selassie discussed the relationship between Kenya and the Bretton …

The Kenyan government is considering a Ksh1.6 billion ($15.4million) financing option for smallholder tea farmers across the country to help them diversify their products.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri has said that the proposal, which is now before the Head of Public Service, Joseph Kinyua, and the Cabinet for consideration, involves a financing model for smallholder tea factories to set up black orthodox tea production units.

READ ALSO:Kenyan tea farmers capture World Bank’s climate change deal

Black orthodox Tea is loose tea which is produced using the traditional method of tea production:plucking, withering, rolling, oxidation and drying.

It has an aroma that is easily identifiable and fetches more prices at the tea auction than the normal tea – thus the need for enhanced production of this type of tea to help cushion farmers from the volatile prices associated with traditional teas.

“In a bid to help our tea farmers …

UK headquartered manufacturer–Unilever Overseas Holdings B.V has gotten a major boost in its quest to expand its portfolio in Kenya and the East Africa region.

This follows the approval by the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) to acquire a majority stake (90%) in Chemi & Cotex Kenya Limited, a subsidiary of Tanzania’s Chemi and Cotex Industries Limited.

The firm is involved in the distribution of cosmetics, beauty, hair, oral care products and food products, one of East Africa’s leading fast moving consumer goods companies

Unilever Overseas Holdings B.V (Unilever B.V) on the other hand, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Unilever Plc which is listed on the London Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange.

With the approval, Unilever will now move to assume direct control of the investment company and indirect control over Chemi & Cotex Kenya Limited.

The parties’ combined and relevant turnover for the preceding year …

The Competition Authority of Kenya has approved the acquisition of a controlling stake in Almasi Beverages Limited by Coca-Cola Sabco (East Africa) Limited, in one of the latest mergers in the country.

The proposed transaction involves acquisition of a 53.95 per cent stake (issued share capital) of Almasi from Centum Investment Company (Plc) by Coca-Cola Beverages Africa Proprietary Limited (CCBA).

Coca-Cola Sabco (East Africa) Limited (CCSEA), the acquiring undertaking is a wholly owned subsidiary of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa Proprietary Limited, a private company established in South Africa and a subsidiary of giant global beverages firm-Coca Cola.

READ ALSO:Coca-Cola to retain majority stake in Africa subsidiary

The acquisition follows the exit of Centum, which on October 3, announced it had completed the sale of its 53.9 per cent shareholding in Almasi Beverages Limited and 27.6 per cent shareholding in Nairobi Bottlers Limited to Coca-Cola Sabco East Africa Limited.

Almasi has …

Kenya’s Capital Markets Authority (CMA) has for the fifth year been feted as the ‘Most Innovative Capital Markets Regulator in Africa 2019’ by the International Finance Magazine.

This is in recognition of its ongoing efforts to facilitate innovations in the capital market in Kenya, East Africa’s economic powerhouse.

READ ALSO:Another feather on Kenya’s Capital Markets Authority as London applauds

“The Authority is pleased to receive this recognition for the fifth consecutive year from this respected publication, which is a testament to the authority’s commitment to supporting innovation as a catalyst for transformative growth of the capital markets,’ said CMA Chief Executive Paul Muthaura.

At the core of its strategic objectives, CMA aims to leverage technology to drive efficiency in the capital Markets value chain.

“We target to effectively balance robust regulatory and compliance requirements with the objectives of market deepening and growth.   This involves consistent evaluation of regulatory approaches …

Kenya’s leading power generator-Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) has clinched a US$56.2 million contract to drill 12 geothermal wells in Ethiopia.

The contract with Ethiopia’s independent power producer Tulu Moye Geothermal Operations (TMGO) PLC will also include installing a water supply system and equipment.

KenGen will supply drilling materials and also provide operation and maintenance services for both the drilling equipment and the water supply system.

Speaking on Thursday about the multi-million shillings project, KenGen Managing and CEO Rebecca Miano said it was the second and the company’s largest consultancy outside Kenya.

In February this year, KenGen won a contract to drill geothermal wells for the Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) in Aluto, Ethiopia.

READ:KenGen and Chinese companies on Ethiopian geothermal project

The contract in Aluto is for the implementation of drilling rigs and accessories as well as rig operation and maintenance for drilling geothermal wells.

It is financed by …

Rwanda has maintained its position as the leading country in East Africa on the ease of doing business, the latest World Bank ‘Doing Business 2020’ shows.

This is despite dropping nine places to 38 globally from 29 last year.

READ  ALSO:How Rwanda has strategically positioned itself as an investment hub

Kenya comes in second in the region and 56^th globally, having improved five places from position 61 last year.

READ:Kenya ranks 61 from 80 in World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business

Uganda and Tanzania come a distant 116 and 141 globally respectively while DR Congo and South Sudan are near the bottom ranking 183 and 185 respectively, out of the total 190 in the index. This places them third fourth fifth and sixth respectively in the region.

Indicators that make Rwanda top include starting a business which has been made easy by exempting newly formed small and …

Kenya’s telecommunication company-Safaricom has a new Chief Executive Officer, ending close to four months of search for a substantial boss.

The Safaricom (Plc) Board of Directors on Thursday announced the appointment of Mr. Peter Ndegwa as the company’s new chief executive effective April 1, 2020.

READ ALSO:What Safaricom has done as it marks 19th anniversary

He joins Safaricom from Diageo (Plc) where he is the managing director of Diageo Continental Europe.

The position fell vacant after the demise of the late former chief executive Bob Collymore, who was serving a one year extension after his full term had come to fruition.

“Peter brings a wealth of experience in general management, commercial and business strategy, sales and finance operations, having spent over 25 years in various roles within the Financial Services and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sectors in Africa and Europe,” the telco said yesterday.

READ ALSO:Majority of Kenya’s

Women Enterprise Fund (WEF) in collaborating with Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) and other organizations have partnered to provide support for women running small and medium-sized business to standardize and improve the quality of their products.

The partnerships has seen 13,500 beneficiaries trained by WEF receive technical guidance to improve their products ensuring they meet industry standards.

READ ALSO:KEBS to issue new Import Standardization Marks to curb illicit trade

Once the products are standardized, the women are eligible to apply for certification, which the Fund pays a subsidized rate of Ksh5,800.

As a result, their products will qualify for the Kebs Diamond mark of quality which allows them to access local and international markets.

READ ALSO:Zambia to connect women SMEs to international markets by 2020

“A key mandate for WEF is to provide business support services including linkages for the women entrepreneurs to improve on the quality of …