Kenya Opens Sugar Market to COMESA After 24 Year Safeguards
After two decades of tariff protection, Kenya has opened its sugar market to regional competition, betting structural reforms and private mill leasing offset higher local production costs.
Malawi Stock Exchange Leads African Markets With 248% Gain in 2025
The Malawi Stock Exchange delivered Africa’s strongest equity performance in 2025, rising 247.63%, far ahead of all regional peers. The rally was driven by sharp repricing in a small group of heavyweight stocks, led by National Investment Trust, FMB Capital Holdings, NBS Bank, NICO Holdings, FDH Bank, and Press Corporation, many of which posted triple-digit gains. Thin liquidity, low free float, and rising investor demand amplified price moves, while high inflation and kwacha weakness pushed equities as a store of value. The surge reflected concentration and valuation reset rather than broad economic expansion.Bond Trading Hits Record at NSE as Banks Drive KSh 2.7 Trillion Turnover
Kenya’s bond market recorded a sharp rise in activity in 2025, with turnover at the Nairobi Securities Exchange jumping nearly 74% year on year to KSh 2.69 trillion. The increase was driven almost entirely by Treasury bond trading as banks and insurers stepped up balance-sheet repositioning following policy rate adjustments. Financial institutions hold about 80% of domestic government debt, making them the main source of liquidity, while corporate bond trading remained negligible.Why Green Investments Like Safaricom's New Bond Are Largely Tax-Free
Kenya is increasingly using tax incentives to accelerate green investments, with interest earned on qualifying green bonds often exempt from withholding tax. Safaricom’s latest green corporate bond demonstrates how issuers can leverage these incentives to offer higher net returns to investors while funding renewable-energy and sustainability projects.
WPP Scangroup Issues Fourth Profit Warning in Five Years
WPP Scangroup has issued a profit warning saying group earnings for the year ending December 2025 will fall by at least 25% from 2024. Management cited weaker client spending, loss of a material account, lower interest income and restructuring costs above KSh 160 million. This marks a third consecutive profit warning and the fourth in five years. Recent results show unstable profitability, with profit after tax swinging back to a loss in 2024 after a brief recovery, underscoring persistent pressure on the group’s earnings base.Retail Investors Take Center Stage as Safaricom’s Green Bond Lists on the NSE
Art as an Asset Class
Today, the global art market has matured into a multibillion-dollar industry attracting high-net-worth individuals, fund managers, and institutions.Why a USD Agri-Industrial REIT Could Be Kenya’s Most Strategic New Asset Class
As investors search for USD income, real-asset protection, and measurable ESG impact, a new USD-denominated agri-industrial REIT anchored on food systems, storage, processing and logistics is emerging as a timely solution.
Diageo Sells EABL Majority Stake to Japan’s Asahi in KSh 297Bn Deal
Diageo agreed to sell its 65% stake in East African Breweries $EABL and its shareholding in Kenyan spirits firm UDVK to Japan’s Asahi. The deal implies an enterprise value of US$ 4.8Bn (KSh 620.8Bn) for EABL, based on 17x adjusted EBITDA. Diageo expects US$ 2.3Bn (KSh 297.5Bn) net proceeds and will retain brands via long-term licensing agreements.Kenya Airways CEO Allan Kilavuka Exits a Month After Profit Warning
Kenya Airways said Group Managing Director and CEO Allan Kilavuka has exited and proceeded on terminal leave, about a month after the airline issued a profit warning. The board appointed Chief Operating Officer Captain George Kamal as acting CEO from 16 December 2025 and said a competitive search for a substantive chief will begin. The airline said its turnaround plan remains in place, including efforts to secure a strategic investor and stabilise earnings after a volatile recovery.UK Watchdog Probes Ernst & Young Over Shell Audit Rules Violation
The UK’s accounting watchdog has opened an investigation into Ernst & Young’s audit of Shell plc after the firm acknowledged breaches of audit partner rotation rulesALP Industrial REIT Launches USD 30m Capital Raise Backed by Tilisi and Tatu City Assets
ALP Industrial Real Estate Investment Trust has opened a restricted offer to raise up to US$ 30 million (KSh 3.88 billion) from investors, marking one of the largest industrial property listings
