The Poacher’s Assets: State Wins Mercedes, Loses Mathare Real Estate in Split Court Verdict
Justice B.M. Musyoki allowed the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) to seize motor vehicle KBE 416Y, ruling it was an “instrumentality of crime,” but declined to forfeit two commercial plots
The ‘Institutional Era’ for East African Real Estate: EAPI Summit Sets the Stage for Scale
As the region’s key cities expand at break-neck pace, the 13th Annual East Africa Property Investment (EAPI) Summit arrives at a critical juncture to connect international capital with the sector’s most influential project leaders.
LAPTRUST Imara I-REIT Posts Third Straight Loss as Rental Income Drops 39%
LAPTRUST Imara I-REIT recorded a net loss of KSh 280.32Mn for the year ended 31 December 2025, worsening from KSh 204.30Mn in FY2024. Rental income collapsed 39.4% to KSh 290.58Mn while a KSh 540.10Mn fair value markdown on investment property, the third consecutive annual loss of this kind, pushed cumulative property value erosion to KSh 1.29Bn since listing. Total equity fell to KSh 5.95Bn, implying a NAV per unit of KSh 17.20 against the KSh 20 listed price. A final distribution of KSh 0.60 per unit was approved, payable by 30 April 2026.
Why Sameer Africa's KSh 9.19Bn in Properties Sit in Its Books at KSh 933Mn
Sameer Africa Plc is set to complete the sale of 3.75 acres of Mombasa Road land valued at US$7.13 Mn (KSh 919.70 Mn), carried on its books at KSh 15,000, with closure projected in Q2 2026. The proceeds would clear the company's retained earnings deficit of KSh 206.72 Mn and unlock dividends for the first time since FY2014. The deal spotlights a wider valuation gap: Knight Frank values Sameer Africa's investment property portfolio at KSh 9.19 Bn against a book value of KSh 932.79 Mn, implying unrecognized gains of KSh 8.26 Bn. The company holds an estimated 85-acre land bank in Nairobi's Embakasi area. The 3.75 acres being sold is less than 5% of that total.Sameer Africa Sells Last Tyre, Posts Best Operating Profit in 12 Years
Sameer Africa Plc posted operating profit of KSh 292.64 Mn for the year ended 31 December 2025, the highest since 2013, as revenue rose 11.1% to KSh 432.74 Mn entirely from investment property rentals. The company recorded zero tyre revenue for the first time in its 56-year history. Total equity crossed KSh 1.00 Bn for the first time in the post-manufacturing era, rising 37.3%. Net profit advanced 5.5% to KSh 274.28 Mn with EPS of KSh 0.99. A pending land sale valued at KSh 919.70 Mn is projected to close in Q2 2026, with proceeds worth more than three times annual net profit.Kenya Seeks REIT Reforms to Attract Investor Capital
Kenya’s push to build a vibrant real estate investment trust (REIT) market has been blunted by a tax regime that industry players describe as structurally punitive.Qwetu, Qejani operator posts KSh 1.52B Profit as Refinancing Offsets Rental Revenue Slide
Qwetu and Qejani operator Acorn Investment Management posted a combined net profit of 1.52 Bn across its two REITs in 2025, up 9.4%, as a 590 basis point cut in borrowing costs at the income REIT drove a 38% increase in distributions to 0.84 per unit despite a 3.0% decline in rental income. The Development REIT's profit held at 854.22 Mn as rental income more than doubled to 420.14 Mn, though finance costs surged 158.3% to 900.61 Mn to fund an active construction pipeline now extending to Eldoret and Kakamega for the first time.HF Group Completes Turnaround With Record Profit and Tier II Status
HF Group PLC posted a record profit after tax of KShs 1.42 billion for the full year ended 31 December 2025, the highest in the institution's history, as net interest income expanded 63.8% to KShs 4.36 billion. The result was driven by a 66% build-up in government securities to KShs 28.27 billion and a 22% reduction in the weighted deposit rate. Total assets reached KShs 82.40 billion. The banking subsidiary HFC was reclassified as a Tier II bank by the CBK in August 2025.Missing Rent, Lost Land, Windows 2012: What the Auditor-General Found at Kenya Railways
The Auditor-General issued a qualified opinion on Kenya Railways Corporation's FY2025 accounts for the second consecutive year, citing six grounds: 119 land parcels without title deeds within a KSh 18.75 Bn land balance, KSh 16.91 Bn in completed projects misclassified as work-in-progress, a KSh 520 Mn unreconciled rental income variance, KSh 1.28 Bn in receivables dating to 2011, flawed student debtor accounts at RTI and 1,981 freight invoices with no matching ERP entries. Eight prior-year issues remain unresolvedStandard Chartered Kenya to Auction Nakumatt-Linked Properties
Standard Chartered Bank Kenya has issued a statutory notice to Nakumatt Investments over unpaid loan facilities totaling millions of dollars and nearly KShs 1 billion. The bank warned that properties in Nairobi, Nakuru, and Mombasa pledged as collateral could be auctioned if the borrower fails to clear the debt within 90 days.ALP Industrial REIT Raises US$29.55Mn in Kenya’s First Logistics Property Listing
ALP Industrial REIT raised US$29.55 Mn (KSh 3.82 Bn) after investors subscribed 98.5% of a US$30 Mn restricted offer, positioning Kenya’s first logistics-focused REIT for listing on the Nairobi Securities Exchange on March 11, 2026. The offer attracted institutional backing, including a US$5 Mn commitment from InfraCo Africa for a pipeline asset, lifting total participation linked to the transaction to 115.17% of the offer size.MRE Real Estate's KSh 400mn Manyanja Mall Bets on Nairobi’s Neighbourhood Retail Surge
MRE Real Estate has broken ground on a Ksh 400 million mixed-use commercial mall in Eastlands, Nairobi, betting on the continued shift toward neighbourhood retail centres
