CFAO Mobility Kenya has appointed an official liquidator for DT Dobie, kickstarting the process of formally winding up the iconic car dealer brand more than two years after it transferred its business assets to its parent company.
- •The notice signals the end of DT Dobie’s corporate existence after seven decades in the Kenyan car market — but its brands and services will continue under the CFAO Motors Kenya banner.
- •CFAO Group’s 2023 internal restructuring merged DT Dobie’s operations with CFAO Motors Kenya, formerly Toyota Kenya, consolidating two of Kenya’s oldest and most respected automotive brands under one roof.
- •Toyota Tsusho Corporation, which fully acquired CFAO in 2016, said the rebrand and merger aimed to streamline its African mobility business.
“Creditors… are required on or before September 15 to send all particulars of claims by filing their proof of debts… to come in and prove their debts or claims,” the official liquidator Mark Gakuru said in a public notice.
CFAO Motors Kenya, led by Managing Director Arvinder Reel, now runs two divisions, Toyota & Yamaha Division, headed by Joshua Anya and Multi-Brand & Equipment Division, led by Chris Ndala.
“The restructuring combined the heritage and expertise of two prominent and respected automotive players in Kenya. With the successful asset acquisition, CFAO Mobility Kenya broadened its portfolio to include a wider range of globally recognized automotive brands previously sold and serviced by DT Dobie,” CFAO said in a statement.
Founded by David T Dobie, a former British army officer, in 1949, DT Dobie was the official dealer of Mercedes Benz in East Africa for decades. In addition to Mercedes-Benz, DT Dobie was also the official dealer for Nissan, Suzuki, Maruti, and Jeep.
CFAO Motors Kenya was founded as Toyota Business Kenya by Toyota Tsusho Corporation (TTC) in 1964. French multinational CFAO acquired DT Dobie in 2000, while TTC fully acquired Toyota Kenya in 2001 and CFAO in May 2012. It then integrated all its Africa operations under CFAO in 2017, a year after it delisted the French multinational.
*Editor’s note: This article has been updated with a quote from CFAO Mobility Kenya.
