Carmaker Foton returns to Kenya with four dealers

Chinese automaker Beiqi Foton Motor has made a comeback in the local market by appointing four new dealers after its first distributor Foton East Africa went bust last year. The new dealers, including Pewin Motors and Roton Africa, have been appointed on exclusive regional basis, replacing Foton East Africa which ceased operations after its vehicles were seized by the taxman and its assembly plant put on auction by a bank for default. Pewin Motors is Foton’s dealer in Nairobi, Roton Africa in Mombasa, Lochab Bros in Eldoret and Kylin Motor in Kisumu. The four dealers will report to the multinational’s local representative subsidiary Foton Motor Kenya Limited. The automaker Thursday unveiled two models — Sauvana (an SUV) and Auman GTL (prime mover)— at an event presided over by the firm’s top executives and local Chinese Embassy officials. The multinational makes a wide range of vehicles spanning SUVs, tippers, heavy and light duty trucks. “We are back to Kenya and our plan is to be fully operational in Nairobi by March this year and launch operations in Mombasa before the end of the year,” said Foton Motor Kenya president Apple Sun. “We have plans to expand our operations to other countries in East Africa. We have partnered with Simba Motors in Tanzania and we are now looking into Uganda and Rwanda markets.” The firm has signed an assembly agreement with Mombasa-based Associated Vehicle Assemblers (AVA) and it expects to have at least four units ready to hit the market every day. Source: Business Daily

Java to inject Sh1bn into expansion drive

Java Group will inject up to Sh1 billion in expansion drive this year cementing its place as the number one restaurant chain in the region. Chief executive Ken Kuguru said the firm would open new outlets in emerging towns and within major cities in the country to grow its branch count and create new revenue streams. The firm will also simultaneously explore new markets in the East African region but most of the new investments are expected to be in Kenya. Java Group is the biggest restaurant chain in the region with 64 branches, followed by fast-food brand Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Art Caffe restaurant and Subway. The KFC has 31 branches in the region, 17 of them in Kenya, nine in Uganda and five in Tanzania. Art Caffe has 12 branches in Kenya. America fast food chain Subway has 12 branches in the region — eight in Kenya, three in Tanzania and one in Uganda. Mr Kuguru told the Business Daily that 80 per cent of the firm’s expansion drive over the next five years will focus on opening more outlets within the Kenyan borders. The five-year strategy is estimated to cost the firm up to Sh5 billion. Java Group runs coffee outlets under Java House, owns 360 Degrees Pizza and Planet Yoghurt brand. The 64 branches under the label include 56 coffee outlets. The firm is looking to open at least two outlets of its brands every month. “Java House will invest between Sh500 million to Sh1 billion in new branches as well as advancements in a state-of-the-art central kitchen and commissary facilities,” said Mr Kuguru. Java Group is keen on Meru and Machakos counties, where it will open its first branches of the year. The expansion drive indicates a shift to the counties after the devolved governments were established in 2013. Source: Business Daily

NSE upgrade to enable Kenyans borrow and lend each other shares

  Kenyan investors will be able to lend and borrow shares from each other from June, with the NSE set to roll out a system upgrade to accommodate the product within the next five months. Treasury CS Henry Rotich gazetted the rules allowing the securities lending and short selling at the end of November, although the notice was only published last week. The regulations will allow investors to borrow shares from fellow traders and sell them on a bet that a future price drop will enable them to buy back the same stock cheaply and return them at a profit. “We are upgrading our systems to allow the securities lending and borrowing framework to work… that should be coming onstream possibly in the second quarter of this year. “The system can also be scaled up to bring on board more products,” said NSE chief executive officer Geoffrey Odundo. The stock exchange is betting on the securities lending framework to improve liquidity in the market, unlocking for regular trading the millions of shares held by long-term investors. This form of trading does, however, carry a risk if not strongly regulated, opening the danger of stock manipulation by investors keen to benefit from a price fall and aggressive speculation. Aggressive speculation by short sellers was partly blamed for exacerbating the 2008 financial crisis which nearly brought down global markets. The Capital Markets Authority, however, said the regulations put in place will check this risk through the demand of collateral to cover the lender’s exposure. “The short selling that had that impact (in 2008) was naked short selling (without collateral protection) and which is not allowed within the Kenyan legal framework. “What we have is covered short selling so that we will insulate the market from undue exposure,” said CMA chief executive officer Paul Muthaura. The regulations require that the borrower deposit with the lender a collateral equivalent to 100 per cent the value of the securities being borrowed, and in some cases the lender is allowed to ask for a higher value. The collateral will also be adjusted regularly to match any increase in the value of the borrowed security. Source: Business Daily

Norwegian accelerator firm Pangea in Kenya

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Norwegian accelerator firm Pangea, a platform connecting African startups with international investment and expertise has partnered with Strathmore University’s iLabAfrica to launch in Kenya. This partnership is expected to link up Kenyan start-ups from across the industry with investors especially the African diaspora which currently remits approximately $160 billion (Sh16 trillion) annually. As a starting point, Pangea has opened a platform for receiving start-up applications with the successful ones undergoing a three month milestone-based acceleration program. They will also benefit from coaching by international investors and experts. Moreover, the 10 final startup will receive funding of up to $50,000 (Sh5 million) each. According to Pangea’s chief operation officer Jonas Tesfu, the startup ecosystem in Africa, if given the right tools and means to invest is as vibrant as any other industry across the globe. “Africans and non-Africans alike are looking to be part of the continent’s rapid development and are seeking ways to make this happen. Together with Innovation Norway and other partners we are keen to make this connection successful,” said Jonas. Pangea’s plan comprises the launch of a crowd investment platform in June 2018, allowing accelerated startups further access to funding. This is good news to Kenyans startups often faced with a lack of access to capital and the expertise to scale globally. Application for the accelerator programme will close on February 19,2018 Source: www.the-star.co.ke[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Launch of Kenya International Investment Conference (KIICO 2014)

[vc_row][vc_column][investment_title align=”left” tag=”h3″ title=”{KIICO} 2014″] The Ministry of East African Affairs, Commerce & Tourism and Kenya Investment Authority in collaboration with the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry organised and held the Kenya International Investment Conference in  November 2014. The theme of the conference was ‘Invest in Kenya, the hub of East and Central Africa’ at the Kenyatta International Convention Center (KICC). The Event was officiated by H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta, EGH, President of the Republic of Kenya Here are some photo records of the Conference Launch Event that was officiated by the CS Ministry of East African Affairs, Commerce & Tourism Mrs. Phyllis Kandie [/investment_title][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_media_grid item=”1505″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1511761451528-28783cb1-7b25-1″ include=”1394,1395,1396,1397,1398,1399″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Premium American ice cream brand sets up shop in Kenya

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Premium US ice cream maker Häagen-Dazs has opened shop in Nairobi with its eye on the growing middle class, in a deal between the New York-listed General Mills and a Kenyan company. The Kenyan distributor, Kalon Kapital Limited, has been picked to sell Häagen-Dazs ice creams targeting supermarkets, top hotels, cinemas and petrol stations. Global food brands are increasingly entering the Kenyan market to take advantage of the growing middle class. “With the growing economy, we have more people in Kenya who have travelled and tasted fine products and they now want to see the same products in our market,” says Arjun Patel, managing partner at Kalon Kapital — suppliers of premium frozen food, especially partially baked products in France. “The ice cream market here is vibrant and growing fast — we want to be part of that growth. Read More[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Safaricom sets up online sales portal as net profit hits Sh26.2bn

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Telecommunications firm Safaricom  has established an online sales platform in a move expected to roil Kenya’s fast-growing e-commerce market. The platform, known as Masoko, Kiswahili for markets, is modelled after retail e-commerce giants Alibaba (Chinese) and Amazon (US).  It is currently undergoing internal testing ahead of rollout later this month, according to people familiar with the matter. It will ride on Safaricom’s successful mobile money platform, M-Pesa and will target the fast mushrooming formal retail and informal online trading in Kenya. Kenya’s e-commerce sector is currently dominated by brands such as Jumia, Kilimall, OLX, Pigiame, among others. Safaricom is expected to face stiff competition from market leader Jumia which boasts of 5,000 vendors and about 500,000 products listed on its e-commerce site four years after its launch. Masoko will start with 200 vendors and about 30,000 consumer goods ranging from electronics to food and will provide a platform for merchants to trade goods on social media sites. “Kenya has a huge untapped potential for e-commerce,”  Safaricom chief financial officer Sateesh Kamath said at the company’s investor briefing in Nairobi Friday.nd cars bearing old S.Sudan plates “To start with Kenya has a large number of customers with access to high speed internet through Safaricom’s vast and efficient network”. Mr Kamath, who is sitting in for Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore who has taken sick leave, did not give the timelines for its roll out. “We believe this market has the potential to grow multiple times in the next few years,” he added. The telecoms operator defied economic slowdown to announce a 9.5 per cent increase in after-tax profit to Sh26.2 billion for the six months ended September 30. Mr Kamath said the performance was boosted by a strong performance by M-Pesa and data while traditional services such as voice remained resilient. M-Pesa revenues grew by 16.2 per cent to Sh30.05 billion in the period while data income rose from Sh13.4 billion to Sh17.55 billion. Voice revenue, which is still Safaricom’s biggest income stream, grew from Sh45.7 billion to Sh47.35 billion while messaging revenue rose 3.4 per cent to Sh8.92 billion. Total revenues jumped 12.1 per cent to Sh114.43 billion in the half year period. “M-Pesa and Mobile data are becoming the engines of growth,” said Mr Kamath at the investor briefing. Yesterday, chairman Nicholas Ng’ang’a urged an end to speculation over Mr Collymore’s health, whom he said went for specialised medical attention abroad on the advice of his doctors. Mr Ng’ang’a said Collymore’s absence for “a few months” leaves no vacuum at the company. “Bob’s style of management is very strong. He’s empowered managers adequately hence as far as the company itself is concerned it’s in strong hands,” said Mr Ng’ang’a. The nature of Mr Collymore’s sickness has not been disclosed a week after the company announced he would take leave. [/vc_column_text][investment_quote]We seek to invest in well positioned companies with strategic improvement potential and partner with management teams to create value by driving revenue and earnings growth capital for both sides.[/investment_quote][vc_column_text] Every Company Needs To Be a Techy Many businesses, large and small, have a huge source of great ideas that can help them improve, innovate, and grow, and yet so many of these companies never think of using this amazing corporate [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][investment_list_item style=”h_small” title=”The construction list title” desc=”Rather than be constrained by ideas for new products, services and new markets coming from “][investment_list_item style=”h_small” title=”The construction list title” desc=”Rather than be constrained by ideas for new products, services and new markets coming from “][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][investment_list_item style=”h_small” title=”The construction list title” desc=”Rather than be constrained by ideas for new products, services and new markets coming from “][investment_list_item style=”h_small” title=”The construction list title” desc=”Rather than be constrained by ideas for new products, services and new markets coming from “][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Many businesses, large and small, have a huge source of great ideas that can help them improve, innovate, and grow, and yet so many of these companies never think of using this amazing asset. What is this highly valuable asset? Its own people.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Many businesses, large and small, have a huge source of great ideas that can help them improve, innovate, and grow, and yet so many of these companies never think of using this amazing asset. What is this highly valuable asset? Its own people.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2”][vc_column_text] We seek to invest in well positioned companies with strategic improvement potential and partner with management teams to create value by driving revenue and earnings growth. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1477683538183{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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