Understanding Joint Venture Agreements (JVs) in Real Estate
Jun 8, 2025
Kenya’s vibrant economy, strategic position as East Africa’s economic hub, and investor-friendly policies make it an attractive destination for businesses seeking growth through collaboration. Joint ventures (JVs) have emerged as a powerful strategy for local and international companies to pool resources, share risks, and tap into new markets. Whether in real estate, infrastructure, technology, or manufacturing, JVs enable businesses to leverage complementary strengths while navigating Kenya’s dynamic business landscape. This article provides an in-depth exploration of joint ventures in Kenya, covering their types, legal frameworks, benefits, risks, recent developments, and best practices for success. A joint venture is a strategic business arrangement where two or more parties—individuals, companies, or government entities—collaborate to achieve a specific goal while maintaining their independent identities. Unlike mergers or acquisitions, JVs...The Progress of Retirement Benefits Schemes in Kenya
May 25, 2025
According to the ACTSERV Q1’2025 Pension Schemes Investments Performance Survey, segregated retirement benefits scheme quarterly returns increased to a 7.1% return in Q1’2025, up from the 6.0% gain recorded in Q1’2024. The y/y growth in overall returns was largely driven by the 4.9% points increase in returns from Fixed Income to 7.8% from a gain of 2.9% in Q1’2024 attributable to increased investments in government securities to lock in the higher yields in anticipation of further yield declines driven by the CBK’s expected continued monetary policy easing. The performance was however weighed down by the 21.0% points decline in the Equities returns to 4.6%, from 25.6% in Q1’2025. Notably, on a q/q basis the segregated retirement benefits schemes recorded a decline in returns from a gain of 13.2% in Q4’2024. This week, we shall focus on understanding Retirement Benefits Schemes and...Nairobi Metropolitan Area Residential Report 2025
May 18, 2025
In 2024, we published the Nairobi Metropolitan Area Residential Report 2024 themed ‘Untapped Investment Niches’. This week, we update our previous research with the Nairobi Metropolitan Area (NMA) Residential Report 2025 titled ‘Navigating Opportunities in a Resilient Market’ by highlighting the residential sector's performance in the region in terms of price appreciation, rental yields, and market uptake, based on the coverage of 35 regions within the Nairobi Metropolis. We shall also discuss factors influencing residential supply and demand, current developments affecting the industry, and conclude with a look at investment options as well as the sector's general outlook for the coming fiscal year. As such, we shall discuss the following; Overview of the Residential Sector,May 11, 2025
Private placements or non-public offerings are a method of raising capital by selling securities directly to a chosen or pre-determined number of investors rather than through a public offering. Private placements have emerged as a vital component of capital raising in Kenya’s financial markets, especially in an environment where traditional public offerings face stringent regulatory requirements, prolonged approval timelines, and market volatility. We chose to cover this topic to demystify a financial mechanism that remains under-discussed yet widely used by both private and public sector players. With the Kenyan economy in a state of recovery and transition, businesses and the government need flexible, accessible, and efficient ways of raising capital. Private placements are now gaining more traction among the government, medium-sized corporates and large institutions that require capital without the regulatory complexities and public scrutiny associated with public offering...Unlocking Kenya’s Capital Markets
Apr 27, 2025
The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) last recorded an Initial Public Offers (IPOs) in 2015, when Stanlib Investments issued an IPO of the first Real Estate Investment Trust (Fahari-IREIT) at the bourse, managing to raise Kshs 3.6 bn against the target of Kshs 12.5 bn, 28.8% success rate. This translates to an eight-year IPO drought, with the most recent activity at the bourse being the listing by introduction, meaning no money was raised) out of the Local Authority Pension Trust (LAPTRUST) Imara Income Real Estate Investment Trust (I-REIT) under the Restricted Sub-Segment in December 2022. LAPTRUST holds 100.0% of the Imara I-REIT shares with no initial offer to the public. Currently, the bourse has 66 listed securities with a total market capitalization of Kshs 2.0 tn as at 25th April 2025. The bourse continues to be Safaricom-dominated, with Safaricom’s market capitalization of Kshs 689.7 bn equivalent to 34.9% of the entire market capitalization. Additionally, S...