Church, Dealer, and Bank Locked in a Land Row

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It's Brian from The Kenyan Wall Street…

The weekend is finally here! In today's newsletter, we look at a court case involving a church, a lender, and a car dealer in court.

Also, we analyze Rubi's financial performance and an interview with one of Kenya’s most promising real estate developers.

Top Stories

Church, Dealer, and Bank Locked in a Land Row 

By Fred Obura

Years after a multimillion-shilling land deal was sealed, the story refuses to end quietly in the courts. The Catholic Archdiocese of Kisumu Church insists it never received its full due, while a car dealer maintains its obligations were settled long ago.

EcoBank, pulled in as an interested party, now finds itself caught in the uncomfortable middle of private promises and public scrutiny. Judges, unconvinced by the blurred paperwork and missing records, have demanded clarity that seems forever out of reach.

Every hearing reveals more tension than resolution, with accusations circling between missteps, oversights, and mischaracterized roles. The risks are different but heavy for each side: credibility for the bank, survival for the buyer, and moral authority for the church. Beyond this single dispute, the saga underscores how fragile, and how easily muddied, Kenya’s land transactions can be.

Read more here >>>>>

Rubis Kenya : Cashing in on Retail 

By Harry Njuguna 

Rubis’ Kenyan arm delivered mixed first-half results, with revenue sliding but the country still anchoring the group’s Africa performance. The decline in aviation fuel volumes was offset by rising retail margins, helped by Kenya’s new pricing formula that lifted profitability despite competitive pressures.

A significant move came with the redemption of KSh 5.3 billion worth of government securities, freeing up liquidity once locked under the fuel subsidy scheme. Lower debt costs and steadier currencies, particularly in Kenya, also eased Rubis’ financing burden, contributing to a stronger bottom line. Even as sales softened, Kenya remained Rubis’ largest African market and a core driver of future investment and profit growth.

Read more here >>>>>

Construction Blueprints on a Decline…

By Brian Nzomo

Nairobi’s skyline may look unchanged, but beneath it the city’s construction pipeline has thinned, approvals falling to levels that make even seasoned developers uneasy. The rhythm of the year has been jagged…bursts of activity followed by abrupt collapses, leaving planners to wonder whether the market’s pulse is driven by confidence or just timing tricks.

Costs, particularly in the stubbornly vital inputs of cement, steel, and concrete, keep pressing upwards, nudging project budgets from ambition into hesitation. Even where prices appear tame, the margin for error in financing shrinks, and the industry is forced to reckon with arithmetic that no longer flatters growth.

Read more here >>>>>

INTERVIEW: The Team Powering Superior Homes’ Real Estate Vision

In this week’s conversation, Fred Obura of The Kenyan Wall Street sits down with Shiv Arora, CEO of Superior Homes, to trace the arc of a company that insists on building communities rather than just houses. Arora, speaking with the ease of someone who sees both blueprint and horizon, places sustainability and innovation not in opposition but in tandem, as the twin rails of the firm’s strategy. From Greenpark Estate to Vipingo, his vision stretches across Kenya’s landscape, carrying with it a cultural ethos as much as a commercial one.

Read the interview here »»»»»

More On the News Desk…

📉 Falling Incomes, Limited Jobs Leave Most Families Surviving on KSh 20,000 or Less 

A new survey has laid bare the economic strain facing millions of households, showing how falling incomes, limited job opportunities and rising costs, made worse by the Finance Bill, are reshaping everyday life. Read more here »»»»»

(By Fred Obura)

🇬🇭 Ghana Suspends Flutterwave, Cellulant, Others for One Month

The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has suspended the remittance partnerships of 8 major financial technology and money transfer firms, including fintech giants Flutterwave, Cellulant, and the foreign exchange license of UBA Ghana, citing violations of regulatory guidelines. Read more here »»»»»

(By Chelsy Maina)

NSE Gainers & Losers 

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✅ Virtual capital to trade

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💰 Cash prizes for the top performers 

Click here to join this amazing opportunity 🎉

For up-to-date market insights and data from the NSE, join our Whatsapp channel here »»»»»

Opinion 

The Math Ain’t Mathing: Why Kenyans Need to Rethink Their Retirement Game

By Alfred Gachaga

Retirement in Kenya is too often imagined as something that will sort itself out, a vague promise sustained by SACCO contributions, faith in NSSF, or the old-fashioned belief that children will shoulder the burden. However, what feels like savings today withers under inflation tomorrow, leaving most people far short of the millions required to live with dignity for two decades or more. The uncomfortable truth is that time, not hustle, is the decisive variable: start early and compounding does the heavy lifting, start late and the math turns punitive. In the end, it isn’t a chapter you stumble into, but a structure you build deliberately, brick by brick, or else you would risk finding yourself at the party long after the music has stopped.

Read the full piece here »»»»»

Also Read 

On Your Watchlist

In this insightful interview, Eric Asuma, founder of the Kenyan Wall street speaks with Wayne Hennessy-Barrett, the CEO of 4G Capital, who shares the company's incredible journey from a single branch in 2013 to a leading fintech that has dispersed over US$620 million in loans

Stories you missed 

♦️ Economy. Kenya will raise nearly two-thirds of its net borrowing this year from the domestic market, including proceeds from privatisation.

♦️ Tech. Airtel Kenya plans to step into the home fiber market to satisfy the surge in demand for high-speed internet.

♦️ Investment. The government has signed a financing agreement with UBA as part of a landmark KSh 175 billion programme to clear unpaid road construction bills

♦️ Aviation. Aviation experts from 19 countries across five African regional blocs have endorsed a model bilateral air services agreement.

Keep up with what’s happening on our X and LinkedIn pages. Stay updated with the latest financial news on our website The Kenyan Wall Street.