Going Once, Going Twice...Back to Us

Hi 👋🏽 It's Brian from The Kenyan Wall Street.

In today's newsletter, the Court of Appeal has halted the sale of a property auctioned by Credit Bank after it discovered something fishy was going on.

This and more in today's edition.

Going Once, Going Twice… Back to Us

By Fred Obura

When Credit Bank auctioned a KSh 1.125 billion Mavoko property and purchased it itself, what should have been a routine statutory sale instantly acquired the scent of a mystery. The borrower, Erdemann Property Ltd., cried foul alleging impropriety, and insisted that the land was worth nearly KSh 2 billion, not the bank’s forced-sale valuation. The Court of Appeal, noticing troubling silences in the bank’s affidavit, including no record of competing bids, treated the matter as a puzzle missing crucial pieces. What makes the case extraordinary is not the familiar complaint of undervaluation but the lender’s dual role as both hammer and hand, seller and triumphant bidder.

Read the story here >>>>>

Despite Tough China Loan, SGR Funds Momentum…

By Harry Njuguna

The Standard Gauge Railway has hauled enough freight this year to nudge revenue to KSh 15.88 billion, a respectable figure that nonetheless looks modest beside the hulking KSh 646 billion Chinese loan still chained to its ankle. Passenger numbers are up, freight tonnage is climbing, and August even produced a record month. Yet the operator remains in an awkward adolescence, preparing for a government takeover that has already missed one deadline and now relies on repayment plans rewritten in yuan.

Read the article here »»»»»

Latitude 59 Kenya : Here are the finalists…

By TKWS Desk

Latitude59’s Kenya edition has chosen its ten finalists, a neat distillation of the continent’s current preoccupations: climate anxieties, agricultural reinvention, and the irresistible urge to automate anything that still requires human patience. The applicants came from 27 countries, but the shortlisted teams form the portrait of Nairobi’s tech mood; ambitious, lightly chaotic, and still convinced that software can outpace structural reality. Organisers say the competition reflects a rapidly maturing ecosystem, with investors signalling strong appetite for early-stage African founders. The three-day event in Nairobi will convene founders and policy leaders, angling to stake their presence in this boom.

Read more about this here >>>>>

OPINION: How a Packet on a Shelf Told a Bigger Story about Counterfeits

By John Andrew Musundi

A packet on a dusty shop shelf rarely announces a continental crisis, yet in East Africa’s border towns it quietly told one. A trusted household brand was losing customers not to innovation or shifting tastes, but to an uncanny doppelgänger; same colors, same box, same promises, moving through a shadowy cross-border supply chain with almost militaristic precision. By the time the original manufacturer noticed, market share had already slipped through the cracks like water through a sieve. In a region where brand protection is a cat-and-mouse intelligence game, the true battle for authenticity may be happening quietly on the lowest shelf of the smallest shop.

Read the article here >>>>>

Visit our new website here to get updated on this story and others…

Happening this week…

On December 4–5, Latitude59 Kenya brings together founders, investors, operators and ecosystem builders for two days of real insight not hype. Expect candid discussions on what it truly takes to build sustainable, revenue-driven companies, practical workshops led by top experts, and masterclasses you can apply immediately.

Plus, the Top 10 startups selected from 222 applicants will pitch live on stage for the 2025 title. If you’re building, investing, or shaping the future of tech in Africa, you cannot afford to miss this.

Grab your ticket here »»»»»

More Stories 

On Your Watchlist 

Do feel-good office vibes matter when fair pay and job security are on the line in the workplace?

In the fifth episode of the Just Money Podcast, our host Just Ivy Africa sits down with Seasoned HR expert Daisy Cherono (Master in International Human Resources Management) and seasoned Office and Operations Manager Michelle Ndonye.

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

Yesterday’s Poll Results

Do you support the decision to slash taxes and duties for Gulf Energy to enable its development in the Turkana oil fields?

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Yes (57%)

🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ No (43%)