Kenya's Listed Firms Post Highest Governance Score in 8yrs, Mandatory ESG Disclosures Loom for 2027
Kenya's 53 listed issuers scored 78.88% on the Capital Markets Authority's FY2024/2025 corporate governance scorecard, the highest in eight years of assessments and only the second time the Leadership Rating threshold has been crossed. Leadership-rated companies rose from 27 to 38 while Needs Improvement issuers fell from 4 to 2, down from 17 in FY2017/2018. All seven CG Code principles reached Leadership Rating simultaneously for the first time. Agriculture remains the only Fair-rated sector at 62.80%. Mandatory IFRS S1 and S2 sustainability disclosure standards are targeted for adoption from January 2027.
Kenya's Listed Companies Have Been Shortchanging Shareholders, CMA Report Reveals
Kenya's Capital Markets Authority FY2024/2025 governance report has found that listed companies are delegating to their boards the approval of policies expressly reserved for shareholders under Clause 8.21 of the POLD Regulations 2023, conducting AGMs too short for shareholders to question management, and have for years operated boards filled with directors misclassified as independent. Sixteen of 53 assessed companies have not reached Leadership Rating on the Rights of Shareholders principle. The Agricultural sector scored 62.22% on shareholder rights, the weakest sectoral performance. The Minority Shareholders Association of Kenya has been formally registered in response to these accumulated failures.NSE, Standard Group Appoint Catherine Kawira as Company Secretary
The Nairobi Securities Exchange and Standard Group PLC have appointed Catherine Kawira Bariu as Company Secretary at both institutions effective 1 April 2026, replacing Millicent Ngetich who held the role concurrently at both entities. Ngetich, a certified secretary and advocate with over 17 years of experience, served at Standard Group since 2015 and added the NSE role in January 2025. Kawira, formerly of Image Registrars, brings over a decade of experience in corporate governance, regulatory compliance, and legal advisory, including prior stints at the Judiciary and the Capital Markets Authority.The Standard Group Confirms Chaacha Mwita as CEO, Fifth Leader in Three Years
Standard Group PLC has confirmed Chaacha Mwita as substantive Chief Executive Officer effective 1 April 2026, ending a nine-month acting arrangement. Mwita, who was forced out of the company in 2014 after clashing with State House over editorial coverage, rejoined as Chief Executive Editor in April 2025 before being elevated to Acting CEO in July 2025. He is the company's fifth CEO in under three years. The appointment comes as Standard Group fights to save six broadcasting licences after a tribunal cleared the Communications Authority to revoke them over Ksh48.87 million in unpaid regulatory fees.Britam Appoints Celestine Munda as Interim Chair, Moves to Triple Employee Share Pool
Britam Holdings Plc has appointed Celestine Munda, a former Senior Partner and Country Managing Partner at Ernst and Young Kenya, as interim Chairperson of the Board with immediate effect following the passing of Chairman Kuria Muchiru on 19 March 2026. Munda, who has chaired Britam's Board Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee since joining the board in September 2022, will serve until a substantive appointment is made. At the same sitting, the board resolved to seek shareholder approval to expand its Employee Share Ownership Plan from 2% to 5% of issued share capital, lifting the maximum ESOP pool from 50.5 million to 126.2 million shares, with all acquisitions to be made via open market purchases on the NSE.Sidian Bank Taps KCB's John Okulo as CEO to Steer Kenya's Fastest-Growing Bank
Sidian Bank has appointed John Okulo, currently Director of Corporate Banking at KCB Bank Kenya, as its new Managing Director and CEO effective 1 May 2026, subject to CBK approval. He succeeds Chege Thumbi, who retires on 30 June 2026 after nine years. The transition completes a full governance overhaul: former Cabinet Secretary James Macharia replaced Centum's James Mworia as chairman in October 2025, three new directors joined the board, and Centum exited entirely in March 2026. Okulo brings 28 years of experience across Standard Chartered, Stanbic, NCBA, and KCB, including founding NC Bank Uganda.Williamson Tea's CEO Transition Marks 10th Listed C-Suite Shift in a Year
Williamson Tea Kenya and Kapchorua Tea Kenya have announced the retirement of Alan Carmichael as Managing Director and CEO effective 31 March 2026, ending an 18-year tenure and a career spanning five decades in the tea industry. His successor, Angus Nyariki Omete, takes over on 1 April 2026. Omete joined the company as a graduate trainee in November 1999 and has spent his entire 26-year career within the group, rising to Group Chief Financial Officer. The transition is the 10th top-level leadership change at an NSE-listed company in the past 12 months.Rwanda Authorities Probe Equity Bank Fraud Scheme
Equity Bank Rwanda is at the center of an ongoing investigation into a fraud incident that has prompted the detention of 35 individuals, including six in Uganda.
Leadership Crisis Deepens at The Nairobi Hospital Amid Arrests, Court Battles
Leadership tensions at Nairobi Hospital have escalated after the arrest of several senior board officials, triggering concern among doctors and drawing political attention, as court battles and governance disputes continue to cloud the management of one of Kenya’s leading private healthcare institutions.
KRA Introduces Body-Worn Cameras for Customs and Border Officers
The Kenya Revenue Authority plans to introduce body-worn cameras for customs and border control officers to improve transparency and accountability at Kenya’s entry points. The devices are expected to record inspections and interactions, strengthening oversight of frontline operations at locations such as Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and other border posts.Parliament Pushes for Faster Reform of State-Owned Enterprises, Limits Budget to KSh 2.88Trillion
KenGen Trims Board by a Third in Governance Overhaul
KenGen has become the first state-owned enterprise to restructure its board under Kenya's Government Owned Enterprises Act 2025, cutting directors from 14 to 9 and triggering the exit of three independent non-executive directors, including Board Chairman Hon. Alfred Agoi Masadia. Shareholders approved the changes at an EGM on 12th February 2026, introducing a Class A and B share structure that ring-fences minority investor voting on independent director elections. The reconstituted board must elect its own chairperson from among independent directors, ending the era of government-appointed chairs
