Sasini PLC has named Catherine Kawira Bariu as its new Company Secretary, effective May 28, 2026, as the NSE-listed agribusiness works to steady its governance structure through a difficult financial period.
Bariu steps into the role vacated by Millicent Ngetich, who resigned from the position. The board formally announced the appointment on May 28, citing the requirements of the Capital Markets Act.
“The Board has appointed Ms. Catherine Kawira Bariu as Company Secretary of the Company and its subsidiaries,” the announcement read.
The appointment adds a third listed-company mandate to Kawira’s portfolio. She already serves as Company Secretary at both the Nairobi Securities Exchange and Standard Group PLC, roles she took on simultaneously from April 1, 2026, following Ngetich’s resignation from both positions.
Who is Catherine Kawira?
Kawira is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya and a certified public secretary with more than a decade of experience spanning corporate governance, legal affairs, and regulatory compliance.
Her career cuts across the private sector, the judiciary, and government. Before joining Image Registrars, where she served as Governance and Compliance Manager, Kawira worked as a legal researcher at the Judiciary and at the Capital Markets Authority’s Market Operations Directorate, where she participated in risk-based supervision and regulatory inspections. Earlier, she was a partner at Samuel Gitonga and Associates, advising corporate clients on legal, compliance, and governance matters.
She holds a Master of Laws in corporate governance from the University of Nairobi, a Bachelor of Laws from Kenyatta University, and a postgraduate diploma from the Kenya School of Law. She is also a member of the Institute of Certified Secretaries and the Law Society of Kenya.
On her appointment, Kawira said: “I am deeply honoured and grateful for my appointment as Company Secretary of Sasini PLC and its subsidiaries. I sincerely thank the Board of Directors for the confidence and trust they have placed in me. This appointment marks an important milestone in my professional journey, and I look forward to serving the company with dedication, integrity, and professionalism.”
The financial backdrop
The appointment lands at a testing moment for Sasini. The company recorded a net loss of KSh 170.82 million for the six months ended March 31, 2026, a 51 per cent deterioration from KSh 113.10 million a year earlier, making it the third consecutive half-year loss.
Three forces drove the widening losses. Drought-related volume shortfalls, surging finance costs, and the collapse of the flagship KSh 7.9 billion Gulmarg Estate sale combined to define one of the group’s more challenging first halves in recent memory. The sale, agreed in September 2025, was formally terminated after the buyer failed to meet contractual obligations. The estate reverts to operational use and no longer sits on the balance sheet as an asset held for sale, erasing a balance sheet reset that investors had anticipated following a near-60 per cent share price rally in February 2026.
Revenue held up. The top line rose 1.7 per cent to KSh 3.01 billion from KSh 2.96 billion a year earlier, while gross profit grew 8.2 per cent to KSh 617 million, lifting the gross profit margin to 20.5 per cent from 19.2 per cent. Higher operating expenses absorbed those gains, pushing the operating loss to KSh 141.83 million from KSh 107.50 million.
Coffee was the one bright spot. The trading unit shipped 236 containers at an average price of KSh 800 per kilogram, up from KSh 653 per kilogram in the same period a year earlier. Tea, macadamia, and avocado all struggled with volume declines.
Kawira takes on her Sasini brief as the company works through its losses, a failed asset sale, and the task of rebuilding confidence among shareholders. Her governance credentials are not in question. The harder work lies ahead.
