Author: Lynet Awino

Kenya has launched the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN), committing the country to a structured approach to funding conservation and building a nature-positive economy. The launch, held in Nairobi and attended by senior government officials, development partners, financial sector representatives, and civil society, marks the formal establishment of the BIOFIN Kenya Chapter. Principal Secretary for Environment and Climate Change Dr. Festus Ng’eno described the initiative as an evidence-based response to a persistent financing gap that has long undermined Kenya’s biodiversity conservation efforts. Why Biodiversity Finance Is an Economic Priority Kenya’s ecosystems are not peripheral to its economy. They sit at the…

Anita Wawuda did not audition for the role that changed everything. She walked into the room for a different part entirely, got called back, and heard four words that stopped her in her tracks: we want you for Nimo. What followed was the role she had been waiting for without knowing it had a name. Nimo is an undercover DCI officer at the centre of Mizani, the crime drama now streaming on Maisha Magic Plus and Showmax. She is recruited by a governor to dismantle a syndicate operating in his jurisdiction, and her primary target is a man named Solo,…

The Co-operative Bank of Kenya is reorganising its entire corporate structure. The board has approved a transition into a Non-Operating Holding Company (NOHC) model that will separate its core banking business from the broader group, rename the listed parent entity Co-opbank Group PLC, and incorporate a new subsidiary, Co-op Bank Kenya Limited, to carry on the banking operations in Kenya. What the Restructuring Changes The reorganisation places a holding company at the apex of the group, with Co-op Bank Kenya Limited sitting beneath it as the licensed banking entity. The listed parent will oversee subsidiaries and regional investments rather than…

Kenyan university students, diplomats and other non-income earners can now obtain a Kenya Revenue Authority PIN without the requirement to file tax returns, following the rollout of the PIN Without Obligation (PWO) option on the KRA iTax portal. The option targets people who need a PIN for official purposes but earn no taxable income. Students applying for Higher Education Loans Board funding, individuals registering businesses for the first time and diplomats posted to Kenya all fall within the eligible group. The PIN remains valid for those purposes without triggering any filing obligations, unless the holder later begins earning taxable income,…

CIC Group’s shareholding in Takaful Insurance of Africa fell from 22% to 7.4% after a Djibouti-based firm took majority control of the Kenyan insurer. Tamini Insurance S.A. acquired 65% of Takaful Insurance of Africa’s issued share capital, a transaction the Competition Authority of Kenya approved unconditionally in April 2025. The deal diluted all existing shareholders, including CIC Insurance Group, whose combined stake now stands at 35% alongside other minority investors. The Authority cleared the deal on the grounds that Tamini holds no general insurance operations in Kenya. The acquisition therefore leaves the structure of the local insurance market unchanged. Competing…

The Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) has launched the Consolidated Music and Audio-Visual Works Tariffs for 2026 to 2028, bringing  changes to how royalties get collected across the country’s entertainment and commercial sectors. The framework consolidates royalty payments for authors, producers, performers, and actors into a single licensing fee, a shift designed to simplify compliance for businesses that previously dealt with multiple rights bodies separately. What the New Tariffs Cover The regulations cast a wide net. Mobile DJs face an annual fee of Ksh 30,000, or Ksh 1,000 per event, while DJ academies pay a flat rate of Ksh 20,000 per…