Author: Korir Issa

Maersk has told exporters in East Africa to book containers early as pulses shipments build in Tanzania, Kenya’s mango season opens in November and El Niño rains threaten the roads and terminals that feed the region’s ports. The shipping line gave the guidance in its October market update for India, the Middle East and Africa, published on 13 October. It asked customers to “confirm bookings early” and meet cargo cut off deadlines. It also asked them to share forecasts, cargo ready dates and capacity needs with their Maersk representative ahead of the fourth quarter. Tanzania pulses and Kenya mangoes drive…

The Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) has approved the acquisition of East African Cables by Cable Experts Limited. The decision clears a competition hurdle for a rescue deal that could end a long insolvency fight at one of Kenya’s oldest cable makers. What CAK approved CAK Director General David Kemei signed the approval under Section 46(6)(a)(ii) of the Competition Act. The Kenya Gazette notice says the authority “has authorized the proposed transaction as set out herein.” The notice is dated August 21, 2026, and appeared in the Gazette on October 2 alongside other approvals. CAK signed the ICEA Lion takeover…

Quickmart PLC opened its initial public offering 5 October 2026, selling 2 billion shares at KES 7.50 each. The price values the supermarket chain at KES 30 billion. The sale could raise KES 15 billion, all of it for the selling shareholder, Sokoni Retail Kenya Limited. Quickmart receives no proceeds, and its filings show KES 10.9 billion owed to suppliers at the end of 2025. What the Offer Covers The IPO is an offer for sale of 2 billion existing shares, equal to 50% of Quickmart’s 4 billion issued shares. No new shares are issued. Sokoni Retail Kenya keeps the…

Safaricom and payments firm Pesapal on Thursday began rolling out two M-PESA checkout options in Kenya: Dynamic Scan-to-Pay and Tap-to-Pay. Both run on Pesapal’s point of sale (POS) devices. Safaricom also announced AI Pay, a feature in its My OneApp that reads payment details from a receipt. Pesapal describes Tap-to-Pay as the world’s first mobile money NFC payment solution. The partnership joins Safaricom’s M-PESA payment services to Pesapal’s merchant payment infrastructure. It follows Safaricom’s effort to move M-PESA beyond transfers and into checkout. How the new payment options work Dynamic Scan-to-Pay. The customer scans a QR code shown on the…

The High Court in Nairobi placed Copia Kenya Limited into liquidation on September 17, ending 28 months of administration at the e-commerce company that sold household goods to rural Kenyans through local shopkeepers. Copia Kenya’s parent, Copia Global, raised $123 million before the business ran out of cash. Justice Rhoda Rutto found that “the objectives of administration have been exhausted,” according to the ruling. She saw no realistic prospect of a rescue and said more time under administration would add delay and expense for creditors. She appointed the administrators, Julius Mumo Ngonga and Anthony Makenzi Muthusi of KPMG Advisory Services,…

South Korea’s HMM, formerly Hyundai Merchant Marine, is adding the Port of Mombasa to its network with a weekly container service to India. The route links Mombasa to Nhava Sheva and Mundra, India’s main western container ports. The service will run weekly, and vessel schedules show first departures from Nhava Sheva on September 23 and 27. The port rotation runs Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Dar es Salaam and Mombasa, in that order. Shipping Lines Share the Service HMM will not run the service alone. Trade sources say a group of Asian carriers led by Pacific International Lines (PIL), HMM, Cosco, Interasia…