latest matters

24.com
Successfully represented 24.com, a South African subsidiary of the leading multinational media group Naspers, in relation to a domain dispute by a Nigerian entity. The matter was decided by the World Intellectual Property Organisation Arbitration Dispute Resolution Centre as the domain host was based in the United States and the parties based in different jurisdictions.

HASS CONSULT
Advised Hass Consult on the development of nine exclusive villas and forty residential apartments in Nairobi. Advice was also given on the acquisition of land, joint venture structuring and sale of the residential units.

SOPHIA KAREN LIMITED
Advising Sophia Karen Limited on the development and leasing of an international school in Nairobi to GEMS Education. Advice was given on the acquisition of land, negotiation of the purchase agreement, development agreement and lease to GEMS Education, the various construction contracts and project financing in relation to the land acquisition and construction of the school.

SAFARICOM AND SEVEN SEAS TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED
Drafting and negotiating a co-operation agreement between Safaricom Limited and Seven Seas Technologies Limited for collaboration in the research and development of innovative technology products, including the use of cloud computing.

THE LEWA WILDLIFE CONSERVANCY & THE NATURE CONSERVANCY
Advising The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and The Nature Conservancy in the acquisition of approx. 28,500 acres of land in Laikipia, Northern Kenya by a third party for the purposes of the permanent preservation and protection of land and wildlife.  The transaction involved due diligence, complex corporate and property structuring, developing a tax efficient conservation model compliant with Kenyan law and included drafting and negotiating lease-back agreements, easements, granting of various options, rights and conservation management agreements. 

HELLO PROPERTIES LIMITED AND LAGOON DEVELOPMENTS LIMITED
Project structuring and transaction documentation for the Mandarini development and sale of 130 homes on 150 acres of land in Kilifi. The development received international acclaim and won the international development award for the best residential development in Africa.

ED & F MANN HOLDINGS LIMITED
Acted as Kenya counsel to ED & F Mann Holdings Limited on its exit from the Dormans Group, a well established coffee business in East Africa.

SAMSUNG CORPORATION
Successfully acted for Samsung Corporation in contesting a refusal to register the trademark Samsung Champ in Kenya by way of oral submissions before the Registrar of Trademarks.

CIVICON
Acted for the vendors on the sale of a majority stake in the Civicon group of companies.

UAP HOLDINGS LIMITED
Advised UAP Holdings Limited on construction and engineering contracts relating to the development of the UAP Tower in Nairobi.

KENYA PETROLEUM REFINERIES LIMITED
2011 – Advised Kenya Petroleum Refineries Limited on several capital raising initiatives leading to the modernisation and expansion of their Mombasa refinery expected to be valued at USD $ 1.3 billion.

BARCLAYS BANK PLC
Advised Barclays Bank plc on the Kenyan aspects of the disposal by Barclays Bank of Kenya Limited of is custody services business to Standard Chartered Bank Kenya Limited as part of an 8-country Africa transaction lead by Bowman Gilfillan.

FRANCE TELECOM/ORANGE EAST AFRICA
Advised France Telecom/Orange East Africa on their rights against the Government of Kenya following the former’s acquisition of 51% of Telkom Kenya Limited in 2007 and the emergence of certain claims by FT against the Government in respect of the transaction culminating in a settlement and new shareholder terms between FT and the Government.

EAST AFRICAN BREWERIES LIMITED
Advised East African Breweries Limited and as local counsel for Diageo Africa on the US$60 million acquisition of control of Serengeti Breweries Limited in Tanzania.

WPP GROUP
Advised WPP Group on the reorganisation of Ogilvy East Africa Limited and the investment into Ogilvy by NSE-listed Scangroup Limited.

WPP GROUP/TNS INTERNATIONAL
Advised WPP Group/TNS International on the acquisition of RMS Kenya, part of an Africa-wide transaction.

RESOLUTION HEALTH LIMITED
Advised Resolution Health Limited on the capital injection by African Development Corporation and subscription for 25% of the equity of Resolution Health.

EQUITY BANK LIMITED
Advised Equity Bank Limited and Centum Investment Company Limited as underwriters to the KES 9.4 billion rights issue by NSE-listed Kenya Power & Lighting Company Limited.

CFC STANBIC BANK AND STANDARD BANK (MAURITIUS)
Advised CfC Stanbic Bank and Standard Bank (Mauritius) on the US$25.6 million financing for the acquisition of NAS Airport Services Limited by SIA Kenya Holding Limited, a subsidiary of Servair group of France.

CENTUM INVESTMENT COMPANY LIMITED
Advised Centum Investment Company Limited on its exit from NAS Holdings Limited and its acquisition of an equity interest in SIA Kenya Holding Limited.

CENTUM INVESTMENT COMPANY LIMITED
Advised Centum Investment Company Limited on various joint ventures in Kenya, Uganda and Southern Sudan.

KINGDOM HOTELS
Advised Kingdom Hotels on the disposal of its shareholding in The Ark Limited (comprising the Aberdare Country Club and the world famous Ark forest lodge).

PINEBRIDGE INVESTMENTS EAST AFRICA LIMITED
Advised PineBridge Investments East Africa Limited on the sale of its information tracking software system to Craft Silicon.

SAFARICOM LIMITED
Advised Safaricom Limited on its recording artiste joint venture with Homeboyz Entertainment Limited - project Sauti.

AFRICANSPIRIT GROUP LIMITED
Advised AfricanSpirit Group Limited on its USD 5 million 2010 equity subscription by existing shareholders.

TKM MAESTRO LIMITED
Advised TKM Maestro Limited in relation to a loan by TBL Mirror Fund BV convertible into shares in an offshore entity.

GLAXO SMITHKLINE PLC 
Advised Glaxo SmithKline plc  in relation to the filing of a counterfeit  action before the Kenyan Anti-Counterfeit Agency resulting in the successful raid, seizure and destruction of a consignment of counterfeit products infringing on the protected trademark rights of GSK.

ADIDAS GMBH
Advised ADIDAS GmbH in relation to the filing of a counterfeit  action before the Kenyan Anti-Counterfeit Agency resulting in the successful raid, seizure and destruction of a consignment of counterfeit products infringing on the protected trademark rights of ADIDAS.

LIBERTY GROUP OF SOUTH AFRICA
Advising Liberty Group of South Africa on its proposed acquisition of the insurance companies (Heritage and CfC Life) owned by Standard Bank’s Kenya subsidiary CfC Stanbic Holdings Limited, corporate reoganisaton, demerger and new listing on the Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE).

EAST AFRICAN BREWERIES LIMITED
Advising East African Breweries Limited on a range of corporate matters, including on proposals to acquire Serengeti Breweries Limited in Tanzania.

KENYA PETROLEUM REFINERIES LIMITED AND GOVERNMENT OF KENYA
Advised Kenya Petroleum Refineries Limited and Government of Kenya on the sale of 50% of shares to Essar Energy Limited of India, for the re-development of East Africa’s only oil refinery at Mombasa.