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Njeri Wagacha

Partner, Head of East Africa: Industrials, Manufacturing and Trade Sector

Njeri Wagacha is a Partner in our Corporate & Commercial practice and specialises in Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity, Competition Law, Employment Law, and Technology, Media & Telecommunications. Njeri is Head of East Africa for the Industrials, Manufacturing and Trade Sector. Njeri runs the podcast NjeriTalks Law.

+254 710 560114
njeri.wagacha@cdhlegal.comNairobi
Njeri Wagacha

About Njeri

About Njeri

Njeri started off as Trainee Solicitor at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe (Europe) LLP. She later joined a firm in Nairobi as an Associate. She was a Secondee at Anjarwalla, Collins & Haidermota, Dubai. In 2018 she was appointed as a Senior Associate at the firm in Nairobi. In 2020, Njeri joined Kieti Advocates LLP as a Partner.

Credentials

Credentials

Education

  • Legal Practice Course, Nottingham Law School
  • Graduate Diploma in Law, Nottingham Law School (Commendation)
  • LLM, University of London (School of Oriental and African Studies) (Merit)
  • BA Honours Law and French, Middlesex University (1st Class Honours and East African Student Scholarship)
  • Completed Legal Practice Course with a Commendation
  • Completed Graduate Diploma in Law with a Commendation

Memberships

  • Law Society of England and Wales
  • Law Society of Kenya

About Njeri

Njeri started off as Trainee Solicitor at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe (Europe) LLP. She later joined a firm in Nairobi as an Associate. She was a Secondee at Anjarwalla, Collins & Haidermota, Dubai. In 2018 she was appointed as a Senior Associate at the firm in Nairobi. In 2020, Njeri joined Kieti Advocates LLP as a Partner.

Credentials

Education

  • Legal Practice Course, Nottingham Law School
  • Graduate Diploma in Law, Nottingham Law School (Commendation)
  • LLM, University of London (School of Oriental and African Studies) (Merit)
  • BA Honours Law and French, Middlesex University (1st Class Honours and East African Student Scholarship)
  • Completed Legal Practice Course with a Commendation
  • Completed Graduate Diploma in Law with a Commendation

Memberships

  • Law Society of England and Wales
  • Law Society of Kenya

Experience

Creadev

Acting for Creadev, a global long-term investment firm wholly funded by the Mulliez family in its secondary investment of USD 5 million in Twiga Foods, a Kenyan-based technology based B2B platform that aggregates retail demand and efficiently provides low cost access to better quality food.

Kuramo Capital Management

Acting for Kuramo Capital Management, an independent investment management firm, in connection with its investment of 24.99% of the shares in Trans-century, a company listed  on the Nairobi Securities Exchange, including  coordinating legal due diligences of the target group  of companies in Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Sudan, South Africa, Mauritius, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo; seeking regulatory approvals from the Competition Authority of Kenya, Tanzania’s Fair Competition Commission, and Capital Markets Authority; and preparing and negotiating the transaction documents, such as the share subscription agreements and loan agreement.

Kuramo Capital Management

Acting for Kuramo Capital Management in connection with Kuramo Capital Management’s acquisition of 90.84% of the shares in GenAfrica Asset Managers Limited.

Orbit Chemicals Industries

Acting for Orbit Chemicals Industries, one of the largest East African contract manufacturers of chemical products, in connection with an investment into Orbit and its related companies by Catalyst OCL Investment, a private equity fund based in Mauritius, including advising on a series of internal and deal related restructurings resulting in the creation of two new Mauritian entities and one new Kenyan entity into which certain productive assets of Orbit, would be transferred and the Catalyst investment channeled through and drafting the relevant documents for structuring the deal such as term loan, convertible loan and share warrants.

Rise Fund and Certify

Acting for the Rise Fund and Certify in connection with the acquisition of 100%  of the shares of Cellulant Corporation operating in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe

Novastar Ventures East Africa Fund

Acting for Novastar Ventures East Africa Fund in connection with an equity investment in SolarNow.

Espanola de Investments

Acting for shareholders of Espanola de Investments a company in the restaurant industry in Kenya, in relation to their shareholder agreement.

PayGo Energy Limite

Acting for PayGo Energy Limited in negotiating the terms of their supply agreements and services agreements.

Persistent Capital LLP

Acting for Persistent Capital LLP in its investment into Ecobodaa Kenya Limited a company pioneering electronic motorbike taxis in Kenya.

I&M Holdings PLC

Acting for I&M Holdings PLC for the sale of 90% of the issued share capital of Orient Bank Limited, in Uganda.

Bharti Airtel

Working  for Bharti Airtel, as the lead Africa legal adviser coordinating advice over  14 jurisdictions in Africa in relation to a USD 1.25  billion investment in a newly formed holding  company Airtel Africa by six leading global investors including  Warburg Pincus, Softbank, Temasek and Singtel. Airtel Africa is the second largest telecom operator in Africa, with operations in 14 countries and a customer base of 91 million.

Access Bank

Acting for Access Bank, a full-service commercial bank operating through a network of about 305 branches and service outlets located in major centres across Nigeria, Sub  Saharan Africa and the United  Kingdom, in connection with the acquisition of 100%  of the shares of Transnational Bank, a commercial Bank in Kenya.

Obtaining regulatory approva

Advising  the companies below in obtaining regulatory approval from the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) and COMESA  Competition Commission (CCC)  in relation to their transactions (some of which are described above) in the region: Shell; Transcentury PLC; Access Bank PLC;Vivo Energy; Econet Wireless; The Rise Fund; Koko Networks; PayGo Energy; Kuramo Capital Management; Safarilink; and GAPCO.

M&A transactions

Advising  on the impact of the Competition Law of the UAE on M&A transactions in the UAE for a transaction involving UAE entities and Kenya entities.

East Africa (EA) chain of restaurants

Advising  a popular East Africa (EA) chain of restaurants on the considerations and risks  of varying employee contracts during the COVID pandemic. As a result, created a guidebook for COVID response in different EA jurisdictions.

TransUnion

Advising  TransUnion on practical employment considerations and options in finding “ways of working” during  the COVID pandemic.

KK Security Services

Acting for KK Security Services (KK) in connection with payment of overtime to unionised employees, including  advising on the legality and interpretation of the provisions of various Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) entered into by KK and the security workers’ unions; advising on the calculation of overtime based on the various CBAs; and advising on the calculation of the effective date for the payment of overtime under the various CBAs.

International Planned Parenthood Federatio

Acting for International Planned Parenthood Federation in connection with disciplinary proceedings against a senior employee in its Africa Regional Office. Collaborated with inhouse team to ensure to develop whistleblowing policy as a result.

Kenya Airways

Acting for Kenya Airways  in connection with a strike  threatened by Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) directing its members not to crew the inaugural direct flight from Nairobi to New York.

Vivo Energy Holding

Advising  Vivo Energy Holding in connection with the acquisition of 100%  of the shares of Engen Holdings.

Royal Dutch  Shell

Advising Royal Dutch  Shell, in connection with its takeover bid in relation to the entire issued and to be issued share capital of British Gas (BG), including  advising on the impact of the transaction on BG’s assets in Kenya and advising on the transfer of interests held by BG in production sharing contracts in Kenya.

Oman Trading International

Advising Oman Trading International Limited on the acquisition of Hass Petroleum in a deal worth USD35 million.

Africa Oil Corporation

Advising Africa Oil Corporation in connection with its sale of 50%  of its interests in Blocks  10BB,  13T and 10BA in Kenya and the Rift Basin and South Omo  Blocks  in Ethiopia, to Maersk Oil.

Africa Oil Corporation

Advising Africa Oil Corporation in connection with an investment agreement to issue 52,623,377 shares in Africa Oil. Corp.,  for US 100  million to Stampede Natural Resources International for future exploration.

Tullow Oil

Advising Tullow Oil in connection with the development of a pipeline in Kenya.

News

The Competition Authority of Kenya imposes the highest penalty in history for anti-competitive behaviour
Competition Law

The Competition Authority of Kenya imposes the highest penalty in history for anti-competitive behaviour

On 23 August 2023, the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) made a landmark announcement, revealing its imposition of a record penalty on nine (9) steel manufacturers totalling KES...
Guardians of legacy: Corporate trustees and the new landscape of retirement benefit regulation
Employment Law

Guardians of legacy: Corporate trustees and the new landscape of retirement benefit regulation

A corporate trustee is a corporate body whose work entails providing trustee services to pension schemes as well as institutions. As such, corporate trustees are responsible for the...
A step closer to a harmonised competition law approach in East Africa: Kenyan and EAC competition authorities conclude MoU
Competition Law

A step closer to a harmonised competition law approach in East Africa: Kenyan and EAC competition authorities conclude MoU

On 16 May 2023, the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) and the East African Community Competition Authority (EACCA) entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) whose objective...
The concept of menstrual leave
Employment Law

The concept of menstrual leave

Inclusion in the workforce has come a long way and as inclusion and diversity increase in the workplace globally, we are beginning to understand that biological distinctions, such...
COMESA: Are partnerships notifiable mergers? A discussion of the Kenya Airways and South African Airways partnership
Competition Law

COMESA: Are partnerships notifiable mergers? A discussion of the Kenya Airways and South African Airways partnership

Although each competition authority may have its own definition of a merger, it can broadly be defined as a combination of the operations of two or more entities into a single new...

All articles by Njeri
Njeri Wagacha talks to Mary Wamae - Videocast
Corporate & Commercial Law

Njeri Wagacha talks to Mary Wamae - Videocast

Njeri Wagacha talks to Mary Wamae, Group Executive Director at Equity Group Holdings PLC
Re-thinking industrialization in Kenya and the East Africa Community. What does the future hold?
Industrials, Manufacturing & Trade

Re-thinking industrialization in Kenya and the East Africa Community. What does the future hold?

CDH in partnership with the French Chamber of Commerce Kenya hosted an informal breakfast event to discuss matters that affect the future of business in an everchanging market.
Recent action by the Competition Authority of Kenya
Competition Law

Recent action by the Competition Authority of Kenya

CDH Kenya Corporate Partner, Njeri Wagacha joined The Situation Room on Spice FM. She discussed recent action by the Competition Authority of Kenya to fine bread manufacturers as part...
LGC Pulse with Kieti Law LLP

LGC Pulse with Kieti Law LLP

LGC Pulse with Kieti Law LLP

All videos by Njeri
Njeri Wagacha talks to Mary Wamae
Corporate & Commercial Law

Njeri Wagacha talks to Mary Wamae

Njeri Wagacha talks to Mary Wamae, Group Executive Director at Equity Group Holdings PLC
The importance of energy regulatory reforms
Corporate & Commercial Law

The importance of energy regulatory reforms

In this episode, Njeri Wagacha is joined by a panel of experts to discuss the importance of energy regulatory reforms, following the Africa Energy Forum in Nairobi, which took place...
Unlocking the Power of Change: Navigating mergers and acquisitions with a winning formula
Corporate & Commercial Law

Unlocking the Power of Change: Navigating mergers and acquisitions with a winning formula

McKinsey & Company found that 70% of mergers and acquisitions fail to achieve their intended goals, with poor integration and cultural issues being key contributors to this failure.
Njeri Wagacha talks to Maryanne Ochola and Vladimir Dugin

Njeri Wagacha talks to Maryanne Ochola and Vladimir Dugin

Every month CDH Kenya Partner Njeri Wagacha publishes a podcast 'Njeri Talks Law'. This month Njeri speaks to Maryanne Ochola, Managing Director at Endeavor Kenya and Vladimir Dugin,...
Njeri Wagacha talks to John Ngumi
Corporate & Commercial Law

Njeri Wagacha talks to John Ngumi

Every month CDH Kenya Partner Njeri Wagacha publishes a podcast 'Njeri Talks Law'. This month Njeri speaks to John Ngumi, Executive Director at Eagle Africa Capital Partners Limited.

All podcasts by Njeri

Recognition

2022-2023

Legal 500 EMEA

The Legal 500 EMEA 2022-2023 recommended Njeri for employment

2023

Legal 500 EMEA

The Legal 500 EMEA 2023 recommended Njeri for Commercial, Corporate and M&A

2022

Nairobi Legal Awards

Named second runners-up for 2022 Lawyer of the Year

2022

Nairobi Legal Awards

Named Commercial/Conveyancing Practitioner of the Year at the Nairobi Legal Awards 2022

Legal 500 EMEA

The Legal 500 EMEA 2022-2023 recommended Njeri for employment

Legal 500 EMEA

The Legal 500 EMEA 2023 recommended Njeri for Commercial, Corporate and M&A

Nairobi Legal Awards

Named second runners-up for 2022 Lawyer of the Year

Nairobi Legal Awards

Named Commercial/Conveyancing Practitioner of the Year at the Nairobi Legal Awards 2022

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