Regulatory
We help businesses in regulated sectors obtain and keep their licences, deal with regulators confidently, and take part in shaping the rules that affect them.
Lead partner: Fidel Mwaki
LEGAL TAKE
Kenya's Gambling Laws →HOW WE HELP
- Licensing and regulatory approvals
- Compliance programmes and regulatory audits
- Regulatory compliance in property and M&A transactions
- Gaming and betting regulation
- Capital markets and financial services licensing
- Anti-money laundering compliance
- Investigations, enforcement and appeals
- Public consultation and law reform submissions
WHO WE ACT FOR
- Gaming operators and industry bodies
- Financial services and fintech businesses
- Technology and digital platforms
- International businesses in regulated sectors
RECENT EXPERIENCE
- Advising gaming businesses on Kenya's new gambling framework, from national licensing to county requirements.
- Advising, with Primerio International, an international financial services group on Capital Markets Authority licensing in Kenya.
- Advising a fintech business on entering the virtual asset market, including a regulatory playbook across several African markets.
- Preparing joint submissions on the draft Kenya AI and Emerging Technologies Policy, 2026, and submissions on the East African Development Bank (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
Corporate
We structure, grow and protect companies, from market entry and formation to investment, group reorganisation and exit.
Lead partner: Fidel Mwaki
LEGAL TAKE
Entering the Kenyan Market →HOW WE HELP
- Market entry and investment structuring
- Company formation, subsidiaries and branches
- Mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures
- Legal due diligence for acquisitions and investments
- Merger control and other regulatory approvals for deals
- Shareholder agreements and corporate governance
- Group restructuring and intercompany agreements
- Transfer pricing arrangements, with tax advisers
- Beneficial ownership and company secretarial compliance
WHO WE ACT FOR
- International groups entering Kenya in manufacturing, education, technology, agriculture and real estate
- Founders and investors
- Family-owned businesses
- Private equity and development finance
RECENT EXPERIENCE
- Setting up Kenyan subsidiaries for international manufacturing and healthcare groups, including tax structuring and office leases.
- Advising an investor, with foreign counsel, on a shareholders' agreement for a regional agricultural joint venture.
- Advising, with Primerio International, on a funded mixed-use development.
Commercial Transactions
Clear, workable contracts and practical advice for the deals that run a business.
Lead partner: Fidel Mwaki
LEGAL TAKE
Estoppel by Convention →Entering the Kenyan Market →HOW WE HELP
- Commercial, supply and services agreements
- Distribution and franchise agreements
- Intercompany and shared-services agreements
- Technology, software and digital marketing contracts
- Secured lending, guarantees and security
- Consumer terms and promotions
WHO WE ACT FOR
- Retail and consumer brands
- Manufacturers and distributors
- Technology and digital businesses
- Lenders and borrowers
RECENT EXPERIENCE
- Negotiating a franchise and distribution agreement for an international consumer brand.
- Reviewing cross-border digital services agreements, including withholding tax and ownership of data.
- Drafting intercompany and shared-services agreements for international groups.
Employment
We help employers manage their people fairly, lawfully and with minimum disruption, from senior hires to exits.
Lead partner: Diana Wariara
LEGAL TAKE
The Employment Relationship →Executive Mobility →HOW WE HELP
- Employment contracts and HR policies
- Executive recruitment, service agreements and exits
- Disciplinary, performance and grievance processes
- Restructuring and redundancy
- Workplace data protection, CCTV and monitoring
- Work permits for foreign staff
- HR training for managers
WHO WE ACT FOR
- Employers of every size
- HR and leadership teams
- Boards appointing senior executives
RECENT EXPERIENCE
- Advising a multinational on an internal investigation into a senior manager, and defending the resulting unfair termination claim.
- Guiding employers through performance and disciplinary processes for senior staff.
- Training HR, finance and operations teams on handling employee and customer data.
- Negotiating executive exits and settlement agreements.
Private Client
We help individuals and families protect what they have built, resolve family matters privately, and pass on wealth with clarity.
Lead partner: Diana Wariara
LEGAL TAKE
Wealth Preservation →Family Trusts in Kenya →Family Businesses in Kenya →HOW WE HELP
- Wills and estate planning
- Family and charitable trusts
- Probate and estate administration
- Wealth preservation and asset protection
- Family business governance and succession
- Separation, divorce and matrimonial property
- Parental responsibility and guardianship
- Powers of attorney
WHO WE ACT FOR
- Individuals and families
- Family business owners
- Kenyans abroad and foreign nationals with Kenyan assets
- Trustees and executors
RECENT EXPERIENCE
- Transferring family property into registered family trusts, using the available tax reliefs.
- Structuring family holding companies alongside family trust deeds.
- Petitioning for grants of probate and administering family estates.
- Drafting a parental responsibility agreement for separated parents.
Projects
From a single site to a full development, we advise on commercial, residential and mixed-use real estate and construction, from land acquisition to completion. FMC is a registered member of the Kenya Property Developers Association.
Lead partner: Diana Wariara
LEGAL TAKE
Investing in Kenyan Real Estate →From the Ground Up →Nairobi's Development Control Policy →HOW WE HELP
- Land acquisition, due diligence and conveyancing
- Subdivisions, amalgamations and change of user
- Extension and renewal of leases
- Planning, NEMA and other regulatory approvals
- Regulatory compliance for property transactions
- Development structuring and joint ventures
- Construction contracts
- Off-plan sales, sectional titles and handover
- Community engagement and objections
- Commercial leasing
WHO WE ACT FOR
- Developers, including affordable housing
- Landowners and investors
- Lenders
- Buyers of homes, land and commercial property
RECENT EXPERIENCE
- Advising an international hotel group on structuring, financing, title conversion and registration for its Kenyan development.
- Advising developers on affordable housing, residential, hospitality and student accommodation projects.
- Managing community objections and County and NEMA approvals for high-density residential schemes.
- Reviewing and negotiating building contracts for developers.
Dispute Resolution
We handle disputes at every stage. Non-contentious work keeps disputes from arising or settles them early; contentious work protects your position firmly before courts and tribunals.
Lead partner: Fidel Mwaki and Diana Wariara
LEGAL TAKE
Estoppel by Convention →CONTENTIOUS
- Litigation in the High Court and specialist courts
- Commercial, contract and shareholder claims
- Land, property and construction disputes
- Employment and labour claims
- Succession and family disputes
- Injunctions and urgent applications
- Judicial review and regulatory appeals
NON-CONTENTIOUS
- Dispute risk reviews of contracts and relationships
- Pre-action strategy and demand letters
- Negotiation and settlement agreements
- Mediation and other alternative dispute resolution (ADR)
- Restructuring contracts and relationships under strain
- Responding to regulators and complaints
RECENT EXPERIENCE
- Defending a multinational in an unfair termination claim in the Employment and Labour Relations Court.
- Advising a shareholder on exit options from a deadlocked company.
- Advising on contracts varied by conduct over a long-running commercial relationship.
- Preparing developers to answer community objections and petitions against approved projects.
SECTORS
The sectors we know well
Our practices come together around the industries our clients work in, so advice reflects how each sector is regulated and how deals are done in it.
Real estate and construction
Commercial, residential and mixed-use development, affordable housing, hospitality and student accommodation.
PROJECTS · CORPORATE
Gaming and betting
Licensing, AML, advertising, data and the commercial side of operations.
REGULATORY · COMMERCIAL
Financial services and fintech
Capital markets and forex licensing, lending, payments and anti-money laundering.
REGULATORY · COMMERCIAL
Technology and digital
Data protection, AI governance, platform, software and marketing contracts.
AI & DATA GOVERNANCE · COMMERCIAL
Manufacturing
Market entry, standards and environmental approvals, supply and distribution.
CORPORATE · COMMERCIAL
Agriculture
Land, joint ventures and investment in Kenya and the region.
PROJECTS · CORPORATE
Education
Setting up and investing in schools and training providers, and their approvals.
CORPORATE · REGULATORY
Family businesses and private wealth
Governance, succession, trusts, estates and family matters.
PRIVATE CLIENT · CORPORATE
SPECIALIST SERVICES
Specialist support across every practice
AI & Data Governance
Data protection programmes, ODPC registration, impact assessments, AI policies and governance, and role-based training.
Lead partner: Fidel Mwaki
Immigration and Mobility
Work permits for executives and investors, dependants' passes, and planning for international hires.
Lead partner: Fidel Mwaki
Notarial Services
Notarisation and certification of documents for use abroad, coordination of legalisation and attestation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and embassies, and commissioning of affidavits and statutory declarations.
Lead partner: Fidel Mwaki
Workplace Investigations
Independent investigations into complaints and misconduct, and disciplinary processes that stand up if challenged.
Lead partner: Diana Wariara
Registry Services
Searches, title conversion, transfers and registration, including on Ardhisasa, and resolving registry problems.
Lead partner: Diana Wariara
Land Use & Acquisitions
Buying, leasing and holding agricultural land, Land Control Board consents, and structuring farming ventures.
Lead partner: Diana Wariara
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