Bowmans appoints Francis Wang'ombe Kariuki, former Director General of the Competition Authority of Kenya, as a senior consultant

Leading African law firm, Bowmans, is pleased to announce that Francis Wang'ombe Kariuki, MBS, has joined its top tier Competition Practice as a senior consultant in Nairobi. Mr Kariuki is an economist who specialises in industrial organisation with 30 years’ experience in the public service in Kenya.  He is the immediate former and was the first director-general of the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK), which was established in 2013.  Prior to that, Mr Kariuki had spent more than 20 years in the National Treasury, rising to lead the development of a modern competition law and enforcement regime in Kenya that culminated with the enactment of the Act and the establishment of the CAK. He has been recognised and awarded by the President of Kenya for exemplary public service, specifically in developing and enforcing competition law and policy. He possesses key interests and expertise in competition, trade, economic policies and their link to inclusiveness, poverty reduction and regional integration/trade. He played a critical regional role in the development of the COMESA Competition Commission’s regulatory capacity through conducting training and guiding on the development of the requisite regulations. On a continental level, Mr Kariuki was a founder member and the first chairman of the African Competition Forum, which has guided various cross-border research initiatives on competition policy, facilitated capacity building programmes and developed and effected various cooperation frameworks. Globally, he is considered a thought leader in emerging competition regulation issues and has acted as a policy advisor to the World Bank Group in the development of the World Development Report 2021 - Data for Better Lives. As a senior consultant at Bowmans, Mr Kariuki will work closely with the existing team of top lawyers to provide legal solutions and strategies to clients. Paras Shah, Bowman's managing partner in Kenya, says, ‘We are thrilled to welcome Francis to our firm. His very impressive background and extensive experience in Competition law in Africa will be a valuable asset to our team and to our clients, especially as competition authorities in Africa expand their reach into several areas, and we look forward to working with him.’ Mr Kariuki is excited to be joining Bowmans and is eager to help clients in the increasingly sophisticated area of competition law in Africa. He says, ‘I am honoured to be joining such a reputable firm with one of Africa’s largest and most successful competition teams. I look forward to working with the talented team at Bowmans and continuing to provide clients with the highest level of service.’