Cecil Kuyo is a partner in our Nairobi office in the Dispute Resolution department.

He specialises in alternative dispute resolution, local and international arbitration and court litigation.

He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Kenya Branch), the Law Society of Kenya and also a Certified Public Secretary. He is also an alumnus of the International Lawyers for Africa Programme in which he was placed with the City firm of Watson Farley & Williams.

Cecil holds a LLB degree from the University of Nairobi and a Postgraduate diploma from the Kenya School of Law.

Relevant Experience

• Successfully represented a Russian technology in a contentious action at the High Court of Kenya, Nairobi for the enforcement of a Russian arbitral award against a Kenyan company.
• Successfully acted for ScopeTelematics International Sales Limited at the Court of Appeal of Kenya in action for the enforcement of a Letter of Credit in the context of intended arbitration proceedings. 
• Represented Dalbit Petroleum Kenya Limited in a reference filed at the East African Court of Justice at Arusha, Tanzania against the Honourable Attorney General of the Republic of Rwanda from a decision of the Supreme Court of Rwanda. Matter later withdrawn to facilitate out of court settlement discussions.
• Representing Bharti Airtel Limited and Airtel Networks Kenya Limited in a domain name dispute arbitration commenced under the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) rules. Matter ongoing.
• Representing Uber Kenya Limited in two disputes pending before the High Court against Uber BV driver partners. Matter is ongoing.
• Successfully defended Avic International Real Estate (EA) Ltd in a dispute before the National Environment Tribunal over its planned construction of a 43-floor Africa headquarters. The action was brought by Simba Corporation Limited, the owners and proprietors of the luxury Kempinski Hotel. The matter is pending appeal before the High Court.
• Representing Base Titanium Limited in a dispute with the Kenya Ports Authority over the levy of stevedoring charges at Base’s private jetty at Mombasa. The matter is currently pending before an arbitrator appointed by the Chief Justice of Kenya and also at the High Court, Mombasa on an application for interim relief before arbitration.

Awards

• Chambers and Partners ranked Cecil as Up and Coming in Kenya for Dispute Resolution in 2023.
• Legal 500 ranked Cecil as a Next Generation Partner in Kenya for Dispute Resolution for the past four years (2020 to 2023).

‘Cecil Kuyo is calm and strategic in complex matters. He has clear direction, knows the law, is responsive and does not overcomplicate complex matters.’ – Chambers and Partners, 2023

• Kenya: Arbitration or litigation? The High Court explains the position of arbitrable disputes
• Kenya: The Court of Appeal decides on the statutory obligations of suppliers in respect of product labelling
• Kenya: Celebrating a landmark victory at the Court of Appeal: The Case of Paul Wanyagah Vs. Market Development Trust T/A Kenya Markers Trust
• Kenya: NSSF Act, 2013 declared constitutional by Court of Appeal, higher contribution rates now in effect
• Kenya: Government Reintroduces Bill to Give Employees the ‘Right to Disconnect’
• Kenya: It is discriminatory to provide different terms and conditions of employment to permanent and temporary employees in the same cadre
• Kenya: High Court Clarifies the Legal Position on Foreign Insolvency Proceedings in Kenya
• Kenya: High Court Determines the Right to Access to Information from State Bodies and the Enforcement of Contractual Non-disclosure Clauses
• Kenya: The Time Factor in Filing and Determination of Procurement Appeals
• Employment Act – “At will” termination of probationary contracts is unconstitutional
• East Africa Quarterly and Monthly Newsletter
• Kenya: Termination of franchise agreements for failure to uphold operational standards permitted
• Arbitration Rules, 2020
• Deferred Prosecution Agreements as an alternative to the prosecution of corporate organizations in Kenya: fresh jurisprudence