Wathingira Gituro is a partner at in our Nairobi office and a member of the Mergers & Acquisition and projects practice group.

Wathingira specialises in private equity, mergers and acquisitions, energy and resources, capital markets and securities law, competition (anti-trust) law, finance and regulatory law.

His experience includes advising on listings, acquisitions, investments and takeovers.

Wathingira has an LLB degree from the University of Nairobi and a diploma from the Kenya School of Law.

Relevant Experience

Public M&A

Involved in all but 3 of the public M&A transactions that the firm has been involved in from 2009 to date. Highlights include:

• Rubis S.A acquisition of Kenol Kobil.
• Unga Group on its proposed acquisition by Seaboard Corporation.
• Standard Bank Group on its tender offer for shares of Stanbic Holdings Limited.
• Dimension Data Holdings Plc on its take-over of Access Kenya Group.
• REA Trading on its acquisition of Rea Vipingo Plantations Limited.
• Britam on its acquisition of a stake in Housing Finance Company of Kenya Limited held by Equity Bank.
• WPP on its acquisition of additional shares in Scangroup Limited. Private Equity and Venture Capital
• Advised iProcure Limited on its USD 4.5 million equity capital raise.
• Advising Congo Energy Solutions Limited (the holding company of Nuru) on its Series A Capital raise.
• Advising Mr Green Africa Trading Kenya Limited on its debt and Series A Capital raise for the amount of USD 2.5 million.
• Advising LGT Capital on its investment in Copia Inc.’s Series B Capital raise.
• Advising Finplus Limited on its angel investment from a local angel investors.
• Advising a group of angel investors in their investment in The MarketWorks Limited.
• Advising Atlantica Ventures on their investment in Sendy Limited’s Series B Capital raise.
• Advised Quickmart and Tumaini on the merger of the supermarket businesses.
• Advised Sumac Microfinance bank on its USD 1 million debt raise.
• Advised Rubis on its USD 350 million public take-over of KenolKobil Plc which was listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange.
• Advised Kivu Green Energy (now known as Nuru) on its USD 1.5 million capital raise.
• Advised Actus Equity AB on its investment in Riara Group of Schools.

Debt Issues

• Centum Investments Company Limited KES 6 billion medium term note programme and on the issue and listing of a KES 4.2 billion medium term note programme.
• UAP Holdings Limited on its KES 2 billion note issuance.
• Real People Kenya Limited on its KES 5 billion medium term note programme.
• Commercial Bank of Africa Limited on its KES 8 billion medium term note with a green-shoe option of up to KES 2 billion.
• Britam Holdings Limited on its KES 6 billion medium term note programme.

Equity

• The cross listing of Bank of Kigali on the Nairobi Securities Exchange.
• Public Investment Corporation (of South Africa) on its participation in Kengen’s rump offering.
• The listing by introduction of Deacons Plc and Diageo Plc’s re-organisation of its shareholding in East Africa Breweries Limited.

• Employment Act – “At will” termination of probationary contracts is unconstitutional