Category Archives: Homeboyz

Homeboyz Entertainment at the NSE

A peek at the prospectus of Homeboyz Entertainment that was released after their listing at the NSE

Monday, December 21 saw a brave move by Homeboyz Entertainment to list on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) by introduction. The Homeboyz board approved the listing on the growth enterprise markets segment (GEMS) of the NSE back in February 2020, just before Covid hit the entertainment industry and the company now projects a 68% decline in their business this year due to Covid.

With the listing of 63.2 million shares at Kshs 4.66 per share, the twenty-five-year-old company becomes the first pure entertainment company on the NSE. Homeboyz was one of the companies in the NSE’s Ibuka program which it joined in May 2019 and has now graduated from. The event comes a few days after the NSE and CMA approved the listing.

  • Ownership and management: Homeboyz share capital is Kshs 31.6 million divided into 63.2 million shares. Owners are Myke Rabar, the co-founder and CEO with 35.6 million shares (56.4%), Rose Maina, the finance and administration director, with 27.5 million shares (43.6%), and John Rabar 20,000 (0.03%). A debt owed to the directors of Kshs 11.6 million was converted to equity in a share split ahead of the listing in November 2020. The three are directors along with Humphrey Wattanga (Chairman), Joe Otin and Stephen Gugu and the firm has 55 employees.
  • Turnover in 2019 was Kshs 311 million and in 2018 it was Kshs 346 million.  Interestingly, a majority of their revenue comes from their soundtracks business (earn Kshs 120 – 130 million every year from Soundtraxx), while events management and equipment leasing have fluctuated as they are more competitive. The company had a pre-tax profit of Kshs 38.9 million in 2019 and in 2018 was a loss of 9.7 million.
  • Have recent contracts with the Kenya Revenue Authority, State House, Kenya Open Golf  Kenya Rugby League, Football Kenya Federation, Sports Loto, and E-Sport Kenya Federation. In the past, they have partnered with UK’s Tiger Aspect Production on Tinga Tinga Tales TV series and now have another deal with Warner Bros for a video game called Pamoja Mtaani. 
  • Their brands include Swype (a payment gateway), Homeboyz Aktivate (experiential marketing), Music Technology Academy (a school for DJs), Y-HUB (online learning) and Fixxit. They also partnered with Publicis Africa Group in 2016, one of the world’s largest communications agencies.
  • Directors have a similar shareholding in Homeboyz Holdings Ltd while at Homeboyz Radio 2017 Ltd, Radio Africa owns 51% of the radio business.
  • They bought a bottled water company for Kshs 100 million in 2009 and divested from it in 2011.
  • Bank at Habib Zurich, NCBA and Bank of Africa. Their main financing is now with Bank of Africa who Homeboyz have asset finance and overdraft facilities that are enjoying a Covid moratorium up to March 2021.
  • Listing fees are Kshs 9.1 million and include payments to the nominated advisor of Kshs 2.1 million (AIB-AXYS), transaction advisor 2.1M (Horizon Africa Capital), and legal advisor 2.8M (MMC Asafo). The auditor is Matengo & Associates.