Category Archives: ICDCI

ICDCI now Centum Investments

name change
The former ICDCI will officially become Centum Investment Company Ltd. at the end of the month after the company’s AGM – ending years of confusion with ICDC – its former parent company.

Other than the name change, they are also adjusting their financial year end from June to March which means the year 2007-8 will end in March 08 – just 9 month long).

Last year was active for their investments, but the abbreviated year results could be badly hit by the post-election events. They had acquired shares in KQ, KPLC, Mumias, lightened on Eveready (largest shares block now KCB, Kenya Airways, EABL and Mumias) and sold off real estate (Kimathi House and Consulate Chambers) to improve liquidity. On the unlisted front, they acquired 10% of Rift Valley Railways (and will acquire another 10% from IFC over the next four years) and increased their stake in Kisii bottlers to 24% – so their unlisted portfolio is mainly two insurance and four coca cola bottling companies.

Bank for sale

The Government intends to sell a portion of Development Bank of Kenya (DBK) to a strategic investor.

The goverment, through ICDC owns 90% of the Bank which was almost merged with Housing Finance in 2005.

DBK is Kenya’s 34th largest bank with assets of Kshs. 3.9 billion ($55 million)

Economic Matrix


watch me inflate my salary while dodging taxes

This week has been spent learning the ropes of learning new core banking system. We are in a test module, posting transactions and simulating scenarios, testing what/if limits of the system. So I can award myself a seven digit salary increase, borrow ten times that amount, draw cheques, and even transfer funds from someone else’s account to repay my loan, all at the click of a button – a real Cool world.

This week our members of parliament gave us another bile inducing moment with yet another attempt to raise their salaries. These are people who live in an economic matrix where they believe that ordinary laws do not apply to them. They raise their own salaries (which other job can claim that?), pay a pittance in taxes, and are able to propose and play with myriad bills – that all concern other peoples money. From day one, when they blackmailed arm-twisted the then Finance Minister (2003) to increase their salaries they have been on a tear as the rest of the country watches. Now there’s a proposal to increased their number either through more constituencies or women seats. I’d like to see more women parliamentarians, but I believe i can already name most of the women MP’s who will sit in parliament next year – just add up all the defeated candidates and past women MP’s, and activists and you get an idea of the next group to get paid by the exchequer. As much as this parliament has accomplished – sexual offenses bill, CDF, education, health, anti-corruption etc. – this parliament will be remembered for salary increases and lack of quorum.

As a citizen, I applaud the economic gains made, but as a taxpayer I lament the waste that the increased tax collection has not been prudently applied. We don’t need more ministers or MP’s who live an economic matrix of their own.

Anyway, on to other news

Barclays
– has opened 32 branches since it’s change of direction last year
– You can pay for Kenya Re and other shares with Barclays Visa card at Sterling, Suntra, CFC, Ashbu and Discount stockbrokers.
– Barclays stretching personal loan repayments from 1 year to 5 years. This way, they will earn more money interest income while postponing some potentially bad debts (in duplum era) after co-op bank did the same earlier this year.

CFC has an arrangement with postal corporation of Kenya to enable people to buy shares at post offices throughout Kenya. This is the third major attempt to extend a stockbroker’s reach after Suntra/Postbank and K-Rep/Ngenye Kariuki partnerships.

Equity bank to take up 20% of housing finance. Spruce up on the banking act, as this is not a popular activity with the Central bank i.e. banks owning shares in other banks. Still, it’s amazing how many records Equity continues to break. Last year, they attained the billion shilling profit mark; this year, they achieved that in six months

ICDCI stock to watch according to bloggers – Fintrade Capital and Smart Biz Africa

National bank: Having sorted out its non performing debt problem, will it become a target for Stanbic again, after CFC merger is done? Also Equity is a long shot

NIC: In the week it was dropped from the 20 share index (in favor of ICDCI), it was also the best performing stock after announcing a rights issue and bonus share proposal . This former Barclays subsidiary has been the leading provider of asset finance to individuals and corporations in Kenya.

Other

Kenya Airways receives the first Embraer 170 LR(two more to follow) plane which will serve Zanzibar, Mombasa and Dar es Salaam routes.

Nation media group has had another record profit half year and an interim dividend of 3/= to be paid. They launched the business daily a few months ago, but could they be about to launch yet another newspaper in September?

It may be called the Daily Star, and will come a few months after Kiss FM’s Nairobi Star. Both Business daily and the Nairobi Star (where’s the John Githongo column and news website?)have faded somewhat from public presence of mind since their high profile launches. B-Daily is a great read online, and should remain so.

The Minister of Finance talks about having virtual meeting to cut costs – perhaps like Vodafone which has an AGM page with webcast and voting items online

Award opportunity
opportunity for 5 dynamic African companies from either Burundi Rwanda Tanzania Uganda or Kenya to earn up to $50,000.

Share splits continue

ICDCI formalized their share split yesterday as CMC also announced a 10 for 1 share split.

Pressure will continue to build on companies with high flying shares like BAT, Bamburi and Standard Chartered to follow Barclays, Sasini, and EA Cables in announcing share splits. Speculation about splits has also caught on at KPLC, Equity, NMG and Jubilee.

Oil
NOCK will acquire 45 service stations from Somken an independent Kenyan company which seems to be shifting its focus to oil exploration.

Jobs

AIG Kenya
– Consumer marketing manager
– Agency development manager
HR-kenya@aig.com by 26/1

Internal auditor at Care Kenya. apply to hrmanager@care.or.ke by 20/1

Project management office Director at the East African Tea Trade Association (EATTA) – Mombasa. Details here and deadline to info@eatta.co.ke is 22/1

Family finance: – Head of business development, branch business development managers (5), Credit officers (27), procurement officer. Apply online by 27/1

Executive director at Forum for Africa women educations Apply through KPMG by 31/1

Kenya commercial development foundation: Finance & investment manager, financial management accountant, grants management accountant, communications officer and interns. details here and deadline is by 26/1

Tsavo securities: Head of stock broking head of fixed income head of ICT and head of research as well as relationship managers apply through manpower associates

Following the recent government director on using chase cars to escort money to/from banks G4S/Securicor will hire over 800 new drivers

distributorships
For Celtel in Nairobi, Coast, Mt. Kenya, Western, Nyanza, Central & North rifts. Contact Kioi.e@ke.celtel.com

For Honda motorcycles in Kenya. Contact Takao_Ishizuka@hm.honda.co.jp

EADB Venture Capital

The East African Development Bank is proposing to set up a venture capital fund to invest between $100,000 to $1 million in companies who have turnover over $100,000 and are prepared to give the fund shares in exchange for capital invested. Expressions of interest to be sent to venturecapital@eadb.org

State of the VC

Is Kenya ready for VCs? Do we have the expertise and are they necessary?
The regulations for the VC industry are yet to be formalized and the Acacia Fund remains the only venture capital firm licensed by the CMA. But there are other players such as ICDCI, investment advisers, investment companies, and entities like Transcentury who can arrange equity-based financing for viable companies.

Given the archaic company laws and endless court processes, entrepreneurs in Kenya have to be very careful about who they let in as equity partners. They feel better off borrowing from a bank that they can pay off and walk away from after a while instead of having VC as partner/co-owner.

The VC route is more suitable for established companies who have a good long-term understanding of their requirements and the benefits that are offered by different equity partners.

A more viable, non-VC option for start-ups is the government’s proposed youth enterprise fund which was gazetted in December. (read more)