Desterio Oyatsi: Billionaire Lawyer With a Ksh 1.8 Billion Stake at NCBA

In summary

-Oyatsi has been a lawyer for over 40 years and is the Deputy Group Chair of NCBA where he has 21.7 million shares valued at around Ksh 1.8 billion.

Desterio Oyatsi is a man who has built his empire through the sharp knitting of legal and business acumen.

Legal Career 

Oyatsi studied law at Oxford University then proceeded to Kenya School of Law for his postgraduate diploma. For over four decades, he has served as an advocate of the high court, and is a managing partner at Shapley Barret & Co. Advocates. It is among the oldest law firms in Kenya.

Oyatsi represented former President Uhuru Kenyatta at the Hague. When serving as the Deputy Prime Minister, Uhuru also tasked Oyatsi with suing the Star Newspaper for alleged defamation.

Mining, Banking & Hospitality interests

Oyatsi has accumulated his wealth through lucrative corporate interests.

Between 1998 and 2002, he served as the director for the Capital Markets Authority where he was tasked with laying the regulatory framework. At the same time, he worked as the director for Telkom Kenya and a commissioner for Kenya Law Reform Commission.

He also served in the Kenol Kobil board and worked as the chairman of the Commercial Bank of Africa between 2012 and 2020.

Currently, Oyatsi chairs the Base Titanium Limited, the country’s largest mining project. He was pivotal in initial negotiations and resettlement that paved way for the project. This underscored his skills in community interests’ advocacy in such sensitive projects where deadly disputes have previously prevented implementation of such ventures.

Oyatsi plays a leading role at Musiara Limited, part of Wilderness Holdings, which manages high-end safari properties.

As a man who wears many hats, he serves as the Deputy Group Chair of NCBA where he has 21.7 million shares valued at around Ksh 1.8 billion.