By Prudence Minayo
Kenya is home to some of the most profitable companies in sub Saharan Africa and Africa by extension. These companies have annual revenue amounting to billions of shillings and have created employment for thousands of people in Kenya and the East African region.
Below is a list of ten richest companies in Kenya in 2021.
Safaricom PLC
This is the largest telcos in Kenya and one of the most profitable in the region with a market share of approximately 64.5% of the Kenyan market as at 2020. It has an estimated subscriber base of 35.6 million.
Founded in 1996 as a fully owned subsidiary of Telkom Kenya, Vodafone Group PLC acquired 40% stake in 2000 and management responsibility for the company. In 2007, the government offered 25% shares to the public through the Nairobi Security Exchange.
Safaricom offers mobile telephony, money transfer, consumer electronics, ecommerce, cloud computing, data , music streaming among other services.
It was ranked as Africa’s best employer, 67th in the world by Forbes Global 200 List of World’s Best Employers.
East Africa Breweries Limited (EABL)
EABL was started as Kenya Breweries Limited in 1922 before extending its tentacles to Tanzania and Uganda. It manufactures branded beer, spirits, and non-alcoholic beverages. The headquarters are located in Nairobi, Kenya with subsidiaries in Uganda, Tanzania and South Sudan . It also has distribution partners in Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
The group’s largest shareholders is Diageo PLC. It is listed on Nairobi Stock Exchange, Uganda Securities Exchange, and Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange.
Nation Media Group
Founded in 1959, Nation Media Group is considered the largest private media house in East and Central Africa with offices in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. In 1999, it launched NTV and Easy FM.
Total Kenya Limited
Total Kenya Limited is very popular with motorists in Kenya thanks to quality services they offer customer and few cases of unadulterated fuel. Total Kenya, part of Total Group, is involved in the exploration and production, refining and marketing of oil products and has made headways in the chemical market.
It was first registered in Kenya in 1955 with official operations commencing in 1959.
Equity Bank
The bank has grown over the years to become a market leader in the finance sector. Having started at Equity Building Society (EBS) in 1984 primarily to provide mortgage financing for the majority low income earners, the financial institution morphed into a micro-finance and then a commercial bank after many hurdles.
Equity Bank has 9 million plus customers in Kenya making it one of the largest banks in Africa by customer base. The bank has subsidiaries in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and South Sudan.
Royal Media Services
Royal Media Services (RMS) is the largest and most successful media house in Kenya. It has two TV stations (Citizen TV and Inooro TV) with rumors rife that Ramogi TV is in the works. Apart from TV, RMS has 14 radio radio stations, 12 are in vernacular languages to cater for every market. The station also has a Video on Demand Platform called Viusasa.
The radio under RMS are- Radio Citizen, Ramogi FM, Musyi FM, Sulwe FM, Hot 96, Vuuka FM, Chamgei FM, Mulembe FM, Egesa FM, Bahari FM and Muuga FM.
The media house attracts the largest viewers and offers a variety of entertaining shows.
Also Read: SK Macharia Biography, Career, Family And Property Row With Grandson
BAT Kenya (British American Tobacco)
BAT Kenya is a leading multi-category consumer goods business. It opened its doors to the Kenyan market in 1907 and was registered to the Nairobi Securities Exchange in 1969. The major consumer good by BAT is cigarettes and it is the second biggest cigarette marker in the world as of 2012.
Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB)
This is a financial service provider licensed as a commercial bank, by the Central Bank of Kenya and the National Banking Regulation. As of December 2015, it was the largest commercial bank in Kenya in terms of assets and customers deposits.
In 2016, KCB Group PLC was registered as a non-operating holding company to manage and oversee all KCB regional units in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, Burundi and Ethiopia.
Also Read: KCB CEO Joshua Oigara Biography, Age and Family, Education, Positions, Salary and Net Worth
Bamburi Cement
This is an industrial company focusing on cement and concrete. Its headquarters are in Nairobi with major operations happening in Mombasa’s Bamburi suburb. It is the largest manufacturer of cement in Eastern Africa, with its cement plant in Mombasa being the second largest in sub Saharan Africa. As of December 2015, the company’s total assets were valued at US$420 million, with shareholders equity of about US$297 million.
The company was founded in 1951 by Felix Mandi as a partnership between Cementia Holding and Blue Circle in British Kenya.
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)
PwC is the second largest professional services network in the world and banded among the Big Four accounting firms alongside Deloitte, EY and KPMG. PwC Kenya offers services ranging from auditing, taxation, management consulting, legal services, assurance and corporate finance.
