Doing business in Kenya is no walk in the park, and 2024 has been an especially challenging year. Purchasing power has significantly declined as the Kenya Kwanza government introduced new taxes that have cut deeply into Kenyan salaries.
WoK takes a look at some celebrities and politicians whose properties were auctioned.
Betty Kyallo
TV47 news anchor Betty Kyalo has had a rather chequered journey in the world of entrepreneurship. Her much-hyped beauty salon, Flair by Betty, was auctioned after she fell behind on rent payments. A notice on local dailies by Keysian Auctioneers listed massage tables, barber seats, CCTV cameras, coffee maker and fridge among the items to go under the hammer.
David ‘Tosh’ Gitonga
The celebrated filmmaker, best known for the highly acclaimed Nairobi Half Life, had a year to forget after auctioneers attached his Primary Pictures Ltd office to settle a court-ordered award to German editor Christian Kramer. The filmmaker failed to pay Kramer Ksh678,403 that rose to Ksh985,884 for a Netflix project titled Volume.
Interfiled Auctioneers served Tosh with a 7-day proclamation notice and listed various office assets, including furniture, electronics, and equipment, to recover the amount. The auctioneers also charged Tosh Sh207,800 for their services.
Susan Kaittany
She was on the verge of being auctioned over a Ksh45,500 debt she owed Stephen Murithi Mutua, the sole proprietor of Blueberry Africa. Auctioneers attached assets of her Posh Palace Hair Studio and Spa to recover the debt. She averted the crisis at the last minute when she cleared the debt.
Karen Nyamu
The nominated senator is no stranger to scandals, often making headlines for all the wrong reasons. She recently found herself in the spotlight of auctioneers after failing to pay Ksh 1.25 million in rent. Police officers were spotted accompanying auctioneers to her residence to cart away household items over the arrears.
Other prominent personalities who are facing the auctioneer axe include former Yatta Member of Parliament Charles Mutavi Kilonzo and Naomi Shaban.