Sr. Legal Counsel (Head of Legal-Kenya) and Trust Secretary to the BAT Kenya Provident Fund - British American Tobacco Kenya - Nairobi, Kenya
(2026-01)
- Heading the legal function within the Kenya market and providing strategic legal guidance to the leadership team of BAT Kenya which I am a member of
- Oversight over the internal governance and controls of the business, as a member of the Governance Committee
- Spearheading regulatory engagements with the Kenya Revenue Authority, the Competition Authority of Kenya, the Anti-Counterfeit Authority, the Retirement Benefits Authority, the Capital Markets Authority, the Nairobi Securities Exchange, and the Ministry of Health on proposed laws, governmental directives and matters generally pertaining to the business
- Business Partner to the Security and HR functions, and offering guidance on investigations, disciplinary processes, redundancy/ restructuring processes etc
- Business Partner to the procurement function, advising on legal watch outs in the competition regime. Member of the Tender Committee, which is tasked with overseeing sourcing processes
- Partnering with the Compliance Function in delivery of trainings on key compliance and regulatory risk areas
- Trust Secretary to the BAT Provident Fund. In this role I organize and conduct committee and board meetings, advise the board of trustees on governance and legal compliance, and act as a strategic legal advisor to the fund
- Acting as the point of contact for the external company secretary on all matters pertaining to the BAT Kenya listed and non-listed entities and offering support to the company secretary to ensure the entities comply with legal, and regulatory requirements and seamless planning of board meetings
- Overseeing statutory legal and compliance audits within the business
- Spearheading trainings on high legal risk areas and company policies
- Legal risk management within the business
- Management of ongoing litigation
- Management of the legal spend and budget
Legal Counsel Operations & Commercial, East and Southern Africa - British American Tobacco Kenya - Nairobi, Kenya
(2025-07 - 2025-12)
Providing legal support across operations and commercial matters for East and Southern Africa region.
- Trust Secretary to the BAT Provident Fund. In this role I organize and conduct committee and board meetings, advise the board of trustees on governance and legal compliance, and act as a strategic legal advisor to the fund
- Contract Counselling i.e. drafting, reviewing, negotiating and advising on issues arising from contract management
- Area Records and Information Manager. In this role, I oversee compliance with the Group's records management policy ensuring records are saved and retained in line with applicable laws. This includes offering guidance on retention and destruction of records to ensure compliance with statutory records retention requirements
- Offering legal support to respective departments within the business i.e. production, supply chain, IT, HR, finance, tax and compliance
- Data Protection Officer. In this role I offer legal support to the Group on data privacy compliance
- Offering legal guidance on employment matters (including matters affecting the unionised staff) on disciplinary, grievance, termination and performance management
- Spearheading engagement with regulators on matters affecting the operations i.e. KRA on excise stamps issues, Competition Authority of Kenya on arising matters, RBA on issues pertaining to the BAT provident fund
- Overseeing statutory legal and compliance audits within the business
- Legal risk management
- Management of ongoing litigation
- Overseeing land titling process for properties without titles and sale processes for properties earmarked for sale
Legal Counsel | Eastern, Central & Southern Africa Markets - Dalbit Petroleum Limited - East and Southern Africa
(2023-02 - 2025-06)
Supporting executive/commercial teams in formulating legal structures for commercial transactions across multiple African jurisdictions.
- Supporting the executive/commercial teams in formulating legal structures for commercial transactions
- Leading negotiations and discussions with regulatory bodies and counterparties with a view to protecting the interests of the Business and ensuring adherence to legal, regulatory, and compliance requirements, including licensing requirements in different jurisdictions
- Supporting the business in day-to-day contracting with transportation companies, suppliers, customers, contractors and other service providers i.e. petroleum businesses, landlords for premises, suppliers of petroleum product etc
- Liaising with the commercial team in collating KYC information for customers and coordinating KYC clearance processes
- Preparing board and shareholder resolutions and powers of attorney for underlying transactions
- Preparation of group policies i.e. on debt management, data privacy, gifts, anti-bribery etc
- Reviewing and negotiating facility/finance documents with customers (SBLCs and bank guarantees) and with financial institutions financing the Group's working capital requirements. Also assist in documentation for inter-company loans
- Undertaking legal due diligence and negotiation of transaction documents in investment transactions and mergers and acquisitions
- Supporting the business in renewing/procuring trading licences for entities within the petroleum business
- Spearheading market entry studies and advising on in-country compliance and business entry requirements as part of due diligence while contemplating new business ventures/markets
- Supporting the People and Culture department in resolving employment law-related queries, including reviewing employment contracts, staff handbooks, providing guidance on disciplinary processes, and termination of employment in accordance with in-country requirements in each jurisdiction
- Monitoring on a regular basis and advising the Business on any changes in legislation in each of the countries where the Business has or intends to start operations
- Supporting external legal counsel in prosecuting or defending any proceedings within the Business, including advising on settlement options and preparing settlement agreements
- Overseeing engagements being undertaken by external counsel in each of the jurisdictions and reviewing documents prepared by external counsels to align them with business objectives and instructions
- Providing legal reporting to the Company's board of directors and executive management on a quarterly basis and on a need-to-know basis for arising matters and high-level transactions
- Formulating the annual legal objectives in line with annual business objectives and curating the legal budget
- Managing the legal budget i.e. monitoring costs and overseeing onboarding of external counsels in each jurisdiction
- Custodian and management of legal documents
- Organizing legal compliance trainings with the commercial teams
Senior Associate - Corporate, Commercial and Real Estate Department - Dentons Hamilton Harrison and Mathews Advocates - Nairobi, Kenya
(2022-01 - 2023-02)
Providing legal services in corporate, commercial, and real estate matters for a tier 1 international law firm.
- Representing clients on competition law related-enquiries
- Representing clients in M&A transactions, preparing red flag and full due diligence reports, negotiating transaction documents and attending to completion and post-completion matters
- Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex commercial agreements and contracts such as joint ventures, service agreements and consultancy contracts
- Advising clients on employment and labour law matters, including drafting and reviewing employment contracts, human resource policies, and staff handbooks; advising clients on the transfer of employees during mergers and acquisitions, as well as advising on disciplinary processes, termination of employment, and redundancies, etc
- Preparation of policies for clients i.e. HR policies, anti-money laundering and anti-corruption policies etc
- Drafting, reviewing, and perfecting security documents in individual security transactions and projects
- Providing legal advice in real estate and construction projects, including structuring advice, undertaking property due diligence, and drafting, reviewing, and negotiating transaction documents like development agreements, leases, and agreements for sale/lease
Associate - Corporate, Commercial and Real Estate Department - Dentons Hamilton Harrison and Mathews Advocates - Nairobi, Kenya
(2017-10 - 2021-12)
Providing legal services in corporate, commercial, and real estate matters.
- Conducted legal due diligence in M&A transactions, prepared red flag and full due diligence reports, drafted and negotiated transaction documents and attended to completion and post-completion matters
- Preparation of policies for clients i.e. HR policies, anti-money laundering and anti-corruption policies etc
- Advised clients on employment and labour law matters i.e. advising on redundancies, termination for misconduct, poor performance and management of disciplinary processes
- Drafted, reviewed, and negotiated commercial agreements and contracts on behalf of clients
- Prepared company secretarial documentation (annual returns, minutes, board and shareholder resolutions, forms to effect changes in directorships and shareholding)
- Drafted, reviewed, and perfected security documents
- Provided legal advice in real estate and construction projects, including structuring advice, undertaking property due diligence, drafting, reviewing, and negotiating transaction documents, and overseeing registration at the respective registries (where applicable)
Associate – Corporate and Commercial Department - Bowmans Kenya - Nairobi, Kenya
(2017-01 - 2017-08)
Providing legal services in corporate and commercial matters for a tier 1 international law firm.
- Prepared company secretarial documentation (annual returns, minutes, board and shareholder resolutions, forms to effect changes in directorships and shareholding)
- Advised clients on licensing requirements and liaised with regulatory authorities on their behalf
- Prepared merger notifications and exclusion applications for filing with the Competition Authority of Kenya
- Conducted legal due diligence in M&A transactions, prepared red flag and full due diligence reports, drafted and negotiated transaction documents (Share Purchase Agreements, Business and Assets Transfer Agreements), and attended to completion and post-completion matters
Lawyer - Bowmans Kenya - Nairobi, Kenya
(2016-01 - 2016-12)
Providing legal services across corporate, commercial, and intellectual property matters.
- Prepared company secretarial documentation (annual returns, minutes, board and shareholder resolutions, forms to effect changes in directorships and shareholding)
- Advised clients on licensing requirements and liaised with regulatory authorities on their behalf
- Prepared merger notifications and exclusion applications for filing with the Competition Authority of Kenya
- Conducted legal due diligence in M&A transactions, prepared red flag and full due diligence reports, drafted and negotiated transaction documents (Share Purchase Agreements, Business and Assets Transfer Agreements), and attended to completion and post-completion matters
- Prepared trademark opposition/expungement applications
- Prepared domain name dispute applications for filing with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
- Prepared legal opinions on employment law matters
Legal Assistant - Mboya Wangong'u & Waiyaki Advocates - Nairobi, Kenya
(2014-08 - 2015-12)
Providing legal assistance across various practice areas.
- Prepared company secretarial documentation (annual returns, minutes, board and shareholder resolutions, forms to effect changes in directorships and shareholding)
- Registration of trademarks
- Incorporation of companies
- Assisted in real estate transactions
- Prepared legal opinions on employment law matters
