Enter Kenya.
Structure the deal.
Protect the capital.

In many sectors, foreign investors can own 100% of a Kenyan company. Certain regulated or restricted sectors have specific ownership, local-participation, licensing or approval rules. WKA first checks the intended activity and ownership structure before incorporation.

Both may be available. The decision depends on liability separation, contracting, tax, capital and operational needs, shareholder governance and the regulatory environment. WKA prepares a comparative entry-structure assessment and supports registration with the Business Registration Service.

Typically, you need proposed company names, the proposed business activities, ownership and share-capital details, directors’ and shareholders’ particulars and identity documents, the registered office details, applicable beneficial-ownership disclosures and, where needed, early planning for account-opening and operational onboarding. BRS prescribes incorporation forms and may seek further documents; foreign company registration has a distinct document set. We provide a tailored checklist.

A registered office is the company’s official address for service of notices and maintenance of core statutory records. A Kenyan company is generally expected to maintain a registered office in Kenya. WKA can guide on the legal and practical implications of the address you intend to use at incorporation and afterwards.

Much of the formation and document-preparation work can be handled remotely, subject to identity, signature, registry and client-verification requirements. Immigration, bank onboarding and some registrations may require personal participation or additional in-country steps.

A share subscription agreement documents the investment into newly issued shares, typically including conditions precedent, payment mechanics, warranties and completion obligations. A shareholders agreement governs the continuing relationship between shareholders, including board control, reserved matters, information rights, transfer restrictions and exits. Transactions may require both.

Protections may include reserved matters, board or observer seats, consent rights, information and inspection rights, anti-dilution mechanisms where negotiated, restrictions on related-party transactions, pre-emption and tag-along rights, together with dispute-resolution and exit provisions. The structure must fit Kenyan company law and the specific deal.

Yes. Work may include legal due diligence on corporate records, contracts, assets, disputes, compliance and regulatory issues; drafting and negotiating share purchase agreements, subscription documents, joint venture terms and ancillary agreements; and planning completion, filings and post-acquisition integration.

That depends on the precise business model. Payments, credit, investment products, virtual assets, insurance and public capital-markets activity may be subject to different regulators, including CBK, CMA and others. WKA can perform a regulatory-perimeter review and prepare an authorisation roadmap. A company incorporation certificate alone is not permission to carry on a regulated activity.

WKA can assess a defined transaction or legal question and prepare a reasoned Kenyan-law opinion within an agreed scope, covering matters such as corporate authority, enforceability, security, regulatory compliance or transaction structure, subject to adequate documentary review and customary qualifications.

A Kenyan operating business generally needs its appropriate KRA PIN and must determine relevant obligations such as corporation tax, PAYE, VAT, withholding taxes, transfer-pricing documentation where applicable, and other sector or transaction-specific taxes. WKA helps coordinate legal structuring and tax-adviser input where specialist tax advice is needed.

Yes, subject to eligibility. WKA can advise on appropriate immigration pathways, including employment and investor permit classes, dependant passes and immigration compliance, coordinating this with the company’s formation and HR plans. No single permit or timing is automatic.

Not generally. Depending on the operating model, an office or business address may be required without purchasing land. Where acquisition is commercially sensible, WKA can coordinate independent title due diligence, documentation and completion through its Buy Property in Kenya service.

Yes. WKA offers commercial debt recovery, contractual enforcement and contentious corporate support, including pre-action demands, settlement strategy, litigation and alternative dispute resolution. Early contract drafting can also reduce later enforcement risk.

Yes. Subject to engagement scope, WKA can support board governance, registry changes, share transfers and allotments, contract review, employment issues, corporate housekeeping, periodic risk reviews, renewals and dispute prevention.

WKA scopes high-value matters according to complexity, urgency, document volume, regulatory demands and exposure. We can propose a defined-fee phase for entry due diligence or specific agreements, with separate pricing for larger negotiations, regulatory applications and contentious work. Request an initial scoping call.