Transcentury Vs Centum....politics and multi billion deals

As the hekaya is narrated that this firm (Transcentury’s)was formed by a group of like minded business people each contributing a million bob in 1998 bla bla bla …anyway… Soon after the Kibaki government took power this group was all over the place striking mega investment deals sijui Kenya power, ken gen, safaricom,real estate,manufacturing,stock market…every day Transcententury was in every business story…( I know many of you bought shares)…with its billionaire chairman Eddy Njoroge, zeph Mbugua,Munga etc…come 2012 exit Kibaki and its all gloom…billion dollar loss on sale of RvR shares…share price come tumbling down…buyout of civicon to get a piece of action in infrastructure projects…investment in electricity generation yet to bear fruit…

Well in 1967 ICDCI was incorporated as an affiliate of the Kenyan government-owned Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation (ICDC) with a seed capital of USD 26,000 and named Industrial Commercial Development Corporation Investment (ICDCI). In the same year, it was listed on the then Nairobi Stock Exchange…then strange things happened ICDC sold its shares and ceded management control and one Chris Kirubi bought the majority stake and became chair…well apart from its investment in in Uchumi it was relatively unheard offs and rarely in the Media…then BOOM comes the Jubilee govenment…and Centum/Kirubi is the new kid on the block…bagging coal mining deals in kitui…port projects in lamu…2 rivers mall…etc etc

Are this two firms destiny linked to the political class of the day/ past…is this a convergence of politics and big business…Your take?

Both firms are led by young CEO’s barely in their mid 30’s…Transcentury’s Dr Gachao Kiuna …and Centum’s James Mworia…

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I don’t know much about Transcentury but I know Centum has been built over a long period of time but is only coming to the fore after being eclipsed by other bigger successes, read Equity, Family Bank… It was very smart of Kirubi to Identify Mworia, a very brilliant individual, groom him over the years in the company as the Chief Financial Analyst and later CEO. He has been instrumental in diversifying the company’s portfolio from mainly investing in other companies to making direct investments in real estate and now its paying off. Off-course Kirubi is trying to use his influence to muscle Centum in government dealings such as the coal and port deals which might just be the undoing of Centum.

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Informative piece.Obviously its pretty clear that the two firms successes are directly related to the government of the day.so which firm benefited under Moi’s 24yr tenure?

Civicon has been bagging deals left and right recently and is the only formidable revenue stream for transcentury and I am expecting trans to return to profitability soon. Trans failed to align itself with the new government thinking of it was more of an extension to the old and was caught pants down…Its shareholders have been quick to dispose their shares and majority of them have bought into Centum. Kirubi (though I hate the guy) is a brilliant businessman who pays the best brains to nitpick opportunities that are in existence and look where that has got him and centum. The centum share is a buy for me.

Just read on the news today that Mworia is now the the fourth largest individual shareholder after upping his stake…

Civicon ndio hata walijenga that new entrance ya JKIA…lakini they bagged the contract b4 Transcentury had bought it out…it used to be owned by some jungu family

Moi was very crafty…rarely did he use indigenous kenyans to front for his companies…he used asians, arabs and jungus…

Yeah…just political connections…sometime back Mworia was in Transcentury…Investment officer or something. …looks like he really is Midas

Are you sure that he ever worked at Transcentury??

Very…

ok, you are right. He did work there

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Just thinking Transcentury disposal of RVR shares is a good idea even though the loss…new railway would have hit their bottomline

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Yeah ditching those shares when SGR still seemed like a pipedream was a good move.

http://www.howwemadeitinafrica.com/how-kenyas-james-mworia-rose-from-intern-to-ceo-in-seven-years/51192/

The story of this guy is like those in the movies! Brilliant sharp mind right there

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Well spotted @msalame grace

It is the story of the male lion for this politically correct investment companies. Once the prime time is over(read change of governments), they starve and lose their identity.

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But this will change. Once this notion of tenderpreneuring and it’s our time to eat is rooted out by this generation, we can have a more flat footed business environment. The question would be though, what if the business leaders are the ones fronting political officers. Like the Democrats in USA?

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More often than not, the situation you foresee happens.