Table of Contents
Key Points
- Kenyatta family earned up to $22 million in 2022 alone from land and sand deals during Nairobi Expressway’s $682 million construction.
- Kenya’s tax authority is probing $7.7 million in dividends linked to the project through shell firms tied to the family.
- Disclosures show Enke Investments Ltd, owned by Kenyattas, was the real beneficiary behind Edge Worth Properties’ expressway deals.
Weeks after it emerged that the Kenyatta family’s stake in NCBA Group—Kenya’s fourth-largest bank—had crossed the $100 million mark, fresh details have surfaced showing how the family quietly earned millions during the construction of the Nairobi Expressway.
The 17-mile toll road, connecting Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Nairobi’s Westlands area, has often been hailed as a sign of national progress. But behind the scenes, Kenya’s most prominent landowning family was doing more than cheering it on, they were profiting from it.
According to new findings, the Kenyattas provided both land and sand for the Ksh88 billion ($682 million) expressway through a web of shell companies. For a while, this remained under wraps. But that changed when the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) got involved.
Through a review of financial records, KRA discovered that the family, operating through proxies and corporate vehicles, could have earned between Ksh1.8 billion ($14 million) and Ksh2.8 billion ($22 million) from the project in 2022 alone.
KRA probes $7.7 million dividend flow
Edge Worth Properties, one of the firms tied to the deal, came under scrutiny when KRA reviewed its financials covering 2018 to 2022. In July 2024, the agency demanded Ksh249.2 million ($1.93 million) in unpaid taxes. Among the red flags: questionable land-leveling expenses and what looked like interest-free loans to its only listed shareholder.
But the real turning point came when KRA sought to tax Ksh1 billion ($7.7 million) in dividends declared in 2022. On paper, those dividends went to a woman named Rose Wamaitha Ng’ote, who was registered as the sole shareholder. That prompted the taxman to pursue her.
To push back, Edge Worth Properties had to lift the lid. On Aug. 23, 2024, it filed a case at the Tax Appeals Tribunal, disclosing that Ng’ote wasn’t the true beneficiary. She was simply holding the shares in trust for Enke Investments Ltd—the Kenyatta family’s main investment vehicle.
Inside Kenyattas’ hidden infrastructure gains
This revelation stood in stark contrast to a speech given by former President Uhuru Kenyatta on Dec. 12, 2019. In his Jamhuri Day address, he publicly condemned public officials who used government projects for personal enrichment. He even instructed then Attorney-General Paul Kihara Kariuki to draft a Conflict of Interest Bill, promising it would block government officials and their relatives from securing business with the state.
Just over a year later, while construction of the Nairobi Expressway, was in full swing, his own family was securing a slice of the pie. On Mar. 26, 2021, Rose Ng’ote officially became the sole owner of Edge Worth Properties, replacing Ropat Trust Company Ltd. The timing raised eyebrows: the expressway project was moving fast, and contracts were being handed out.
Soon after Ng’ote’s appointment, Edge Worth Properties entered into a business deal with Cale Infrastructure Construction Company Ltd, the Chinese contractor building the road. During tribunal proceedings, the company confirmed what many had long suspected: Ng’ote was just a nominee. The real owner was Enke Investments Ltd, the Kenyatta family’s key investment arm.
That admission pulled back the curtain on a corporate setup that’s been in place for decades. Enke Investments Ltd, founded in 1989, is jointly owned by former First Lady Mama Ngina Kenyatta, her son Muhoho Kenyatta, and Goodison Trust Corporation, each holding 1.33 million shares. It sits at the center of the Kenyattas’ sprawling business empire.
Inside the Kenyatta family empire
The disclosure comes as the family’s 13.2 percent stake in NCBA Group is valued at roughly $103 million, reinforcing their place among Kenya’s wealthiest. But banking is just one part of the story. The Kenyattas have interests in everything from agribusiness and real estate to media and hospitality—an approach that has helped them maintain their influence across the region.
Mama Ngina Kenyatta remains deeply involved in the family’s affairs. The Kenyattas control over 500,000 acres of land nationwide and own Brookside Dairy, which supplies around 60 percent of Kenya’s milk.
In media, they run Mediamax Network Ltd, home to K24 TV and The People Daily. One of their most ambitious ventures, Northlands City, aims to transform a massive section of Nairobi’s outskirts into a modern mixed-use development.
