Anjarwalla & Khanna

Managing Partner: Karim S Anjarwalla
Number of partners/directors: 15
Number of lawyers: 109
Number of dual qualified lawyers: 6
Languages: English, French, Spanish, Japanese, Gujarati, Kiswahili, Urdu

Firm Overview:
A&K is generally considered one of the leading corporate law firms in Kenya, and is the largest full-service corporate law firm in East Africa with over 100 lawyers. The firm has developed specialist expertise in various practice areas. A&K is the founding member of ALN, an alliance of leading corporate law firms currently in fifteen key African jurisdictions and the UAE. A&K operates Africa-wide, handling deals in several countries across Africa, both in its own capacity and in collaboration with ALN firms across the continent. In 2019, A&K won Large Law Firm of the Year Award by Law Society of Kenya Nairobi Branch. In 2018, A&K won Kenya Law Firm of the Year Award by Chambers and Partners, Best Legal Advisor by EAVCA, Best Legal Transaction Advisor by Think Business Investment Awards, and M&A Team of the Year by Legal Week at the Africa Legal Awards where the firm has won African Law Firm of the Year-Large practice four times since the awards were launched in 2013 - as well as the Law Firm Innovation Award in 2017.

Main Areas of Practice:

Banking & Finance:
■ Acting for the National Government of Kenya in connection with the issue of a USD 2.5 billion sovereign bond
■ Acting for the senior lenders of Nakumatt in connection with their position as creditors and recovery options available on the backdrop of Nakumatt’s financial distress
■ Acting as lead transaction counsel for Acorn as the Issuer and Stanbic Bank Kenya and SBG Securities, the lead arrangers, in connection with a USD 50 million MTN programme for several proposed purpose-built student housing by Acorn Holdings

Corporate M&A & Private Equity:
■ Acting as lead counsel for Equity Group Holdings in connection with the acquisition of a 62% share of Banque Populaire du Rwanda and 100% of African Banking Corporation in Zambia, Tanzania and Mozambique from Atlas Mara through a share swap, and a subsequent merger of banking entities in Rwanda and Tanzania
■ Acting for Helios Investment Partners and Telkom Kenya (TKL) in connection with the merger of Airtel Networks Kenya (Airtel) and TKL
■ Acting for Bharti Airtel International (Netherlands), as the lead Africa legal adviser coordinating the due diligence process, transaction, regulatory (telecom and mobile money) and competition advice over 14 jurisdictions in Africa in connection with a USD 1.25 billion investment in a newly formed holding company Airtel Africa by six leading global investors

Capital Markets:
■ Acting for Vivo Energy, Vivo Energy Holding and Vivo Energy Kenya in connection with Vivo Energy’s admission of its shares in UK
■ Acting for IFC in connection with a ‘first-of-its-kind’ forestry bond that allowed investors to be paid wing funds generated from carbon credits
■ Acting for Liquid Telecommunications Finance in connection with a proposed high-yield bond transaction Competition
■ Acting for Kiboko Holdings in connection with reviewing the applications for anti-trust approvals from the Fair Competition Commission, COMESA Competition Commission and the Kenyan Competition Authority in relation to the exit of AfricInvest Capital Partners and acquisition by the Carlyle Group, of a majority of the issued share capital in AK Life Sciences, a subsidiary of Kiboko Holdings
■ Advising Société BIC S.A. in connection with obtaining competition approvals from the Competition Authority of Kenya on their termination of the franchise agreement with Haco Industries Kenya

Projects & Infrastructure:
■ Acting as lead counsel for Berkeley Energy in connection with its proposed acquisition of seven power generation and development assets from Tozzi Renewable Energy in Madagascar
■ Advising Bechtel in connection with the proposed construction and development of the Nairobi – Mombasa Expressway
■ Acting for the sponsors on three separate geothermal power projects in Menengai, Kenya which in the aggregate will generate 105MW
■ Acting for Actis and Craftskills in connection with the 100MW wind powered generation facility in Kipeto, Kajiado, the second largest wind project in Kenya

Dispute Resolution:
■ Acting for Heineken Group in connection with a disputed termination of distribution agreements
■ Acting for one of the largest privately owned security services companies in connection with two post-acquisition disputes filed before tribunals appointed by the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA)

Real Estate & Construction:
■ Acting for AVIC International Real Estate Kenya in connection with its development of a mixed-use development comprising of one of the tallest office blocks in Kenya
■ Acting for Actis in connection with their partnership with Improvon Group for the development of an A – Grade product-specific warehouse and distribution park, on a 103-acre piece of land
■ Acting for the lead sponsor in connection with the development of police accommodation and ancillary facilities for the Government of Kenya under the Public Private Partnerships Act

Intellectual Property:
■ Acting for INEOS Automotive in connection with the filing and prosecution of trade mark opposition proceedings against two 3D trade mark applications filed by Jaguar Land Rover
■ Acting for OLA Energy Kenya in connection with OLA’s industrial design for its engine oil container packaging and their industrial design portfolio

Employment:
■ Successfully acting for Kenya Airways (KQ) in connection with a strike threatened by the Kenya Aviation Workers Union on the inaugural direct flight from Nairobi to New York as well as on a suit before the Employment and Labour Relations Court against Kenya Aviation Workers Union challenging an illegal threatened industrial action
■ Acting for British American Tobacco Kenya in connection with the review of their employment documents with a view to determining whether BAT had complied with the general employment legislation in Kenya in relation to a mandatory Legal & Compliance Audit

Tax:
■ Advising Google in connection with its defence against the Kenya Revenue Authority’s decision to refuse a VAT refund on the exportation of intercompany services between its Kenya and Ireland offices
■ Advising Vodacom Group and Safaricom in connection with various tax matters in relation to their acquisition of the M-PESA pan-African money payments system