Kenya: Uchumi Monitor Says New Branches Opened Without His Approval

What the report says

Kenyan retailer Uchumi Supermarkets is facing fresh governance scrutiny after the court-appointed monitor for its Company Voluntary Arrangement said the firm opened new branches without his knowledge or approval. The concern was raised in testimony before Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee in Nairobi, according to Capital FM, which reported the matter via AllAfrica.

The monitor, Owen Koimburi Njenga, said the company had opened outlets at Unicity Mall along Thika Road and in Kitengela. He argued that the expansion should have required joint approval under a March 2025 creditor resolution before surplus cash was used. Njenga said he was not informed about the financing of either branch and that his approval was not sought.

The issue comes as former employees continue pursuing unpaid salary arrears and terminal benefits. Njenga told lawmakers that most of the salary arrears covered by the revised CVA had been paid, but broader staff-related claims remain listed among Uchumi’s overall creditor obligations. He also flagged other restructuring concerns, including questions about expired timelines, changes to debt conversion terms, and incomplete disclosures in the implementation process.

Njenga said the matters did not, on the information available to him, amount to criminal conduct, but they point to weaknesses in oversight as Uchumi works through its restructuring. The committee is expected to review updated creditor records and progress on the CVA.