East African Breweries Limited (EABL), one of East Africa’s most influential consumer goods companies, is entering a new era. This comes after its majority shareholder, Diageo, agreed to sell its entire 65% stake to Japan’s Asahi Group Holdings. The transaction was disclosed through a statutory public announcement and an accompanying EABL press release. It is among the region’s most significant cross-border investments in the beverages sector. This deal will see a major Japanese brewer take control of a leading African alcohol business. Who is buying and who is selling The seller is Diageo, the global beverages group behind brands such…
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The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Competition Commission has imposed a fine of USD 750,000 on global alcoholic beverages manufacturer Diageo Plc, the majority shareholder in East African Breweries Limited (EABL), for engaging in anti-competitive business practices across Uganda, Eswatini and Zambia. The ruling, contained in a 13-page decision issued on September 21, 2025, concluded that Diageo’s actions violated regional competition laws by restricting trade and distorting market dynamics within the COMESA region. The Commission’s decision follows a multi-year investigation into the company’s distribution and production agreements with local partners, which were found to contain clauses that…
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Bloomberg has reported that British multinational Diageo has appointed Bank of America and Goldman Sachs to oversee a review of its 65% stake in East African Breweries Limited (EABL). The…
East African Breweries Limited (EABL), one of the crown jewels in Kenya’s corporate sector, is now at the centre of market speculation following a broader strategic pivot by its parent company, Diageo PLC, which has been steadily retreating from several African markets. According to a report by Business Daily Africa, the British beverages giant on Tuesday unveiled a sweeping $500 million (KSh64.65 billion) cost-cutting and asset disposal programme as part of what it calls an “asset-light model,” a strategy designed to reduce exposure to volatility in emerging markets and boost returns. The Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed EABL, in which Diageo holds…
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East African Breweries Limited (EABL) has announced significant leadership changes, marking the return of two seasoned executives to pivotal roles within the company. Alvin Mbugua has been appointed as the General Manager of EABL Group’s Spirits Division effective September 2024. At the same time, Mark Mugisha Kivuna returns to Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) as the Head of Marketing and Innovations. Alvin Mbugua: A Proven Leader in Beverage Management Alvin Mbugua is a seasoned General Manager with over 17 years of experience spanning the oil and gas, logistics, and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sectors. He holds a Geospatial Engineering degree from…
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Despite a strong 16% growth in net sales in the first six months of EABL’s FY2024 (July -December 2023) compared to the same period in the prior year, East African Breweries PLC (EABL), the Diageo-owned alcoholic drinks giant, has reported a 22% decline in half-year after-tax profit. This, it attributed to macro-economic-driven cost inflation and rising finance costs. In the just released results, the company reported that its net sales went up by 16%, to Kshs 66.5 billion for the half year ended December 31, 2023, from KShs57.3 billion in a similar period in F23. “EABL’s half-year profit after tax…
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After doing what Uganda Breweries says is a “fantastic job leading the marketing team”, Emmy Hashakimana has been promoted to the role of Commercial Director. The new assignment is effective October 1st 2023. Prior to the promotion, Emmy has been the Marketing & Innovations Director since November 2020. According to an internal announcement this reporter has seen, the customer marketing function has also been transitioned from the marketing department to the sales department and will also report to the Commercial Director. A prolific and collaborative team leader, Emmy is hailed for “creating and executing a consumer-focused portfolio expansion strategy that…
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Sir Ivan Menezes the ‘Captain Morgan’ of the Diageo Plc ship has passed on, after a short illness. “This is an incredibly sad day. Ivan was undoubtedly one of the finest leaders of his generation,” said Javier Ferrán, Chairman, Diageo plc in a statement. “Ivan was there at the creation of Diageo and over 25 years, shaped Diageo to become one of the best performing, most trusted and respected consumer companies. I saw first-hand his steadfast commitment to our people and to creating a culture that enabled everyone to thrive. He invested his time and energy in people at every…
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Last week, East African Breweries Limited (EABL), the region’s leading branded alcohol beverage business and a subsidiary of Diageo, the global alcohol giant announced that it had appointed Felix Okoboi as an Independent Non-Executive Director. The appointment took effect on 30th May 2023. Although the announcement didn’t say, Felix is more or less, a replacement for Japheth Katto, who retired from the Board in February 2023, after 9 years of service. Felix joins Jimmy Mugerwa, another Ugandan Independent Non-Executive Director on the board. Uganda is the second biggest unit of EABL, contributing about 20% of the business, after Kenya which…
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Mark Ocitti Ongom, has been appointed, the Managing Director of Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) effective 1st March 2023. KBL is the largest of East African Breweries Limited (EABL) operations, accounting for 64% of the EABL business followed by Uganda which accounts for 20% and Tanzania, 16%. Mark is replacing John Musunga, who left KBL in October 2022 to join Guinness Nigeria, a Diageo subsidiary West Africa. John Musunga replaced Baker Magunda, another Ugandan, who retired from the group. Mark has been the Managing Director of Serengeti Breweries Ltd in Tanzania, where he will be replaced by one Dr. Obinna Anyalebechi,…
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