The Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) has fined Directline Assurance Company Limited 85 million Kenyan Shillings for abusing its buyer power against two Nairobi-based small motor vehicle repair firms, Kilele Motors Limited and Midland Autocare Limited.

• Directline Assurance Company Limited was fined 85 million Kenyan Shillings by the CAK.
• The Regulator found Directline Assurance guilty of delaying payments to Kilele Motors Limited and Midland Autocare Limited for services rendered in 2023 and 2024.
• Directline owed Midland Autocare Limited 4.7 million Kenyan Shillings and Kilele Motors Limited 1.3 million Kenyan Shillings.
• In addition to the fine, Directline must clear outstanding payments, revise contracts to include interest on late payments, and cease violating the Competition Act.

A coalition of 15 petitioners, including smallholder farmers and Greenpeace Africa, have filed an appeal against a High Court decision that overturned significant sections of Kenya's Seed and Plant Varieties Act. The petitioners argue that the previous ruling, which allowed farmers to freely exchange unregistered seeds, misinterpreted constitutional rights and negatively impacts farmer autonomy.

• The appeal challenges Sections 3A, 8A, 10(4), 20(1) and 20(1E) of the Act, along with the Seed and Plant Varieties (Seeds) Regulations, 2016.
• Key organizations involved are smallholder farmers and Greenpeace Africa.
• The original High Court ruling, delivered on November 28 by Justice Rhoda Rutto, had nullified provisions restricting seed saving and handling.

Diamond Trust Bank (DTB) Kenya and its Uganda subsidiary have been fined a combined Sh500,000 for breaching Kenya's Data Protection Act, 2019. The ruling by the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) follows a complaint regarding mishandling of customer data.

• The banks were ordered to pay Sh250,000 each to the complainant, Aaditi Rajput.
• The Data Commissioner, Immaculate Kassait, emphasized that this ruling sets a precedent for accountability in Kenya’s financial sector.
• DTB Kenya failed to verify an account before activating a "Do Not Contact" request, while DTB Uganda linked the complainant’s account to a third party without consent, violating data accuracy and privacy principles.