Kenya's Competition Authority has approved Diageo's sale of its 65 per cent stake in East African Breweries Plc (EABL) to Japan's Asahi Holdings.

• The deal is valued at $2.3 billion (approximately Sh297.39 billion).
• Key organizations involved are Diageo, Asahi Holdings, and East African Breweries Plc (EABL).
• The regulator directed EABL to reserve sufficient funds for outstanding liabilities and to allocate 20 per cent of its cooler space in retail outlets to competitors' drinks.

The Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) has greenlit Asahi Group Holdings Limited's acquisition of a 65 percent stake in East African Breweries Limited (EABL).

• The approval allows Asahi to gain sole control of Diageo Kenya Limited and UDV (Kenya) Limited.
• The CAK imposed conditions on the acquisition of Diageo Kenya to protect competition, including reserving 20 percent of refrigeration space for non-EABL/Asahi brands in retail outlets.
• This decision, made on September 11th, 2026, considered the impact on competition, small businesses, employment, and investment in Kenya.

Alcoholic brands from East African Breweries (EABL), Zheng Hong Kenya Limited, and Kenya Wines Limited (Kwal) are reportedly the most targeted by counterfeiters in Kenya, according to the Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA).

• 67 per cent of locally manufactured alcoholic drinks are counterfeited.
• The Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA), led by chief executive Robi King’a, is actively working with targeted companies.
• The ACA is collaborating with EABL, Zheng Hong Kenya Limited, and Kwal to detect and arrest counterfeit products.

The Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) has given conditional approval to Diageo's sale of a 65 percent stake in EABL to Asahi Group, removing the final regulatory obstacle.

• The merged entity must allocate 20 percent of its retail refrigerator space to rival brands.
• Key organizations involved are Diageo, EABL, Asahi Group, and the CAK.
• This condition addresses current EABL practice which prohibits rivals from using its fridges.