Bowman Gilfillan Africa Group (BGAG) member firms Coulson Harney and East Africa Law Chambers (EALC) have announced a serires of senior lateral hires.
In Kenya, Coulson Harney raided rival firm Daly & Figgis for a team of four lawyers comprising litigation partners Evans Monari, Anthony Njogu and Sean Omondi and corporate commercial partner Njau Mukuha. On the transactional side, in 2012-13 Mukuha was one of the partners that led the Daly & Figgis' team alongside Herbert Smith Freehills to advise Kinangop Wind Park on the structuring and financing for the 60.08MW wind farm. Funding for the project came from Standard Bank of South Africa, Norfund and the Africa Infrastructure Investment Fund.
The move is by no means isolated and comes in a wave of consolidation and expansion in the Kenyan market. In September 2014 Hamilton Harrison & Matthews and litigation-focused Oraro & Co completed a merger to form HHM Oraro. Anjarwalla & Khanna, which added former Webber Wentzel partner Roddy McKean in 2013, has also been ramping up its critical mass.
In Tanzania, EALC hired tax consultant Brian Kangetta to head its tax practice.
The BGAG has been steadily expanding and consolidating across the continent. In 2014 alone it added members in Botswana and Madagascar and opened a new office in Durban, South Africa, through the absorption of shipping firm Velden Pike Nichols.