Centum turns debt-free after 5-year restructure
Centum Investment Company has successfully completed a five-year restructuring program, becoming a debt-free holding company. The firm now plans to focus on accelerating cash generation and increasing shareholder returns.
Why it matters
This financial milestone provides the company with greater flexibility for future investments and dividend payouts, signaling improved fiscal health for the East African investment landscape.
Centum Investment Company has become a debt-free holding company after completing a multi-year balance sheet restructuring programme that began in 2020, offering room for higher dividends to shareholders.
The firm’s latest disclosures show it closed the financial year ended March 2026 without any debt, compared with Sh690 million borrowing it had in the previous year and Sh1.95 billion in 2024. The company's debt stood at Sh7.48 billion in 2020 and Sh16.14 billion in 2019.
However, at the group level, the borrowing reduced to Sh17.08 billion from Sh17.85 billion, showing that some of its subsidiaries and associate firms still carry credit facilities in their books.
Centum CEO James Mworia said the full repayment of debt at the holding company level provides the company with “considerable financial flexibility” to enhance returns to shareholders while increasing investments.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in