MARKET ENTRY
Kenya, Rwanda, or Tanzania — where should you enter East Africa?
Our read on where to base an East Africa operation — regulation, tax, talent, and market access compared.
Business & investment advisory · Nairobi
The advisory firm behind foreign-owned business in Kenya.
For a decade, international investors have trusted us to establish and run their companies in Kenya — formation, tax, banking, compliance, and growth. We work remotely, so you never need to fly in.
WHO WE ARE
A full-service advisory firm, built for foreign-owned business.
Since 2015, international investors have relied on us to establish and run their companies in Kenya. Ours is a multidisciplinary practice — spanning formation, tax, legal and compliance, banking, employment, and growth advisory — operated by Hodari Ventures and led by principal Edwin Maina. We work remotely with clients across 20+ markets, so distance from Nairobi is never the obstacle.
Read our storyWHAT WE DO
Four pillars, one local partner.
Company Formation
Incorporate, set up a branch, and put the statutory roles in place.
Set up a company (foreigner) · Branch of a foreign company · Company secretary · Virtual office & postal address
Tax & Compliance
Tax registration, advisory, and the filings that keep you compliant.
KRA PIN & tax setup · Tax advisory · Tax planning & compliance · Regulatory compliance
Operations & Immigration
Banking, a standing local presence, the immigration permits to live and operate, and people employed without your own entity.
Corporate bank account · Employer of Record (EOR) · Investor work permit (Class G) · Immigration advisory
Advisory & Growth
Strategy, structure, and the higher-stakes decisions after launch.
Financial advisory · Corporate restructuring · Market research & analysis · Due diligence
HOW WE WORK
An advisory relationship, run remotely.
From first conversation to ongoing compliance, you work with the same Nairobi team. We act as your presence on the ground, so you set up and run your company without flying in.
- DISCOVERY
How we start
We learn your plan, your market, and your constraints — then tell you plainly what setting up in Kenya involves and what it costs. No obligation.
WhatsApp · or a 15-min intro call
- YOUR PLAN
What you get
A structured setup-and-advisory plan with a fixed USD scope: the entity, the statutory roles, the filings, and the timeline, mapped to the Companies Act 2015 — no open-ended quotes.
Fixed USD scope · named forms · real timelines
- EXECUTION & ONGOING
How it runs
We incorporate, handle your KRA PIN, and open corporate banking — the bank makes the final call — then stay on as your compliance and advisory partner. We are your presence on the ground in Nairobi.
Incorporation ~5 days · KRA PIN ~2 days · banking ~2 weeks
OUR PERSPECTIVE
How we read the Kenya opportunity.
Kenya is one of the most workable jurisdictions in the region for a foreign owner — the rules let you own your company outright. What setting up demands is structure, not luck.
— Edwin Maina, Principal
In our experience, the foreign owners who do well here treat the setup as structured work, not paperwork. Three things make Kenya workable: you can own a Private Limited Company outright, the tax regime is published and predictable, and the path to incorporation is documented and time-bound. The one real requirement — a local presence on the ground — is the part we handle for you.
- OWNERSHIP
- 100% foreign ownership of a Private Limited Company. One director and one shareholder is enough to start.
- TAX
- A published regime — corporate tax 30%, VAT 16%. Numbers you can model around.
- SETUP PATH
- Incorporation in ~5 working days once your name is reserved — documented and time-bound.
TRACK RECORD
A decade of foreign-owned business in Kenya.
- 265+Companies formed
- 10Years in market
- 20+Countries served
- 100%Compliance rate
INSTITUTIONS WE WORK WITH
“They set up our Kenyan company without us flying in once. Every filing and deadline was handled, and the cost was exactly what we were quoted.”
Client 1 · Founder · United Kingdom “From tax to compliance, we got clear, specific advice — not vague reassurance. They act like a partner on the ground, not a vendor.”
Client 2 · Director · UAE “They formed the company, opened our bank account, and still handle our annual returns. Having a local team we trust made the difference.”
Client 3 · Founder · Nigeria
MARKET INSIGHTS
Know before you commit.
Plain-English guides to setting up and running a company in Kenya — written by the team that does it.
COMMON QUESTIONS
The questions foreign owners ask us.
Can't see yours? We answer questions like these every week.
Chat on WhatsAppNo. We work remotely with clients across 20+ countries and act as your presence on the ground in Nairobi — from setup through ongoing compliance. You never need to fly in.
No. Formation is one of four things we do — alongside tax and compliance, banking and operations (including payroll and acting as your employer of record), immigration (including investor work permits), and advisory and growth. We're built to run alongside a foreign-owned company for its whole life in Kenya, not just its first week.
Yes. A Private Limited Company can be wholly foreign-owned, with as few as one director and one shareholder. Foreign-owned companies do need a local director or company secretary — a statutory role we provide and govern by formal agreement.
Kenya’s regime is published and predictable: corporate tax at 30%, VAT at 16% once you pass the turnover threshold, and PAYE on salaries. Every director needs a KRA PIN. We handle your tax setup and ongoing returns.
Fixed fees in USD for defined scopes, so you know the cost before we begin — no open-ended quotes on the essentials. Where a step depends on a third party, like a bank or the immigration department, we tell you that up front.
Yes. Most clients keep us on as their local team — annual returns, tax filings, banking, permits, and advice as they grow. The setup is the start of the relationship, not the end of it.
LET’S TALK
Let’s talk about your move into Kenya.
A local advisory partner in Nairobi — remote, fixed-fee, and clear about every step. Start with a message; there’s no obligation.