Kenya : Centum Investment’s US$61 million bond oversubscribed

Nairobi, Kenya (Capital Markets in Africa) — Centum Investments five-year corporate bond worth up to KES 6 billion has been oversubscribed by 38 percent attracting bids worth KES 8.3 billion. The bond is made up of a fixed-rate component and an equity-linked portion that will give a variable return determined by the firm’s net asset value. The total amount accepted for the fixed rate notes is KSE 3.9 billion while for the equity linked notes is KES 2.1 billion, with the fixed rate notes and equity linked notes having coupon rates of 13 percent and 12.5 percent respectively. “The bond uptake is mostly by local investors and is a strong indicator of Kenyans’ confidence in the Centum growth strategy?,” James Mworia, chief executive of the company, said in a statement. The cash will be used to fund Centum’s investments in financial services, energy and real estate. Among the projects include the Two Rivers project, a lifestyle mall set to open in October this year and which will be one of the largest retail malls in Sub-Saharan Africa. The project which has already got KES 14 billion financing in debt and equity, will consist of retail, offices, hotels and apartments.