Built on research. Shaped by commerce. Established in Nairobi since 2007.

Before establishing the firm, Kihara spent thirteen years within the University of Nairobi Law Library, immersed in legal research at one of East Africa’s leading universities.

Those years provided an unusually rigorous foundation.

His work exposed him to the breadth of Kenyan and international jurisprudence while developing the research discipline required to examine complicated legal questions systematically and accurately.

That experience later expanded beyond academia. Kihara undertook legal research and advisory work for governmental and public-benefit institutions, producing legal opinions, analytical briefs, commentaries and reports across diverse areas of law.

Long before KNC became a commercial law practice, therefore, the intellectual foundations of the firm had already been established:

Research deeply. Analyse carefully. Advise clearly.

Following his admission as an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, Kihara formally established Kihara Njuguna & Company Advocates in Nairobi in 2007.

The firm’s first home was the Scripture Union Centre in Hurlingham.

From these beginnings, the practice developed around legal research, conveyancing, real estate, commercial advisory and dispute resolution.

But the ambition was larger than simply building another legal practice.

KNC sought to become a trusted legal partner to businesses, investors, entrepreneurs and institutions operating within Kenya’s rapidly developing commercial environment.

As Nairobi evolved into a major East African centre for investment, finance, technology, real estate and international business, the firm’s practice evolved alongside it.

Real estate and commercial transactions quickly became significant pillars of the firm.

Over the years, Kihara and the firm have handled property transactions exceeding KES 10 billion in value.

The practice also developed substantial experience advising international and domestic companies entering or expanding within Kenya, including facilitating the Kenyan market entry of businesses valued at more than KES 30 billion.

Those mandates required more than document preparation.

A company entering Kenya may encounter questions involving corporate establishment, licensing, employment, taxation, property, commercial agreements, regulatory relationships, governance and sector-specific requirements.

KNC increasingly positioned itself to see the complete picture.

That approach would eventually become a defining part of the firm’s identity:

Legal counsel designed around the commercial objective, rather than legal advice delivered in isolation from it.

In 2015, the firm’s development entered a new phase through a professional partnership with lawyer and businessman Karanja Kabage.

The partnership led to the establishment of EKN LLP Advocates and a relocation to Pacific Centre in Nairobi.

The period broadened the practice’s institutional and commercial exposure and strengthened its experience advising clients operating within increasingly sophisticated sectors of the Kenyan economy.

It also coincided with Kihara’s growing involvement in organisations central to the development of Kenya’s commercial and legal environment.

Kihara was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Nairobi Centre for International Arbitration.

NCIA plays an important role in Kenya’s ambition to establish Nairobi as a leading centre for domestic and international dispute resolution.

During his service, Kihara also chaired the Centre’s Finance and Administration Committee.

That experience gave the firm close institutional exposure to the development of arbitration and alternative dispute resolution in Kenya and further strengthened KNC’s appreciation of how sophisticated commercial disputes can be resolved beyond traditional court proceedings.

The year 2021 marked another defining moment in the firm’s history.

Following the loss of one of the partners, the EKN LLP chapter came to an end.

Kihara Njuguna & Company Advocates returned to its original identity.

But it did not return to the firm it had been in 2015.

It emerged with greater experience, wider institutional relationships, deeper commercial exposure and a clearer understanding of the type of practice it intended to become.

KNC subsequently established its offices at Silverpool Office Suites in Hurlingham, Nairobi, continuing the next chapter of a legal practice that had already spent more than a decade evolving alongside Kenya’s economy.

The modern Kihara Njuguna & Company Advocates is markedly broader than the practice founded in 2007.

Its traditional strengths in real estate, conveyancing, commercial law, litigation and legal research have grown into a multidisciplinary practice.

• Corporate & Commercial Law
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Banking & Finance
• Foreign Investment
• Dispute Resolution
• Arbitration
• Employment
• Real Estate & Construction
• Regulatory Compliance
• International Trade
• Natural Resources
• Intellectual Property
• Technology
• Artificial Intelligence
• Data Protection
• Cybersecurity
• International Law
• Human Rights

Modern businesses rarely experience legal problems in neat categories. An investment may involve corporate law, finance, land, employment, licensing and regulatory approval. A technology company may need advice on contracts, intellectual property, privacy, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. A dispute may involve litigation, shareholder rights, reputation and regulatory exposure. KNC has evolved accordingly.

The firm’s story has also become increasingly intertwined with Kenya’s wider commercial and institutional development.

Today, Kihara serves as Company Secretary of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, placing him within the leadership structures of one of Kenya’s principal private-sector organisations.

KNCCI sits at an important junction between government and enterprise, representing businesses and participating in conversations around trade, investment, industrial development, entrepreneurship and economic policy.

Through that role, Kihara remains engaged with the commercial realities facing businesses beyond the traditional lawyer-client relationship.

His experience also extends into Nairobi’s physical and land-use planning architecture, complementing decades of work in conveyancing, real estate and development.

The result is a firm that understands not only legal doctrine, but the institutions and regulatory structures through which business in Kenya actually moves.

The firm has deliberately developed a team whose experience extends beyond any single area of law.

Kihara Njuguna brings almost two decades of commercial legal practice alongside significant institutional, governance, investment and real-estate experience.

Kenneth Munaawa brings extensive litigation and dispute-resolution experience, including matters exceeding KES 5 billion in value.

Jimmy Njuguna Kihara represents the continuing evolution of KNC’s corporate practice into emerging areas including artificial intelligence, data protection, cybersecurity and technology regulation.

Erasmus Ndemole Migyikra adds an international dimension developed through years of work within the United Nations system involving human rights, humanitarian protection, peace, conflict and international law.

Individually, their experiences are different. Collectively, they create a practice capable of looking at sophisticated legal questions from multiple perspectives.

Nairobi today stands among Africa’s most important commercial, diplomatic, financial and technology centres.

It is home to multinational corporations, major financial institutions, technology companies, international organisations, embassies, investors, entrepreneurs and rapidly expanding Kenyan enterprises.

For organisations entering or operating in this environment, the challenge is rarely simply finding somebody who understands Kenyan law. The challenge is finding counsel who understands how law interacts with business; how regulation affects investment; how land affects development; how governance affects companies; how contracts allocate risk; how institutions influence commercial outcomes; how disputes affect businesses beyond the courtroom; and how global developments in technology, capital and regulation increasingly intersect with domestic law.

That is the environment Kihara Njuguna & Company Advocates has spent nearly two decades learning to navigate.

From a research-led Nairobi practice founded in 2007, Kihara Njuguna & Company Advocates has evolved into a multidisciplinary commercial law firm advising businesses, investors, institutions and individuals navigating increasingly complex legal environments.

The firm’s history matters. But it is not where its ambition ends.

KNC continues to build for the businesses, investments and institutions shaping the next generation of East Africa.

Its commitment remains the same one on which the practice was founded:

Rigorous legal thinking. Commercial understanding. Counsel for decisions that matter.