Oliver Fowler

Email: OFowler@kapstrat.com
Position: Consultant
Practice Area: Joint Ventures, Mergers & Acquisitions | Privatisation, Project Finance & Infrastructure | Structured Finance | Tax & Stamp Duty Planning

Oliver is qualified as a Kenyan Advocate and an English Solicitor. After admission as an English Solicitor, he joined Kaplan & Stratton in 1978. His work encompasses commercial work, particularly financial, corporate and taxation matters. He has been extensively involved in project finance work undertaken by the firm and in the capital markets, banking and foreign investment sectors. He is the Chairman of REA Vipingo Plantations Limited, and a director of I&M Holdings Limited, a company listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange.

• Kenya
• England

• Contributor of the Kenya chapter in Rowley & Baker’s International Mergers; the Antitrust Process.

• Advised REA Vipingo Plantations Limited in connection with it contested Take-Over by REA Trading Limited and sale of Vipingo Estate to Centum; 2014-2017
• Advised owners of the Governors Group (Kenya and Rwanda) on their sale of a majority interest to Wilderness Holdings Limited; 2015-2016; preliminary group reorganisation, cross-border acquisition and investment by South African tourism group
• Advised Associated Battery Manufacturers Limited on the minority investment by Metair group of South Africa; 2014-2016; strategic investment by South African battery group in Kenyan battery manufacturer
• Advised owners of Cheli & Peacock group of companies (Kenya and Tanzania) on their sale to Elewana Group; 2014-2015; cross-border acquisition by overseas tourism group
• Advised on the acquisition by City Trust Limited a company listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange of I&M Bank Limited (reverse take-over); regulatory and transactional advice; offer and other take-over documentation
• Advised on the reorganisation of Barclays African interests including its shareholding in the listed Kenyan subsidiary; regulatory and corporate advice
• Western Seed Group; Pearl Capital Partners and project financiers; 2012-13. KES 584,947,050 project financing; exit by existing equity funds through sponsor acquisition; new project finance from Voxtra AS; common terms agreement; financing, security and share sale documentation
• Proposed acquisition of KenolKobil Limited, a company with regional interests listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange; due diligence, regulatory and transactional advice; did not proceed to completion
• Advised the US$ 170,000,000 Kwale Mineral Sands Project.  Syndicate loan financing for the Kwale mineral sands project and associated development in the Port of Mombasa
• Advised The Junction Limited on KES 1,000,000,000 secured property development financing
• Advised Essar Telecom Limited on a US$ 200,000,000 medium term, local overseas and vendor syndicated loan finance
• Advised Safaricom Limited on a KES 12,000,000,000 medium term notes for telecommunications company
• Advised Total Kenya on a KES 4,680,000,000 syndicated loan in connection with its acquisition of Chevron Kenya Limited
• Advised Standard Bank PLC on a USD 50,000,000 syndicated bridge loan finance to Essar Telecom Kenya
• Reviewed of capital markets legislation to strengthen legal and regulatory framework for the Capital Markets Authority
• Privatisation work including concession agreements in the Port of Mombasa (2001 & 2002), advice on the legal framework for the proposed establishment of commercial water and sanitation companies (1997), participation in safety net study for Government employee retrenchment (1993) and consultancy for the restructuring of the Kenya Wildlife Service (1992)
• Structured finance, commercial paper, bonds and loan instruments
• Project finance transactions for local and international development banks and financiers, including International Finance Corporation, Commonwealth Development Corporation, DEG, Proparco, African Development Bank, FMO, Swedfund and others
• Specialist taxation advisory work