Centum Investment Company
 |
| Company type | Public: NSE & USE: ICDC |
|---|---|
| Industry | Equity Investments |
| Founded | 1967 |
| Headquarters | Nairobi, Kenya |
Key people | James Ngatia Muguiyi, Chairman James Mwirigi Mworia, Managing Director |
| Products | Equity Ownerships, Real Estate Development |
| Total assets | US$150 million (2010)[1] |
| Website | Homepage |
Centum Investment Company Limited, commonly known as Centrum or Centum Investments, is a private, publicly traded investment company based in Kenya. It operates as an affiliate of the government-owned Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation (ICDC)[2]
History
Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation was founded in 1967, as a government parastatal, whose primary objective was to provide a vehicle for Kenyans to invest in the economy of newly independent Kenya, by investing in Kenyan companies. ICDC formed a subsidiary called ICDC Investment Company Limited, whose shares were listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE), in 1967.
In 1998, with the Government of Kenya, having sold some of its majority shareholding, ICDC Investment Company adopted a new management structure, handing over day-to-day management to an independent professional managerial team, supervised by an independent Board of Directors, elected by the shareholders. In 2007, the shareholders opted to change the name of the company to Centum Investment Company Limited.[3]
The shares of the company are publicly traded on the Nairobi Stock Exchange since 1967, and on the Uganda Securities Exchange, effective 10 February 2011.[4][5] Plans are underway to crosslist the company stock on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange and on the Rwanda Stock Exchange by 2013.[6]
Overview
Centum is a private company based in Kenya, whose shares are listed on the stock exchanges in Kenya and Uganda, where they are publicly traded under the symbol: ICDC.[7] The company is a medium-sized investment company with total assets under management totaling about US$144 million (KES:12 billion), as of September 2010.[8] Centum's investments are organised in three (3) divisions:
- Quoted Private Equity
This is the division that invests in publicly traded companies in various stock exchanges on the African continent.
- Private Equity
This division acquires equity positions in non-publicly-traded companies, mainly in East Africa, but increasingly in other African countries.
- Real Estate and Infrastructure
This division is involved in real estate development in Kenya and Uganda, with an eye to expanding into other East African countries.[9][10]
Ownership
As of March 2010[update], the company stock was owned by the following corporate entities and individuals: [11]