Inside Aliko Dangote’s business footprint in Kenya

For nearly a decade, the Dangote name in Kenya was associated with an investment that never materialised

Plans to build a multi-billion-shilling cement plant were announced, postponed, and eventually went quiet.

That position has since changed. By January 2026, Aliko Dangote has established a measurable footprint in Kenya through a series of acquisitions executed via private equity platforms.

The most significant transaction occurred in January 2025, when Alterra Capital Partners alongside Phatisa, acquired a majority stake in Java House Africa from UK-based private equity firm Actis. 

While the value of the deal was not publicly disclosed, Actis exited after nearly a decade as an investor, during which it expanded Java House from a single Nairobi café into a regional food and beverage group.

Alterra Capital is a private equity firm co-founded by former Carlyle Group executives David Wachira and Jason Brewer. Its investor base includes Aliko Dangote and US billionaire David Rubenstein, co-founder of the Carlyle Group. 

Through this structure, Dangote became indirectly exposed to Java House Africa’s operations and assets.

At the time of acquisition, Java House Africa comprised more than 70 outlets across Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. 

The group’s portfolio also includes Kukito, a Kenyan fast-food brand focused on grilled chicken; Planet Yoghurt, the country’s first self-serve frozen yoghurt chain; 360 Degrees Pizza; and 

Foodscape, a centralised food processing and supply company that supports the group’s restaurant operations. 

The transaction transferred control of these assets from Actis to Alterra-backed ownership.

In May 2025, Dangote-linked capital moved into Kenya’s tourism sector. Africa Travel Investments, a tourism investment platform backed by Alterra Capital, completed the acquisition of Pollman’s Tours and Safaris. 

The deal involved the purchase of 100 per cent of the company from its previous shareholders. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Pollman’s, founded in the 1950s, is one of Kenya’s oldest tour operators, with long-standing relationships across the safari circuit, including hotels, lodges, and international travel agents. 

The acquisition was approved by the Competition Authority of Kenya, which stated that the transaction would not substantially lessen competition, noting that the acquiring investors had no existing interests in the tour operations market.

While these transactions marked a clear shift toward services, Dangote’s original industrial interests in Kenya remain legally intact. 

Dangote Cement Kenya Limited is still registered locally, with Dangote Cement Plc holding a 90 per cent stake. Dangote Quarries Kenya Limited also remains on record.

Although earlier plans to construct a cement manufacturing plant stalled, the continued registration of both entities preserves the legal framework required for future quarrying and cement production should the group decide to revive the project.

Interest in a possible restart resurfaced in 2022 when Dangote attended President William Ruto’s swearing-in ceremony, fuelling expectations that the long-delayed cement investment could be revived. 

Since then, no formal announcements have been made. As of 2026, Dangote is no longer a prospective or symbolic investor in Kenya. 

Through completed acquisitions in food services and tourism, backed by private equity capital and regulatory approvals, he has become an active participant in sectors that touch everyday consumption and travel within the Kenyan economy.