Business magnate Da Gama Rose dies

Renowned Kenyan lawyer and businessman Mirabeau Humberto Da Gama Rose has died. He was 82.

A long serving partner at Shapley Barret & Co Advocates, Mr Da Gama Rose also had illustrious career in the corporate world.

He was the chairman of Commercial Bank of Africa, partly owned by the Kenyatta family, and a former chairman of the Nairobi Securities Exchange, which he assumed in 2005.

Under his reign at the Nairobi Securities Exchange he pushed the government to use the exchange to privatise state-owned companies and thus pass them to the Kenyan public.

Listing of KenGen

This push saw the listing of KenGen in 2005 and later Safaricom in 2007. He was also a close business associate of retired President Moi and businessman Nicholas Biwott.

His family holding company, Da Game Rose Group of Companies, is housed at Yaya Centre, which is owned by Mr Biwott.

He also held various directorships at Celtel Kenya, Equatorial Commercial Bank, Sameer Africa and Eveready East Africa, majority of which are owned by the business magnate Sameer Merali.

Mr Da Gama Rose had business links with the former Vice-President Moody Awori, and Michael Somen, who once chaired the board of Access Kenya.

Threatened to sue

He was appointed director at Transparency International in 2006 marking an interesting turn of events, especially after his family business, Da Gama Rose Group, threatened to sue TI in 2003, over a statement linking it with the multibillion-shilling Anglo Leasing scandal.

The letter was issued by his brother Mr Horatius da Gama Rose.

Da Gama Rose Group’s interest in business ranges from information technology to tourism, floriculture, financial services, garment manufacturing, printing and packaging, and real estate. They also have interests in Maisha Plc, and Maisha International Ltd.