Bowmans Expands Its Tax Offering in East Africa

Bowmans has made a substantial investment in its tax capacity in East Africa by expanding its Tax Practice in Nairobi. Senior Associates, Fredrick Ogutu and Patience Mbugua, joined the firm on 1 May 2022. This is in addition to Associates Lynet Mwangi and Bernard Kirii who joined the firm on 1 March 2022, adding further depth to the firm’s tax service offering. Before joining Bowmans, Fredrick was a manager in the tax and legal department of audit firm Deloitte & Touche LLP. He has extensive experience in providing tax advisory on both local and international/cross – border tax issues, tax restructuring, tax support in mergers and acquisitions, tax due diligence, tax dispute resolution, tax compliance and assessment of tax risks across various sectors. Patience previously worked in the tax dispute resolution department of the Kenya Revenue Authority (“KRA”), where she gained considerable experience in handling tax disputes involving taxpayers in various sectors. Prior to that, she worked for an audit firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC). Patience has considerable experience in providing a wide array of tax services including direct and indirect tax compliance, tax reporting, tax advisory, KRA audit support, tax dispute and tax litigation. Her experience cuts across diverse industries including, banking, insurance, hospitality, infrastructure development, energy, telecommunication, consumer, state corporations. and not-for-profit organizations. Lynet previously worked in the tax and regulatory services department of audit firm, KPMG East Africa, as well as Dentons Hamilton Harrison & Matthews. She has gained experience in providing tax services, including tax advisory and structuring, KRA audit support, tax dispute resolution and regulatory compliance. She has multi-sectoral experience in energy, telecommunications, financial technology, shipping and logistics, hospitality and manufacturing. Bernard Kirii joined Bowmans from KPMG East Africa, where he specialized in tax dispute resolution services for clients in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, banking, and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG); tax optimization; tax restructuring; and tax advisory services, including mergers and acquisitions. With the expanded tax team, Bowmans’ tax offering is enhanced with the following service lines: additional assistance in mergers and acquisition transactions, including undertaking tax due diligence reports; tax restructuring and optimization involving both local and international/cross border entities;  assistance with KRA audits; and conducting tax health checks on all tax heads. These services will be in addition to the current tax advisory and tax dispute resolution services. We are pleased that the team has chosen Bowmans as their new home, and we are confident that they will enhance the tax service that we offer our clients across our geographical footprint.