Richard Harney
Senior Partner, Kenya | Nairobi
Contact
T: +254 20 503 1600
Overview
Richard Harney is the senior partner of Bowmans Kenya. Richard co-founded the Nairobi office as Coulson Harney LLP in 2008 and served as managing partner of the firm until 2021, and as a member of the Bowmans Partnership Board. He is a board member of Kenya Private Sector Alliance, the umbrella body representing the private sector in Kenya.
Richard is consistently involved in the most prominent transactions in the region. Having spent over 30 years in Kenya, Richard has a wide array of experience advising on M&A deals, capital markets, finance, restructuring and corporate law. Prior to moving to Kenya, in the early 1990s, Richard worked as a solicitor at two leading law firms in the City of London and in Paris.
Experience
Richard’ key clients in recent years have been Diageo plc, East African Breweries PLC, Liberty Group and Standard Bank, Lipton Teas and Infusions B.V., Hollard International, Kenya Airways PLC, James Finlay Limited, France Telecom/Orange, CVC Capital Partners, Holcim Limited, Africa Poultry Development Ltd, Equity Group Holdings PLC, NCBA Bank Group PLC, and KCB Group PLC.
Some of the prominent transactions which he has led in recent years are:
- Lipton Teas and Infusions B.V. on the sale of its tea plantations businesses in Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania to Browns Investments plc (2024).
- Hollard International on its investment by way of acquisition of 20% of the shares of Apollo Investments Limited, one of Kenya’s leading insurance groups (2023/24).
- James Finlay Limited on the sale of its tea plantations in Kenya to Browns Investments plc (2023).
- Africa Poultry Development Limited on its acquisition of a leading poultry company in Uganda (HMH) Rainbow Limited (2023/24).
- CVC Capital Partners on its acquisition of the Kenyan portion of Unilever plc’s tea plantations business worldwide (2022).
- KCB Group PLC (Kenya Commercial Bank) on its acquisition of 85% of the shares of TMB Bank SA, a leading commercial bank in the Democratic Republic of Congo (2022).
- Commercial Bank of Africa Limited on its USD 4 billion merger with NIC Bank PLC to create the third largest banking group in East Africa: NCBA Bank Group PLC ( 2019).
- Kenya Airways on its USD 2 billion balance sheet restructuring which included USD 750 million of sovereign guarantees from the Government of Kenya to KQ’s creditors, US Exim Bank and 11 Kenyan commercial banks, debt for equity conversions and realignment of shareholding arrangements with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. The restructuring was linked to a USD 175 million term facility for KQ from eight of the Kenyan Banks (2016/17).
Awards
- Chambers Global ranked Richard as a Senior Statesman for his work in Corporate/ M&A in Kenya (2026) and prior to that, in in Band 1 for eleven consecutive years (2015- 2025) and in the Spotlight Table for Capital Markets for seven consecutive years (2019-2025).
- Legal 500 inducted Richard into its Hall of Fame for his work in Commercial, Corporate and M&A in Kenya for the past eight consecutive years (2019- 2026) and prior to that, in Tier 1 (2015-2016) and as a Leading Individual (2017-2018) in the same category.
- IFLR1000’s Financial and Corporate Guide rated Richard as a Market Leader for Restructuring and Insolvency, Banking and M&A, particularly within the Energy, Transport, Social infrastructure and Natural resources sectors and prior to that, as a Highly Regarded Lawyer for seven years (2018 -2024) and a Leading Lawyer for the same category.
- Richard was awarded the World Bank Award for Excellence in relation to his work on the privatisation of Kenya Airways in 1996.
‘Richard Harney is fantastic.’ – Chambers Global, 2026
‘Richard Harney is often retained in financing and structuring matters.’ – Legal 500, 2025
AREA OF EXPERTISE
Qualifications
- Advocate of the High Court of Kenya
- Solicitor (England & Wales)
- BA (Hons.) (History), University of Exeter.
INSIGHTS
Overview
Richard Harney is the senior partner of Bowmans Kenya. Richard co-founded the Nairobi office as Coulson Harney LLP in 2008 and served as managing partner of the firm until 2021, and as a member of the Bowmans Partnership Board. He is a board member of Kenya Private Sector Alliance, the umbrella body representing the private sector in Kenya.
Richard is consistently involved in the most prominent transactions in the region. Having spent over 30 years in Kenya, Richard has a wide array of experience advising on M&A deals, capital markets, finance, restructuring and corporate law. Prior to moving to Kenya, in the early 1990s, Richard worked as a solicitor at two leading law firms in the City of London and in Paris.
Experience
Richard’ key clients in recent years have been Diageo plc, East African Breweries PLC, Liberty Group and Standard Bank, Lipton Teas and Infusions B.V., Hollard International, Kenya Airways PLC, James Finlay Limited, France Telecom/Orange, CVC Capital Partners, Holcim Limited, Africa Poultry Development Ltd, Equity Group Holdings PLC, NCBA Bank Group PLC, and KCB Group PLC.
Some of the prominent transactions which he has led in recent years are:
- Lipton Teas and Infusions B.V. on the sale of its tea plantations businesses in Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania to Browns Investments plc (2024).
- Hollard International on its investment by way of acquisition of 20% of the shares of Apollo Investments Limited, one of Kenya’s leading insurance groups (2023/24).
- James Finlay Limited on the sale of its tea plantations in Kenya to Browns Investments plc (2023).
- Africa Poultry Development Limited on its acquisition of a leading poultry company in Uganda (HMH) Rainbow Limited (2023/24).
- CVC Capital Partners on its acquisition of the Kenyan portion of Unilever plc’s tea plantations business worldwide (2022).
- KCB Group PLC (Kenya Commercial Bank) on its acquisition of 85% of the shares of TMB Bank SA, a leading commercial bank in the Democratic Republic of Congo (2022).
- Commercial Bank of Africa Limited on its USD 4 billion merger with NIC Bank PLC to create the third largest banking group in East Africa: NCBA Bank Group PLC ( 2019).
- Kenya Airways on its USD 2 billion balance sheet restructuring which included USD 750 million of sovereign guarantees from the Government of Kenya to KQ’s creditors, US Exim Bank and 11 Kenyan commercial banks, debt for equity conversions and realignment of shareholding arrangements with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. The restructuring was linked to a USD 175 million term facility for KQ from eight of the Kenyan Banks (2016/17).
Awards
- Chambers Global ranked Richard as a Senior Statesman for his work in Corporate/ M&A in Kenya (2026) and prior to that, in in Band 1 for eleven consecutive years (2015- 2025) and in the Spotlight Table for Capital Markets for seven consecutive years (2019-2025).
- Legal 500 inducted Richard into its Hall of Fame for his work in Commercial, Corporate and M&A in Kenya for the past eight consecutive years (2019- 2026) and prior to that, in Tier 1 (2015-2016) and as a Leading Individual (2017-2018) in the same category.
- IFLR1000’s Financial and Corporate Guide rated Richard as a Market Leader for Restructuring and Insolvency, Banking and M&A, particularly within the Energy, Transport, Social infrastructure and Natural resources sectors and prior to that, as a Highly Regarded Lawyer for seven years (2018 -2024) and a Leading Lawyer for the same category.
- Richard was awarded the World Bank Award for Excellence in relation to his work on the privatisation of Kenya Airways in 1996.
‘Richard Harney is fantastic.’ – Chambers Global, 2026
‘Richard Harney is often retained in financing and structuring matters.’ – Legal 500, 2025
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