Drama Erupts as SK Macharia Storms Directline Offices in Fresh Ownership Row
Businessman and Royal Media Services chairman Samuel Kamau (SK) Macharia on Monday stormed the Nairobi offices of Directline Assurance Company Limited and claimed he had taken over the insurer.
Eyewitnesses at Hazina Towers said Macharia arrived with a group of associates, announced changes in leadership and dismissed senior executives including CEO and Principal Officer Sammy Kanyi. Staff at the offices said the group forced their way into restricted areas of the building prompting a police response.
CCTV footage obtained by the company shows Macharia giving instructions to staff at the reception. Attempts to reach him for comment failed.
After the confrontation, CEO Sammy Kanyi confirmed he had reported the matter to the police and the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA).
“He announced my dismissal and tried to take over despite a court order. Now it’s up to the authorities to act,” Kanyi said.
Police from Central Police Station confirmed investigations are ongoing.
Court records show that in 2024 the High Court issued an injunction stopping Macharia and his associates from interfering with Directline’s operations. The orders prohibited hiring or firing staff, issuing directives to contractors, accessing company offices or engaging in financial transactions without shareholder or board approval.
In a separate ruling the court also stopped Macharia from airing cautionary advertisements against Directline on Royal Media Services platforms, ruling that such broadcasts would destabilize the insurer’s finances and damage its reputation.
However Macharia’s lawyer Senior Counsel Kamau Kuria says his client is the rightful owner of Directline and the current directors are running the company illegally.
The Insurance Regulatory Authority has since assured policyholders that Directline is fully licensed and operational.
“All policies issued by Directline Assurance are valid and enforceable. Any claims to the contrary have no legal effect,” said IRA CEO Godfrey Kiptum.
Directline is Kenya’s biggest underwriter for public service vehicles, covering matatus and buses. Although its market share dropped from 64.95 percent in 2023 to 59.79 percent in 2024 the company still dominates the PSV insurance market.
The latest showdown is the latest in a series of battles for control of the insurer with legal and regulatory battles expected to intensify in the coming weeks.
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Drama Erupts as SK Macharia Storms Directline Offices in Fresh Ownership Row