Kenya's business voice in the Emirates
Registered with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, the council represents, convenes, and informs the Kenyan business community across the UAE.
To give Kenyan enterprise in the Emirates one voice, one community, and one open door.
The Kenya Business Council UAE operates under the Dubai Chamber of Commerce's business-councils framework — the official structure through which international business communities engage with Dubai's government and private sector. Registration with the Chamber makes the council the recognised representative platform for Kenyan business in the Emirates.
Our mandate rests on three commitments. We advocate: carrying members' interests into Chamber consultations, policy dialogues, and the bilateral conversations shaping the corridor. We convene: a monthly calendar that turns a diaspora of businesses and professionals into a community. And we inform: turning agreements like the CEPA from headlines into margin on our members' invoices.
Membership is open to Kenyan-owned companies, businesses with substantial Kenya interests, and Kenyan professionals across all seven emirates.
The corridor story
Five milestones that turned a trading relationship into an institutional partnership — and made the council necessary.
2023
Trade crosses $3.1 billion
Kenya–UAE bilateral trade grows 26.4% year on year, led by tea, cut flowers, and fresh produce moving through Dubai's re-export hub.
2024
CEPA signed
Kenya and the UAE sign a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, setting the stage for preferential market access and investment flows.
2025
Joint Business Council formalised
The UAE–Kenya Joint Business Council is formalised at State House Nairobi in May, connecting the chambers of both nations.
2026
KNCCI opens in Dubai
The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce & Industry launches its first Gulf liaison office in Dubai in January.
2026
KBC UAE is registered
The Kenya Business Council UAE is officially registered with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce as the council for Kenyan business in the Emirates.
The founding board
Elected at the inaugural general meeting in March 2026 to serve the council's first two-year term.
Mr. Lionel Smith
Chairman
Founding board member
Leads the council and chairs the board — representing the membership to the Dubai Chamber, government stakeholders, and partner institutions across the corridor.
Mr. Ibrahim Bakhrani
Vice Chairman
Founding board member
Deputises for the Chairman and drives the council's strategic agenda, ensuring the board's commitments to members are delivered across the year.
Mr. Charles Simekha
Director of Memberships
Founding board member
Grows and stewards the membership — from application through renewal — and champions the member experience across all four tiers.
Mr. Stephen Omolo Odiembo
Director of Partnerships
Founding board member
Builds the council's institutional relationships — with the Dubai Chamber network, KNCCI, the Joint Business Council, and the corporate partners who back the council's programmes.
Ms. Evalyne Muthoni Mbaabu
Treasurer
Founding board member
Responsible for the council's finances — budgeting, fee collection, and the audited accounts presented to members at each annual general meeting.
Mr. Vishaal S. Shah
Secretary General
Founding board member
Oversees the secretariat and the council's governance — board proceedings, Chamber compliance, and the day-to-day services members rely on.
Ms. Hawamaa Harunany
Director of Events
Founding board member
Programmes the council's calendar — briefing breakfasts, networking mixers, and the flagship Annual Gala — and the member experience at every one of them.
Mr. Crispin
Director of Communications
Founding board member
Stewards the council's voice — member briefings, the newsletter, media relations, and the KBC UAE brand across every channel.
Accountable to members, recognised by the Chamber.
Registered as a Business Council with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce.
- Constitution & bylaws
- The council is governed by a constitution ratified at the inaugural general meeting, covering membership classes, board elections, financial stewardship, and general meetings. The full document is available to members on request from the secretariat.
- Dubai Chamber registration
- KBC UAE holds an annual business-council permit issued by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, the licensing authority for country business councils operating in Dubai.
- Annual general meeting
- The AGM is held each March. The board presents audited accounts and the year's advocacy record; members elect directors and set the agenda for the year ahead.