Dennis Chebitwey won the inaugural Iseme Kamau and Maema Advocates (IKM) and Oxygène Golf Tournament on Friday at Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club in Nairobi after returning 43 Stableford points, organisers said in a statement dated July 11, 2026.

Chebitwey, playing off handicap 16, beat Yusuf Omari (handicap 23) by one point after Omari posted 42 points. The tournament attracted 145 golfers, including corporate executives, legal professionals, club members and business leaders from across Kenya, according to the organisers.

Speaking after the win, Chebitwey said the competition came down to the dynamics within his group. “It was an incredible day on the course. I had a fantastic four-ball, and we really pushed each other throughout the round,” he said. Chebitwey also credited Larry Ngala for introducing him to golf. “I also want to thank Larry Ngala for introducing me to golf 26 years ago… it is special to win a tournament like this,” he added.

In other categories, Martin Gatheca (handicap 18) finished as Men’s Runner-up. Aggie Konde (handicap 18) won the Lady Winner title with 37 Stableford points, while Bernadette Irungu (handicap 27) finished as Lady Runner-up after returning 35 points.

The sponsor category featured senior executives from two of Kenya’s most prominent listed and regulated corporates. NCBA Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer John Gachora won the Sponsor Winner award after carding 37 points while playing off handicap 18. East African Breweries Limited (EABL) Group Managing Director and CEO Jane Karuku was Sponsor Runner-up with 32 points, organisers said.

Special prizes went to Fidhelis Kimanzi (Men’s Longest Drive) and Kate Murima (Ladies’ Longest Drive). Alex Mwangi won the Men’s Nearest-to-the-Pin prize, while Rebecca Gathumbi won the Ladies’ category.

The organisers positioned the tournament as part of relationship-building and client engagement among professional services and corporate leaders. Oxygène Chairman Linus Gitahi said the partnership was driven by overlapping networks. “Oxygène and IKM share common values and, importantly, many common clients. That is what inspired us to organize this tournament; not just as a day of golf, but as a platform to bring together our clients and potential clients, strengthen existing relationships and create meaningful networking opportunities in a relaxed environment,” Gitahi said.

IKM Chairman Senior Counsel James Kamau said the event’s turnout reflected the role such forums play in convening decision-makers across sectors. “Golf has a unique way of bringing people together. We are delighted by the overwhelming turnout for this inaugural tournament, which has provided an excellent opportunity for leaders across different sectors to connect, build relationships and create new partnerships. We look forward to growing this event even further,” Kamau said.

The tournament highlights how corporate Kenya increasingly uses sports and lifestyle events—particularly golf—to support networking among executives, professional advisers and clients. With participation from leaders in banking, aviation, consumer goods and legal services, the event also underscores golf’s continued relevance as a relationship channel in Kenya’s dealmaking ecosystem.

IKM, also known as DLA Piper Africa, Kenya (IKM Advocates), described itself in the statement as a full-service law firm and the Kenyan member firm of DLA Piper Africa, a network of 20 member firms. The firm said it operates across corporate and commercial law, dispute resolution, projects and infrastructure, real estate, banking and tax.

The organisers did not disclose sponsorship amounts or the tournament’s financial targets. They said the event was inaugural, with plans to expand it in subsequent editions.

SanlamAllianz Kenya has launched the Proud Moments Initiative, a campaign running from July to October 2026 that aims to highlight Kenyan achievement stories and encourage individuals and businesses to protect milestones through financial planning and insurance, the company said in a media release issued in Nairobi on Tuesday, July 8, 2026.

According to SanlamAllianz, the initiative will showcase two existing products: Flexi Educator Plus, offered by Sanlam Allianz Life Insurance (Kenya) Limited, and SME 360 Insurance, offered by Sanlam Allianz General Insurance (Kenya) Limited. The company said the campaign is positioned as part of a broader pan-African effort.

The insurer said Flexi Educator Plus is designed for parents and guardians planning for education expenses through long-term savings combined with life protection. In the media release, SanlamAllianz said the product includes critical illness benefits, guaranteed maturity benefits and a waiver-of-premium feature intended to keep education savings on track when policyholders face disruptions.

SME 360 Insurance targets micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with what the firm described as broad business-risk coverage. SanlamAllianz said the cover includes protection against risks such as property damage, floods, employee injuries and third-party liabilities. The company added that the product is integrated with an emergency response application, SanlamAllianz Emergency Assist (SAZ-Assist), which it said connects customers to vetted private security, ambulance or roadside rescue services and dispatches responders using GPS location.

The campaign taps into a segment that remains central to Kenya’s economy. SanlamAllianz cited the 2022 Central Bank of Kenya MSME Survey, saying the sector employs more than 14.9 million people.

George Kuria, Chief Executive Officer of Sanlam Allianz General Insurance (Kenya) Limited, said the initiative is intended to link customer milestones with risk protection. “At SanlamAllianz Kenya, we understand that every proud moment is the result of dedication, resilience and the courage to pursue a dream. Whether it is raising a family, investing in a child's education or growing a business, these milestones deserve to be celebrated and protected,” Kuria said. He added that the campaign will demonstrate how the firm’s existing solutions, including Flexi Educator Plus and SME 360 Insurance, are used to safeguard those milestones.

Jacqueline Karasha, Chief Executive Officer of Sanlam Allianz Life Insurance Kenya, said the firm views insurance as part of long-term financial confidence and planning, not only claims response. “Insurance should not only respond when things go wrong; it should also help people plan ahead, protect their progress and pursue new opportunities with confidence,” Karasha said.

For Kenya’s insurance market, the campaign underscores insurers’ push to grow uptake by packaging covers around everyday needs such as school fees planning and SME risk management. Education-linked savings products and MSME covers have become a focus area as households face cost pressures and businesses contend with climate-related events and operational risks. SanlamAllianz said both solutions are offered “across different price points,” positioning the products for wider accessibility, though it did not disclose premiums or target volumes.

SanlamAllianz operates in Kenya through Sanlam Allianz Life Insurance (Kenya) Limited and Sanlam Allianz General Insurance (Kenya) Limited. The company said SanlamAllianz is a joint venture between Sanlam and Allianz and operates across 25 African countries, including Kenya.

Looking ahead, the next milestone will be execution of the campaign through October 2026, with the insurer using the initiative to drive awareness of education planning and MSME protection as it competes for retail and small-business customers in Kenya’s insurance sector.

M-PESA Foundation and Proximie Limited have established a Digital Operating Room at Kilifi County Referral Hospital to support emergency obstetric and neonatal care, targeting reductions in maternal and newborn deaths in Kilifi County.

In a statement dated July 8, 2026, the organisations said the digitised operating room will be implemented as a pilot for the next year under the Uzazi Salama Programme. The facility is intended to enable timely surgical interventions supported by technology, reducing the need for patients to travel long distances or be referred to other hospitals for specialised procedures.

The initiative comes as counties continue to invest in health infrastructure and digital solutions to improve outcomes, amid persistent gaps in access to specialist services, particularly in maternity and newborn care. Kilifi, a fast-growing coastal economy with a mix of rural and urban populations, has faced challenges related to 24-hour maternity coverage in some facilities, which can delay emergency interventions.

Patricia Ithau, Trustee, M-PESA Foundation, said the partnership is designed to extend specialised services closer to communities and relies on network connectivity to support remote collaboration during procedures. “Our collaboration with Proximie through this technology will strengthen the Uzazi Salama Programme by bringing communities closer to specialised health services. As M-Pesa Foundation, our commitment is to provide reliable network through our strong 4G and 5G technology by Safaricom which will power this tele-surgery solution and ensure seamless procedures without interruptions,” Ithau said.

According to the statement, the tele-surgery solution is expected to limit referrals by enabling “complex and specialised live procedures” while connecting surgeons at Kilifi County Referral Hospital with other practitioners in Kenya and internationally for skills transfer and case support.

Dr. Shannon Shibata-Germanos, Head of Global Health at Proximie, said Kilifi was selected based on maternal health indicators in the county and that the implementation has drawn in sector stakeholders. “The maternal health indicators in Kilifi are what led us to choose this county for the Digital Operating Room to curb instances of maternal and infant mortality. Uzazi Salama is an opportunity for us to plug in with innovative solutions at scale. We have garnered the support of key stakeholders such as the Surgical Society of Kenya to implement this programme. Our assurance is that patient data remains confidential with data protection a key aspect of this project,” she said.

The statement cited mortality indicators for Kilifi County, reporting a maternal mortality rate of 532 per 100,000 live births, attributed to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS). It also reported neonatal mortality at approximately 24 per 1,000 live births, infant mortality at 34 per 1,000, and under-five mortality at 40 per 1,000. The organisations said limited access to 24-hour maternity services in some facilities contributes to delays in emergency care.

For Kenya’s healthcare market, the project illustrates how private-sector and philanthropic funding is increasingly being paired with digital health infrastructure to address specialist shortages and improve service quality outside major urban centres. If the pilot demonstrates reduced referrals and improved clinical outcomes, it could strengthen the case for similar deployments in other counties, while raising questions on long-term operating costs, workforce training, and data governance as digital systems scale.

Uzazi Salama, according to the statement, was launched in 2024 and expanded from Kilifi South and Magarini to all sub-counties in Kilifi County. The partners said the digital operating room is intended to expand access to reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health services supported by the programme.

Proximie describes itself as a health technology company that digitises operating rooms using artificial intelligence, cloud-based software and augmented reality, connecting surgical teams to support operations remotely. The partners did not disclose the cost of the digital operating room or the funding structure for the pilot.

LG Electronics East Africa, in partnership with Korea Food for the Hungry International (KFHI), has awarded a combined KSh2 million to two community initiatives in Nandi and Makueni counties after naming them winners of the 2026 LG Ambassador Challenge.

According to a statement dated July 8, 2026, the Sisia Village Sustainable Beekeeping and Economic Empowerment Initiative in Nandi County and the “Laboratory Equipment and Computers for Syiluni Primary/Junior Secondary School” project in Makueni County each received KSh1 million to implement their proposals.

The announcement was made in Nairobi, with the organisers saying the seventh edition of the programme is aimed at supporting locally developed solutions that address social and economic challenges in Kenya.

In Nandi County, the beekeeping initiative will train 40 youth and women in modern beekeeping practices and is expected to support 30 households—about 120 people—through honey production, the organisers said. The project has an annual production target of 1,500 kilograms of honey and also includes a market access component as part of what the statement described as an agribusiness model.

In Makueni County, Syiluni Primary/Junior Secondary School will receive support to establish a science laboratory and acquire 10 computers, which the organisers said is intended to improve access to practical science learning and build digital literacy in the rural community.

“The LG Ambassador Challenge continues to demonstrate that some of the most transformative solutions are those designed by communities for their own communities,” said Donghun Lee, President of LG Electronics East Africa.

Lee added: “This year's winners reflect the power of innovation to create lasting economic opportunities and improve educational outcomes.”

The organisers said the 2026 winners build on projects supported in the previous year—Decipe Children's Home and Rebirth of a Queen—which, according to the statement, focused on improving living conditions for vulnerable children and creating economic opportunities for survivors of gender-based violence through vocational training.

For Kenya’s business landscape, the Nandi beekeeping project aligns with broader efforts to diversify rural incomes and expand agribusiness value chains beyond staple crops. If implemented as described, the training and production targets could contribute to household cash flows and create opportunities for local aggregation and retail of honey products, while also supporting environmental outcomes linked to pollination, as cited in the statement.

The Makueni school project underscores growing demand for STEM facilities and digital tools in public education, particularly in underserved areas. Improved access to laboratories and computers may strengthen foundational skills that ultimately feed into Kenya’s technical workforce pipeline, a priority often cited by policymakers and private-sector employers.

LG said the programme has now awarded more than KSh15 million in total since inception. The next milestone will be the rollout of the two funded projects in Nandi and Makueni counties, including delivery of equipment and the start of training activities, as outlined in the organisers’ project plans.

Six artists in Tusker’s Base to Billboardz (B2B) programme performed original music publicly for the first time on July 7 at Nairobi’s K1 Klub House, as they prepare to release a collective album later in August.

According to the press release, the jam session featured Muringi Matheri, Manasseh Shalom, Zawadi, Chris Barr, Njuguna and Ras Amor, and was positioned as a preview of music produced during a mentorship and recording process that began in February. The event drew music fans and industry stakeholders, the statement said.

The milestone comes as Kenyan brands increasingly deploy music platforms as part of broader youth and culture-facing marketing strategies, while the country’s creative economy continues to attract corporate sponsorship and structured talent development models. For Kenya’s music sector, programmes that bundle training, production support and performance slots can influence how quickly emerging acts professionalise and monetise their work through streaming, live shows and brand partnerships.

Brigid Wambua, Senior Brand Manager for Tusker at Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL), said the showcase demonstrated the impact of mentorship and practical training on artists’ readiness to perform original work in front of audiences.

“These artists have challenged themselves creatively, refined their craft and gained the practical skills needed to build sustainable careers. Seeing them perform their own music before a live audience is a powerful reminder of what can happen when talent is matched with the right support, mentorship, and platform. This is only the beginning of their journey, and we are excited to see how they continue to grow beyond the album launch,” Wambua said.

KBL said B2B is not structured as a traditional music competition, describing it instead as a career accelerator for artists who already have released music, live performance experience, a growing fan base and “at least one million career streams.” The company said the programme aims to bridge the gap between emerging talent and mainstream reach through mentorship, industry exposure and professional development.

In the selection process, the six artists were picked from an initial pool of 30 musicians, the press release said. The shortlist was developed by musician Bien working with a panel of industry experts, after which public participation and further evaluation produced the inaugural collective.

KBL said the cohort has received coaching led by Bien and other industry professionals in areas including vocals, songwriting, dance, performance and the business side of music. The statement also cited access to professional recording sessions, master classes and “curated industry exposure.”

For Kenya’s entertainment and advertising markets, structured programmes such as B2B can deepen the pipeline of commercially viable talent, while providing brands with content and live-event formats that can be scaled nationally. If the planned album and performance circuit gain traction, it could add to the growing calendar of ticketed events and brand-sponsored tours that support venues, promoters and service providers across the live music value chain.

Next, KBL said momentum from the jam session will feed into the group’s collective album launch in August, after which the artists are expected to continue performing as part of the Oktobafest 2026 artist lineup “across the country.”

KCB Bank has committed KES 20 million to sponsor the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) Term Two Games, positioning itself as title and kit sponsor for the 2026 competitions, according to a media statement issued after a cheque handover ceremony in Nairobi.

Under the arrangement, KES 12 million will be paid directly to KSSSA for the purchase of kits and trophies, while KES 8 million will be allocated to “activations” during the regional and national finals scheduled between July 6 and August 1, 2026, the statement said.

The bank said it will also use the school games platform to promote environmental conservation and “educate students and communities on sustainable practices” aimed at reducing carbon emissions and improving learning environments.

The sponsorship ties a major Kenyan lender to one of the largest school sports calendars in the country, which draws participation from secondary schools across all eight regions. Beyond sport, such partnerships often influence supply chains for sportswear and event services, as well as local hospitality activity in host towns during regional competitions.

Speaking at the cheque handover in Nairobi, Faith Basiye, KCB Group Chief Risk Officer, said the bank views school sports as a pathway for talent development. “The sponsorship underscores KCB's long-standing commitment to developing sports as a catalyst for nurturing future champions while creating opportunities for them to showcase their talent, build lifelong values and pursue excellence. As a Bank, we are proud to be part of this rich legacy,” Basiye said.

David Ngugi, Secretary General of the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association, said the funding will support learner participation and competition standards. “The Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association appreciates KCB Bank for its continued commitment to the growth of school sports in Kenya. This sponsorship is a significant investment in our learners, providing them with an opportunity to compete, develop their talents and build values such as discipline, teamwork and resilience,” Ngugi said.

According to the statement, the regional competitions begin in the Rift Valley Region at Narok High School from July 6–11, 2026. Nyanza Region finals will be held at Homa Bay High School, while Nairobi Region finals take place at Jamhuri High School, both from July 7–11, 2026.

The Coast, Eastern and Western regional finals are scheduled for July 8–11, 2026, hosted at Kwale High School, Makueni High School and Bungoma High School, respectively. Central Region finals will be held at MPESA Academy from July 9–11, 2026. The North Eastern Region finals are scheduled for July 20–22, 2026 in Tabaka, Mandera, the statement added.

The competitions will culminate in the National Finals at MPESA Academy from July 28 to August 1, 2026.

The Term Two Games cover a wide range of disciplines, including football, volleyball, netball, basketball 3x3, rugby sevens, badminton, table tennis, lawn tennis, chess, scrabble, cricket, lacrosse, beach volleyball and baseball, according to KSSSA and KCB.

Looking ahead, the key milestone for organisers and sponsors will be the rollout of kits and trophies procurement ahead of the regional kick-off, alongside execution of regional activations before the national finals at MPESA Academy at the end of July 2026.

Minet Kenya has won eight accolades at the 2026 Think Business Insurance Awards, adding to its recognition in Kenya’s insurance brokerage and risk advisory sector, the company said on July 3, 2026 in a media statement issued in Nairobi.

According to Minet Kenya, the awards included wins for Best Corporate Broker, Best Personal Lines Broker and Best Innovator in New & Emerging Risks. The company also received First Runner-Up recognition in General Broker of the Year, Life Broker of the Year and Overall Broker of the Year categories. Minet Kenya said it was additionally recognised for Medical Brokerage and Customer Centricity.

The Think Business Insurance Awards are organised by Think Business, a Kenyan business publication and events platform. The company did not disclose the judging criteria or the number of competitors in its statement.

The awards come as insurers and intermediaries push to expand coverage in a market that remains underinsured by global standards. The Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) estimates Kenya’s insurance penetration at about 2.4%, according to figures cited by Minet Kenya. Low penetration has been a recurring theme for the industry, shaping strategies that rely on broader distribution, simplified products and digital channels to reach individuals and small businesses.

Minet Kenya said its recognition in the “New & Emerging Risks” category reflects growing client demand for support in managing non-traditional exposures. In its statement, the firm cited cyber risk, climate-related events, supply chain disruptions and evolving regulatory requirements as key threats businesses and individuals are seeking to address.

Commenting on the awards, Sammy Muthui, Chief Executive Officer of Minet Kenya, said the results reflected client trust and internal execution. “These awards are a strong endorsement of the trust our clients place in us and the dedication of our teams who work every day to help organisations and individuals manage risk with confidence,” Muthui said.

He added that risk complexity is rising across sectors. “The risk landscape today is very complex, but we remain capable and available to deliver practical solutions that protect our clients today while preparing them for tomorrow's challenges. We remain committed to raising the standard of insurance brokerage and risk advisory in Kenya and across the region,” Muthui said.

For Kenya’s insurance market, recognition around corporate brokerage and personal lines underscores how intermediaries are positioning themselves to serve both large institutions and retail customers as competition intensifies. Industry players have increasingly tied growth ambitions to technology-led distribution and advisory-led services, as insurers pursue higher policy volumes and improved retention in a price-sensitive market.

Minet Kenya said it has been investing in digital distribution channels and developing products aligned to changing risks, linking this to the broader opportunity implied by the IRA’s penetration estimate. The company did not provide investment figures, timelines or uptake metrics in the statement.

Going forward, the sector’s near-term focus is expected to remain on expanding access and product relevance, particularly for emerging and hard-to-price risks such as cyber and climate exposures. Minet Kenya said it will continue to develop solutions tailored to evolving client needs, as brokers and insurers compete to grow share in a low-penetration market.

Jubilee Health Insurance is expanding an instalment-based premium payment model in Nairobi to increase access to private health insurance among uninsured and underinsured Kenyans, the company said on Friday, 3 July 2026.

The insurer said the scale-up is informed by customer feedback indicating that while many people value health cover, they struggle to pay annual lump-sum premiums. Under the “Linda Afya Leo – Lipa Pole Pole” model, customers can activate cover from the first payment and spread premiums over up to 10 monthly instalments, according to the company.

The campaign targets individuals, families, first-time insurance buyers and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with between three and 50 employees. Jubilee said plans start from KES 3,256 per month, offering KES 200,000 inpatient cover and KES 40,000 outpatient cover, while higher-tier options provide up to KES 10 million in inpatient cover.

The rollout comes as Kenya continues to prioritise universal health coverage and financial inclusion, with insurers and regulators increasingly focused on models that reduce the upfront cost of joining insurance schemes—particularly for households that earn irregular incomes or face competing expenses.

Jubilee Health Insurance Chief Executive Officer Njeri Jomo said affordability and enrolment barriers have continued to limit private health insurance penetration, with lump-sum annual premiums cited as a key constraint for many households.

“Many Kenyans remain uninsured not because they do not value health insurance, but because cover is often seen as expensive and complex,” Ms. Jomo said. She added that the company’s intention is to simplify how customers access cover: “This is about much more than changing how customers pay. It’s about changing how customers access health insurance.”

The Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) said payment approaches that reflect how consumers manage cash flow could support broader uptake. IRA Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer Godfrey Kiptum said solutions geared toward informal sector workers and underserved households are important to improving penetration and confidence in insurance.

“Improving insurance penetration requires solutions that respond to the realities of consumer cash flow, especially among informal sector workers and underserved households,” Mr Kiptum said. “Approaches that support affordability, accessibility and consumer understanding are important in broadening inclusion and strengthening confidence in insurance.”

Jubilee said the Nairobi campaign will be delivered through a community outreach effort dubbed “Afya Mtaani,” with health advisors engaging residents directly before the model is expanded to other regions. For the market, the move underscores a wider shift by insurers toward product structures and distribution channels that reduce friction in onboarding—combining digital enrolment with on-the-ground sales and education to address low awareness and trust barriers.

The company said the initiative forms part of its growth strategy in health insurance and supports its target of covering one million lives by the end of 2027.

Jubilee Health Insurance is a subsidiary of Jubilee Holdings Limited.

Jubilee Health Insurance is expanding an instalment-based premium payment model in Nairobi to reach uninsured and underinsured Kenyans, in a move the company says is aimed at reducing affordability barriers that prevent households and small businesses from buying private health cover.

In a press release dated Friday, 3 July 2026, the insurer said the scale-up follows customer feedback indicating that while many people value health insurance, annual lump-sum premiums are difficult to pay amid other household financial obligations.

The model, branded Linda Afya Leo – Lipa Pole Pole, allows customers to activate health cover from the first payment and pay premiums over up to 10 monthly instalments, Jubilee said. The campaign targets individuals, families, first-time insurance buyers and small and medium-sized enterprises with between three and 50 employees.

Jubilee said plan pricing starts from KSh 3,256 per month, with benefits including KSh 200,000 inpatient cover and KSh 40,000 outpatient cover. The company added that higher-tier options provide up to KSh 10 million in inpatient cover.

The expansion comes as Kenya continues to pursue Universal Health Coverage and broader financial inclusion, with insurers and regulators increasingly focused on product designs that align with cash-flow patterns—particularly in the informal sector, where many workers lack predictable monthly incomes.

Jubilee Health Insurance Chief Executive Officer Njeri Jomo said the company’s approach is meant to address affordability and enrolment hurdles that have limited private health insurance penetration.

“Many Kenyans remain uninsured not because they do not value health insurance, but because cover is often seen as expensive and complex,” Ms. Jomo said. She added: “This is about much more than changing how customers pay. It’s about changing how customers access health insurance.”

The Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer Godfrey Kiptum said solutions that reflect consumer cash-flow realities would be important to increasing insurance uptake.

“Improving insurance penetration requires solutions that respond to the realities of consumer cash flow, especially among informal sector workers and underserved households,” Mr Kiptum said. “Approaches that support affordability, accessibility and consumer understanding are important in broadening inclusion and strengthening confidence in insurance.”

Jubilee said the campaign will be launched in Nairobi through an outreach initiative dubbed Afya Mtaani, which will deploy health advisors into communities before expanding to other regions. The company did not disclose the investment budget for the rollout or provide adoption targets for the Nairobi phase.

For Kenya’s insurance market, instalment-based premiums could intensify competition for lower-income and first-time buyers, a segment historically dominated by public schemes and employer-backed cover. If widely adopted, such payment structures may also increase policy persistency and widen the pool of insured lives, though they could raise operational costs related to collections and customer servicing for insurers.

Jubilee said the initiative supports its broader growth strategy in health insurance and its ambition to provide cover to one million lives by the end of 2027.

Nigerian singer-songwriter Yemi Alade and Kenyan artist Bien have released the music video for their joint single “Don’t Be Shy”, with the visuals shot in Nairobi, Kenya, according to a press release dated July 3, 2026. The release was issued via Effyzzie Music and positions the song as the lead single from Alade’s forthcoming album, “It’s Yemi Alade”, which the statement says is scheduled for release later this year.

The Nairobi location places Kenya at the centre of a cross-border music collaboration that links West and East African markets at a time when streaming platforms and pan-African distribution are increasingly shaping revenue flows for artists, labels and video production teams. While the press release did not disclose production budgets, platform performance targets or commercial terms, it said the video was directed by Ovie and filmed in Nairobi.

In the statement, the organisers described “Don’t Be Shy” as blending Afro-R&B and Kompa, and said the video is set “within a stylish, warmly lit indoor space”. The announcement also framed the release as an early introduction to Alade’s next project, describing “It’s Yemi Alade” as her 11th music project.

Yemi Alade said the collaboration built on her long-standing creative relationship with Bien. “I have always loved the soulfulness of Bien’s music and working with him on this record was so easy,” Yemi Alade said in the press release. “Music has always been about emotion and connection for me. And I feel like in ‘Don’t Be Shy’ we are both being playful, confident and honest, in expressing feelings when you’re into someone.”

Bien, who is also a founding member of Kenyan band Sauti Sol, said the collaboration was driven by a natural creative fit. “Working with Yemi was an incredible experience because the energy felt natural from the beginning,” Bien said, according to the statement. “’Don’t Be Shy’ is about confidence, chemistry and enjoying the moment.”

The press release traces the artists’ previous collaborations to Yemi Alade and Sauti Sol’s track “Africa”, followed by other creative exchanges, including a Swahili version of “Nagode” and Yemi Alade’s contribution to a remix project connected to Bien’s “All My Enemies Are Suffering”. The statement positions the new single as a continuation of that relationship.

For Kenya’s music business, Nairobi being selected as a shoot location is significant for the local creative economy, including film crews, studios, stylists, set builders and location service providers, whose work increasingly feeds into pan-African releases. Cross-regional collaborations also tend to widen an artist’s addressable audience, which can influence touring demand, brand partnerships and catalogue streaming—although no such commercial projections were provided in the release.

The statement also notes the album is expected to arrive “ahead of a major showcase in Paris, France,” suggesting international promotional activity around the broader project. No dates for the album release or the Paris showcase were disclosed.

Next milestones are likely to include additional singles ahead of the album rollout, as well as potential performance and media appearances tied to the Paris event referenced in the statement. Effyzzie Music and Anyiko PR were listed as points of contact for management and media inquiries, respectively.