Publications

March 2010
Supplement

Deworming Kenya: Translating Research into Action (B)

By: Nava Ashraf, Neil Buddy Shah and Rachel Gordon

Karen Levy and her colleague, Margaret Ndanyi, learn the results of their nation-wide effort to rid Kenyan school children of parasitic worm infection. View Details

Keywords: Programs; Health Care and Treatment; Research; Policy; Outcome or Result; Kenya

Vimal Shah

Keywords: Fast-Moving Consumer Goods

04 Feb 2020
Video

Dr. Manu Chandaria

Manu Chandaria, Chair of the Kenyan-based steel and aluminum group Comcraft, discusses how businesses should look at “profit as a means, not the end.” He assets that the purpose of profit is to improve the... View Details

04 Feb 2020
Video

Francis Okomo-Okello

Francis Okomo-Okello, Chair of a leading Kenyan luxury hotel group and of the subsidiary of a major foreign bank, observes the eco-system of corruption in Africa, which adds greatly to the cost of doing... View Details

24 Aug 2010
News

Bringing Art Into Kenya's Schools

Keywords: Elementary and Secondary Schools; Educational Services

01 Sep 2018
News

An SUV Built for African Roads—by African Workers

Photos courtesy of Mobius Motors Driving in Kenya can be a rough ride, over bumpy dirt roads and potholed urban streets, made worse by dust, heat, and torrential rain. And that’s if you’re lucky enough to own a vehicle that will stand up... View Details

Keywords: Amy Yee

01 Jun 2022
Blog Post

Climate Stories Episode #6: Climate Change, Peacebuilding, and Business: Lise Grande and Dr. Teagan Blaine, USIP.

of the negative impacts of climate change in vulnerable areas.” In addition to Dr. Blaine’s work, climate change took center stage at USIP last October. That’s when Josephine Ekiru of the Ngara Mara community in Isiolo County in Northern View Details

Portrait Project

Rye Barcott

not to have graduating from Harvard be the greatest accomplishment of our lives. Harvard is simply an enabler. In 2008 and 2009 we have seen what happens to society when business leaders lose sight of what really matters. We never know when our time will come. From... View Details

15 Oct 2019
News

Engaging More Deeply with Business in Africa

While meeting with representatives of the Kenya Ports Authority at the Port of Mombasa, faculty members toured a bulk carrier ship off-loading grain commodities to Grain Bulk Handlers, one of the companies HBS faculty visited during the... View Details

March 2017
Case

PharmAccess and the M-TIBA Platform: Leveraging Digital Technology in the Developing World

By: Kevin Schulman, Sashidaran Moodley and Anant Vasudevan

PharmAccess is an Amsterdam-based NGO working to support the development of the private health care market in Africa. This work is critical as over 50% of care is delivered through the private sector, but well-intentioned efforts to address global health through the... View Details

Keywords: Finance; Entrepreneurship; Health Care and Treatment; Online Technology; Health Industry; Africa; Kenya

September 2019 (Revised May 2020)
Case

Keroche (A): Fighting for Share in the Kenyan Alcoholic Drinks Market

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Pippa Tubman Armerding

This case discusses the challenges faced by Kenyan alcoholic drinks producer Keroche Industries Limited in 2003, when the Kenyan government accused the company of manufacturing and selling substandard alcoholic drinks, revoked its liquor licenses, and shut down its... View Details

Keywords: Keroche; Alcohol; Wine; Manufacturing; Informal Market; Regulation; Illicit; Illegal; Shutdown; Factory; Low-income Consumers; Multinational; Local; Government; Allegations; Accusations; Negative Press; EABL; Tusker; Beer; SAB; Chang'aa; Naivasha; Rift Valley; East Africa; Lawsuit; Legal Battle; Business Ventures; Business Exit or Shutdown; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Startups; Production; Safety; Quality; Distribution; Small Business; Family Business; Crime and Corruption; Customer Focus and Relationships; Decisions; Income; Demographics; Geographic Scope; Geographic Location; Goods and Commodities; Government Legislation; Growth and Development; Business History; Lawsuits and Litigation; Laws and Statutes; Lawfulness; Goals and Objectives; Consumer Behavior; Market Entry and Exit; Problems and Challenges; Social Issues; Poverty; Strategy; Competition; Entrepreneurship; Manufacturing Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Kenya; Nairobi; Africa

28 Jul 2015
Blog Post

Nairobi Love: Heading Home

Ah, Nairobi! I love my home city...every time I return home, I am inspired by how much has changed, and motivated by how much opportunity there still remains for change. My family has been involved in public service since Kenya gained... View Details

June 2021 (Revised November 2021)
Case

Equity Bank: Charting the Future

By: Lauren Cohen, Michael Chitavi and Spencer C. N. Hagist

After climbing the ranks among Kenya's financial institutions from 66th to 1st, and toppling a quarter of the market share held by mobile money giant Safaricom, CEO James Mwangi must now guide Equity Bank into its next stage of development beyond "Equity 3.0." Should... View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Leadership; Decision Making; Market Entry and Exit; Developing Countries and Economies; Financial Institutions; Economics; Kenya

September 2009 (Revised May 2011)
Supplement

Acumen Fund: Measurement in Impact Investing (B)

By: Alnoor Ebrahim and V. Kasturi Rangan

As Acumen Fund, a global venture philanthropy firm, moves forward with an investment portfolio exceeding $22 million, it runs into two critical measurement problems. First, how should it track the performance of each investment when its interest is not just the bottom... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Investment Portfolio; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Standards; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Performance Evaluation; Social Enterprise; Competition; Financial Services Industry; Kenya

January 2009 (Revised June 2009)
Case

KenCall - Can Nik Nesbitt's Venture Succeed in Kenya?

Nik Nesbitt is preparing a presentation of his Kenyan contact center startup to a group of angel investors visiting for the first time. The task has given him cause for some soul searching: has it been worth it to battle the impoverished infrastructure and... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Entrepreneurship; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Kenya