Doreen Onwong'a

Doreen Onwong’a has more than 7 years of experience in legal practice. Her areas of expertise are capital markets, corporate and project finance, and real estate and conveyancing. She exhibits a demonstrable aptitude in real estate law and conveyancing, project finance, building and construction contracts, securitisation, capital market transactions, and general corporate commercial law.

Doreen is a critical factor in strengthening the firm’s knowledge base, and has enhanced our practice in real estate and conveyancing, as well as in capital markets. Traditionally, KN Law LLP was quite visible in M&A and the capital markets, but we are now a major player in real estate and conveyancing and real estate financing thanks mostly to her legal shrewdness. She has delivered complex real estate development projects valued at billions of shillings, both as team leader and member, and has shown expertise in product development involving capital market products and services. She was lead counsel in the establishment of GenAfrica’s Property Fund as well as Centum Re’s KES 4 billion Zero Coupon Corporate Bond in 2020, which remains one of her most significant achievements at the firm. The Centum Re Bond cemented KN Law LLP’s reputation as an authority in capital markets real estate financing.

Doreen is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya and holds a Bachelor of Laws degree (LL. B) from the University of Nairobi and a Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law. She is also an award-winning graduate Certified Secretary (2018 KASNEB top performing student in Governance and Secretarial Audit).

• Legal adviser to Centum Real Estate Limited in its issue of a KES 4 Billion Equity-linked Zero-Coupon Bond (with a KES 2 Billion Greenshoe option), to be listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange
• Acted for GenAfrica Asset Managers Limited in the set-up of a KES 10 Billion property fund, including obtaining regulatory approvals from the Capital Markets Authority and the Retirements Benefits Authority
• Provided legal advisory services to Two Rivers Development Limited in its issues of KS 1.8 Billion and KES 2 Billion Commercial Papers
• Advised Orbit Products Africa Limited in its issue of a USD 15 Million Commercial Paper through a private placement
• Acted for Cytonn Investments Management, Plc as principal in house legal counsel in the raising of USD 25Milion from a Private Equity firm listed on Nasdaq through a variety of structured finance instruments including equity linked and asset backed notes.
• Acted as legal advisor for a financial services firm in the structuring, drafting and review of legal documentation for the purpose of raising of Kes 12 Billion from local investors.
• Acting as legal advisor for various Fund Managers in the review and structuring of the Incorporation Documents for the purpose of setting-up an Umbrella Pension Fund, Individual Pension Plan and Income Draw-Down Plan in line with the Retirement Benefits Act and Regulations.
• Acted as legal advisor for various property developers in the structuring and negotiation of various Joint Venture Agreements including those for (i) the development of a 1000-acre piece of land situated in Athi River with partial exits by the Landowner; (ii) the purposes of development of a 100 acre piece of land in Ruiru, Kenya and the subsequent partial exit of a landowner.
• Advised Cytonn Real Estate in the negotiation of various construction contracts for its various projects being either the Conditions of Contract as issued by the Joint Building Council Kenya (1999) edition or the FIDIC Redbook (1999) edition depending on the scope and complexity of the project.
• Acted as legal advisor in the structuring of a Building and Construction Contract for a proposed mixed use development in the Upper Hill area of Nairobi consisting in principal of approximately 322 residential units of various sizes and variations with several independently operated facilities.
• Was involved, as part of a legal team, in the drafting and negotiating of contracts for the provisions of Pre-Export Verification and Conformity between KEBs and Bureau Veritas SA, China Certification and Inspection Group Limited and Intertek International Limited for Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBs).
• Was part of the legal team acting for Swala Energy (K) Limited, a petroleum exploration company, in the negotiation of a Farm Out Agreement and Production Sharing Agreements with the Government of Kenya.
• Was part of a legal team that acted for a tea factory in its incorporation, the transfer of various parcels of land to the said Company for the purposes of meeting the licensing requirements for an Export Processing Zone(EPZ) Enterprise and the eventual acquisition of an EPZ Licence.
• Was part of the legal team that acted for an investor who was developing 72 apartments for sale and another entity which was developing 21 apartments for sale. , Was involved the entire legal process in the acquisition of land through outright purchase and a joint venture respectively and the drafting of the sale transactional documents.