East Africa 2025
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
Senior Legal Manager, Africa Operation Unit | Coca-Cola Central East and West Africa
Company Secretary, and General Manager-Legal Affairs | Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen)
Head, legal, transaction banking, Africa & Middle East | Standard Chartered Bank Kenya
Team Leader, legal, governance, risk and compliance | Zamara Actuaries, Administrators and Consultants
Head of legal, Kenya and East Africa Cluster | Standard Chartered Bank
East Market Area General Counsel | PricewaterhouseCoopers
Senior legal counsel | Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT
Head of legal, wealth, retail banking Kenya and East Africa | Standard Chartered Bank Kenya
Chief Legal, Regulatory, and Corporate Governance Officer | Safaricom Ethiopia
Associate General Counsel | Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank
Director legal services/ regulatory compliance and company secretary | Kenya Airways
Corporation Secretary & Director, Legal Services | Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA)
Executive Director, Africa | International Council of Beverages Associations (ICBA)
Regional Head, Legal & Company Secretariat- East Africa | Interswitch East Africa (Kenya)
Head of Legal and Regulatory Affairs/Company Secretary | ATC Uganda
Head of Legal East, Central & Southern Africa | Network International
Head of legal services & company secretary | Tanzania Mortgage Refinance Company
Senior Manager - head of legal | MTC Trust & Corporate Services
Head, Legal, Client Coverage, Corporate and Investment Banking | Standard Chartered Bank Kenya
Company Secretary & Head Legal and compliance | Jubilee Allianz General Insurance Company
Head of corporate & legal affairs | Industrial Promotion Services (Kenya)
General Manager, Corporate Services/ Company Secretary | MTN Rwandacell
Head of Legal and Corporate Affairs – Africa | Inchcape
General counsel and chief compliance officer | Trinity Metals Group
Group Vice President, Deputy Managing Director, and General Counsel | Trade and Development Bank Group - TDB Group
Head of Legal, compliance and regulatory affairs | Ruzizi III Energy
Manager, Litigation and Regulatory Affairs | Ethiopian Airlines
Head of Regulatory and Public Policy | Safaricom
Fred is a commercially savvy, pragmatic, and solutions-driven leader with over 20 years of experience spanning both corporate and private legal practice. He currently serves as Director, Regulatory Affairs and...
Company Secretary & Legal Advisor | Brassieres et Limonderies du Burundi Brarudi
Legal and compliance manager, company secretary | Uganda Securities Exchange
Regional general counsel and company secretary | Africa Global Logistics
East and West Africa Region - Head of legal and regulatory affairs | Liquid Intelligent Technologies
Head legal and company secretary | UAP Old Mutual Insurance Uganda and Old Mutual Investment Group Uganda (OMIG)
Legal Manager | Victoria Commercial Bank
Ruth Muasya is an accomplished legal professional with over 12 years of experience in corporate and commercial law, banking and finance, regulatory compliance and corporate governance. She currently serves as...
Country Head of legal and compliance & company secretary | Standard Chartered Bank, Tanzania
It is with great pride that we present the second edition of the Legal 500 GC Powerlist: East Africa. Following the success of our inaugural edition, we have once again embarked on an extensive research initiative to spotlight the region’s most accomplished general counsel and senior in-house lawyers.
This year’s Powerlist reflects a legal landscape that is both vibrant and transformative. Across East Africa, general counsel are not only protecting their organisations but also steering them into new frontiers. Our research revealed that in-house lawyers are increasingly recognised as strategic partners, actively contributing to organisational growth and decision-making. As Daniel Wandera, group head of legal at Ramco Group, told us, “Legal is now seen as a value enabler, not just a compliance function.”
Equally, we found counsel adapting to an environment of rapid change, navigating digital disruption, ESG compliance, cross-border deals, and the fast-moving integration of AI into business processes. As Peris Wairimu Chege, head of legal at I&M Bank, observed, “Companies should adopt AI and integrate legal tech, and legal teams should be equipped to advise on AI risks.”
Beyond their legal expertise, the individuals recognised in this year’s edition demonstrate remarkable leadership, collaboration, and influence. They are not only trusted advisers but also business enablers and industry shapers. Patricia Nyokabi Mbugua of Standard Chartered Bank reflected on this evolution, noting, “This ‘get-in-early’ approach has earned us the reputation of being business enablers.”
Taken together, these stories show us that East Africa’s general counsel community is driving change far beyond the legal department. They are shaping business strategy, guiding innovation, and influencing society at large. We are honoured to recognise these outstanding professionals whose insight, resilience, and leadership continue to inspire. Their work not only strengthens their organisations but also builds the foundations of a robust in-house legal culture across East Africa. A special thanks to our sponsor ENSAfrica who has contributed to making this edition a reality. Congratulations to all listed in the GC Powerlist East Africa 2025!
Melissa Yebisi
Editor
Legal 500
The recent news that elite US firm Sullivan & Cromwell had apologised to a judge over AI hallucinations in a court filing prompted a collective wince from the legal profession.
But while some lawyers remain wary of AI, others are striking a more open-minded note, and at the LexisNexis AI Forum hosted this Wednesday (20 May) by Legal 500 and Legal Business, panelists argued that the risks are far outweighed by the opportunities.
Barbara Zapisetskaya, principal technology counsel at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, made the case that hallucinations and other potential pitfalls can be overcome with a shift in mindset.
‘What makes a difference,’ she said, ‘is empowering your lawyers to take responsibility for AI output – helping them become active AI operators, not just passive AI users. You have agency to decide whether you agree with the output or not.’
Zapisetskaya was among a line-up of leading in-house figures speaking on two panels, which covered everything from practical steps for AI implementation to the key decisions GCs need to be making in the coming months.
Financial Times general counsel Dan Guilford began by stressing the importance of building the right culture for AI adoption. In addition to proactively upskilling himself, Guilford talked about how he had implemented a voluntary weekly ‘show and tell’ meeting for team members to share successful use cases – or an exercise that became a gratifying measure of progress.
Other panelists discussed how increased in-house productivity is altering the dynamic with their external counsel.
While some see the use of AI by law firms as a precursor for reduced fees, Russell Davies, head of global operations for legal and compliance at Dentsu, said that faster results – however they are delivered – are something to be valued.
GSK assistant general counsel Anthony Kenny agreed, saying that while there was an expectation that external counsel would be utilising AI, the focus should be on the value of the output, rather than an overemphasis on identifying AI use as a justification to reduce fees.
Speaking on the second panel, MUFG EMEA general counsel James Morgan stressed the critical importance of education, noting that educating the C-suite on the advantages and risks of AI is just as important as enabling large in-house teams to use these tools.
Shanthini Satyendra, vice-chair of the AI Committee, Society for Computers & Law, CEO and founder of Manisain, offered a reminder of the importance of making the connection between tasks and the purpose behind them, extolling the virtues of identifying use cases for AI that can solve a meaningful problem.
Zapisetskaya concurred, adding that one of the most important tasks for GCs across the next six to twelve months is to create AI playbooks and templates, noting that ‘it is easy for lawyers to see problems – much harder for lawyers to see opportunities.’
There was also broad agreement among panellists that GCs should focus on upskilling their junior lawyers on AI, rather than – as some may expect – cutting back their workforce. As Satyendra summarised: ‘Some people are replacing human capital with AI without thinking about what’s required to make AI work. Retain your people and train them up.’
The panels were moderated by Emma Millington, head of the UK Lexis+ Finance Group, and LexisNexis director of segment management Stuart Greenhill.
