Regional investment firm Centum is seeking to sell part of its shareholding in the Two Rivers Development Company (TRDC) Ltd to retire a Ksh4 billion ($37.03 million) short-term debt whose repayment is taking a toll on its finances.
Chief executive James Mworia told The EastAfrican that the proportion of shares to be surrendered to the new investors will be determined by the current valuation of the Two Rivers Development project whose initial investment cost is estimated at Ksh25 billion ($231 million).
"The restructuring of the TRDC balance sheet involves adding equity and taking out the debt. We are targeting to reduce this debt by Ksh4 billion ($37 million) in this financial year (2021/2022)," Mr Mworia said in a recent interview.
"The total debt to TRDC balance sheet is about Ksh9 billion ($83.33 million). We want to reduce it to Ksh5 billion because this Ksh5 billion ($46.3 million) is long-term, low cost debt. We need to replace the expensive short term of Ksh4 billion ($37 million) debt with equity. We need foreign investors to come and put in Ksh4 billion ($37 million) so that we can settle the debt."
Centum, which is listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange and cross-listed on the Uganda Securities Exchange (USE), holds a 58 percent controlling stake in TRDC owing to its initial investment of Ksh1.9 billion ($17.6 million), with the remaining shares split between the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (Avic) and ICDC at 39 percent and three percent, respectively.
"TRDC is bringing in other equity investors in the company where the existing equity investors will be diluted and the money used to retire the debt. So we will come down further than the 58 percent we are holding," said Mr Mworia.
TRDC and Old Mutual Property (OMP) Africa Investment Company each own 50 percent shareholding in the Two Rivers Lifestyle Company (TRLC) Ltd, the developer of the Ksh16 billion ($147 million) Two Rivers Mall in Nairobi.
TRDC narrowed its net loss to Ksh1.85 billion ($17.12 million) during the financial year ended March 31 from Ksh5.95 billion ($55.1 million) in the last financial year.
According to Centum, the Two Rivers Development is a prime 102-acre mixed use urban node that is set to become Kenya’s financial hub, business and residential district of choice located along Limuru Road in Nairobi.
The project — which integrates retail, entertainment and lifestyle facilities, 5-Star hotel, 3-Star hotel, healthcare, commercial facilities, luxury residential apartments, civic, recreational and public […]