Humphrey Kariuki Is Not The Owner Of Africa Spirits Limited, Soko Directory Finds Out

When news broke in June 2025 that Africa Spirits Limited (ASL), one of Kenya’s most well-known liquor firms, had officially been placed under administration, the headlines wrote themselves: “Billionaire Kariuki’s liquor empire crumbles.” It wasn’t the first time this narrative played out in the media, but now, the facts say it should be the last.

Soko Directory, driven by the need to separate truth from long-standing fiction, sought to establish the real connection between the enigmatic billionaire Humphrey Kariuki and the troubled company. For years, his name has been intertwined with Africa Spirits Limited in both mainstream news outlets and online commentary. But is there any truth to the tale that he is the man behind the bottle?

We took a deep dive into court documents, corporate records, and government filings, and the conclusion was both surprising and revealing: Humphrey Kariuki does not own Africa Spirits Limited. He never has.

Contrary to popular belief, Humphrey Kariuki’s name does not appear anywhere in the CR12 — the official document issued by the Companies Registry that lists shareholders and directors of a company. ASL, according to these official records accessible via the government’s eCitizen portal, has nine directors. None of them is Humphrey Kariuki.

There is no trace of him in the ownership structure. No shares in his name. No board seat. No proxy representative. No shadow control. His relationship with ASL is — and always has been — nonexistent from a corporate governance perspective.

We went further. Maybe Kariuki was pulling the strings behind the scenes, or had an informal executive role? Again, the evidence says no.

Court documents clearly state that Mr. Kariuki has never held any executive authority within the company. He was never a CEO, a managing director, or even a consultant. There are no records showing he ever attended board meetings, influenced company decisions, or handled its operations. The supposed connection is little more than a myth, repeated so often, it became believable.

The persistence of this narrative raises uncomfortable questions about journalistic integrity. Why has the media continued to pin ASL’s corporate identity on Kariuki?

It appears to be a matter of convenience — or perhaps sensationalism. In a country where headlines are often shaped by personalities rather than policies, the name of a billionaire attached to a company — especially one that has faced legal and regulatory trouble — draws more clicks and sells more papers than a group of unnamed directors.

Unfortunately, this appetite for a good story has come at the expense of the truth.

Despite the presence of multiple shareholders — some with significantly large stakes — and eight directors in the ASL boardroom, Kariuki has been persistently cast as the face of the company. Even some financial institutions and respected business publications have, knowingly or unknowingly, helped cement this incorrect portrayal.

Even past events have been distorted in light of this myth. Take the 2020 handover of the ASL plant, for instance. Some media outlets claimed it was part of a murky backroom deal or a product of powerful lobbying. The facts, however, are entirely mundane.

Court records show that the return of ASL’s plant to its legal owners was executed in full compliance with a court order dated 23 November 2020. It was a routine legal matter, carried out publicly and documented meticulously, not the secretive maneuver it was painted to be.

Yet, the media often references the year 2022 when discussing the handover, further muddying the timeline and reinforcing an erroneous storyline.

This situation is a textbook case of what happens when narratives are driven by repetition rather than verification. It also reminds us how easily public opinion can be manipulated by a single unchallenged assumption, especially when that assumption is as juicy as a billionaire “losing” his liquor empire.

The damage is real. Not only does it tarnish an individual’s name, but it also distracts from the actual story: that ASL’s insolvency is the result of complex corporate decisions and economic realities, not a one-man operation gone wrong.

As Africa Spirits Limited undergoes administration, it is imperative that conversations around its ownership and governance be grounded in fact, not fiction. Humphrey Kariuki deserves to be judged on his actual business dealings — of which there are many — not on unfounded associations repeated ad nauseam.

Journalists, analysts, and even the public have a responsibility to question, verify, and correct. Because in the end, while names may sell headlines, truth builds trust.

Read Also: Need To Unfreeze Accounts To Mr. Humphrey Kariuki’s Companies