Kenya Tribunal Upholds CAK’s Steel Cartel Sanction on Appeal

In this piece for the African Antitrust blog, author Michael Williams discusses the Kenyan Competition Tribunal’s decision to uphold the Competition Authority of Kenya’s (CAK) landmark steel cartel ruling. The Tribunal dismissed appeals from seven steel manufacturers and confirmed the CAK’s findings of coordinated price-fixing, price adjustments, and output/import restrictions across the steel value chain. As a result, the penalties imposed in 2023 stand, reinforcing the CAK’s enforcement position.

Williams notes that the ruling was delivered in two stages, in July and September 2025, ultimately affirming KES 287.9 million in penalties for the appellants. The Tribunal also confirmed that due process standards under Kenyan constitutional and statutory law were met. The decision follows the CAK’s 2023 record sanctions totaling KES 338.8 million against nine firms, five of which settled while the remaining seven pursued — and have now lost — their appeals.

The article also highlights that two firms reached out-of-court settlements during the appeal phase, signaling the CAK’s continued openness to settlement and compliance undertakings even mid-litigation. With the Tribunal affirming both the CAK’s analytical approach and procedural fairness, the authority’s most significant cartel decision to date remains fully intact, further cementing its enforcement credibility…

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