Supermarket chain operator Naivas Limited has appointed a non-family CEO for the first time in its 35-year history, marking a shift in leadership for Kenya’s largest retailer that has been opening up to outsiders through stake sales.
The retailer, which last week hit 110 stores with a new outlet at Nairobi’s Gachie Westbay Mall, announced Tuesday that its co-founder and managing director David Kimani, will be stepping down from his role at the end of this month.
Naivas said in a statement that Andreas von Paleske, who has served as the chief of strategy for the past eight years, will take over from Mr Kimani effective November 1, 2025.
Naivas Limited Managing Director David Kimani poses for a photo at the company’s offices after an interview on September 11, 2025.
Photo credit: Francis Nderitu | Nation Media Group
The change comes after the founding Mukuha family relinquished majority control of the retailer after selling shares to a consortium led by Mauritius' IBL Group.
“This transition is a testament to a succession plan built on stability, strategic foresight and profound respect for the culture that has made Naivas Kenya’s leading retail chain,” said the retailer.
“We extend our heartfelt gratitude for his immense contribution and are pleased that he will continue to guide the business alongside the Mukuha family.”
Mr Kimani, his brother Simon Mukuha (who passed away in 2019) and their father, Peter Mukuha (who died in 2010), were deeply involved in the running of Naivas until 2020, when the family sold part of its stake to external investors.
The retail chain was family-run from its inception until February 2020, when a consortium led by the French private equity firm Amethis acquired a 30 percent stake, leaving the Mukuhas with a controlling stake of 70 percent.
Amethis, an investment fund manager dedicated to the African continent, sold its stake in June 2022 to a consortium led by IBL.
The IBL consortium subsequently bought additional shares, including from the Mukuhas to take a controlling 51 percent stake in the retailer.
Naivas said von Paleske was “personally recruited” by Mr Kimani to shape the long-term direction of Naivas and has been “a co-pilot in our most significant” growth phase.
“This transition is designed for seamless continuity. Andreas knows our business inside and out, and he is deeply committed to building upon the strong foundation laid by David. He is a leader who respects our past and is uniquely equipped to architect our future,” said the retailer.
Mr Kimani is stepping down barely a month after telling Business Daily in an interview: “Today, even if leave, the business will continue without politics or problems. With the structures we have built, this company can stand for the next 100 years.”
Naivas has links with Tuskys —a giant retailer that grew from humble beginnings before going bankrupt.
Tuskys founder, the late Joram Kamau, left one of his business premises in Rongai Nakuru to his two nephews —David Kimani and Simon Mukuha — when he was opening the retailer’s first outlet in Nairobi in 1990.
The two brothers were subsequently joined by their father, the late Peter Mukuha, and started operations in their new business, then going by the name Gitwe General Stores.
They would later call it Rongai Self Service Stores, inviting their sisters Linet Wairimu Mukuha and Grace Wambui Mukuha into the business. They rebranded to Naivas in 2006 after years of expansion.
