East African Breweries Plc has been ordered to deposit Sh10 million as security in a commercial dispute involving Steizon Limited, a company associated with media personality Willis Raburu.
Senior Principal Magistrate Anne Nyoike issued the order on July 23, 2026, directing EABL to place the money in a joint interest earning account operated by lawyers representing both sides until the case is heard and determined.
The order does not amount to a final finding that EABL owes Steizon Sh10 million, since the court said the conflicting evidence presented by the parties must be tested during the main hearing.
The dispute arose from services linked to the Furaha City Festival held on December 7, 2024, where Steizon says it handled digital promotion, content production, logistics, artist coordination and influencer marketing.
Steizon says it was brought into the assignment by Game Changer Marketing Limited, which the company describes as an agency working on behalf of EABL.
The company told the court that the assignment was valued at Sh10 million and involved the production of more than sixty promotional videos and over one hundred static social media posts.
Steizon further said its work reached more than one million users and involved the coordination of artists and more than fifty influencers during the campaign and festival period.
The company says it completed the assignment, submitted a report after the event and followed up on payment without receiving the Sh10 million claimed in the suit.
Game Changer Marketing denied entering into an agreement with Steizon for the Furaha City Festival and said its dealings with the company involved a separate campus activation campaign.
The agency said payment for the campus campaign had already been made and maintained that no separate contractual relationship existed concerning the Furaha City Festival.
EABL denied liability and told the court that Furaha City was the final event under the broader Wabebe campaign, which involved thirteen campus activations covered by a total budget of Sh10 million.
The brewer said the full campaign budget had already been settled and argued that no separate purchase order, offer or written contract was issued for the additional services claimed by Steizon.
Steizon relied on communication between the parties, the work completed and the use of the content during the event, arguing that the services were requested, delivered and accepted.
The court declined to issue the mandatory injunction requested by Steizon, ruling that such an order could only be granted at an early stage where the applicant had shown a clear and undisputed right.
Magistrate Nyoike said the disputed facts required a full hearing, where witnesses, correspondence, campaign records and payment documents would be examined before liability could be decided.
The court dismissed EABL’s argument that the matter should not proceed because of separate proceedings before the High Court.
The magistrate then ordered EABL to deposit Sh10 million as security under Order 26 Rule 1 of the Civil Procedure Rules pending the determination of the commercial case.
The case has placed attention on the payment chain used in large marketing campaigns, where brand owners, agencies, content producers, event organisers and influencers may operate under separate arrangements.
Steizon’s claim centres on whether Game Changer had authority to engage the company for Furaha City and whether EABL became responsible for payment after the services were delivered under its campaign.
EABL’s defence centres on the absence of a separate written agreement, purchase order or approved budget beyond the Sh10 million already paid for the wider Wabebe campus campaign.
The dispute joins earlier commercial cases involving companies within the EABL group and smaller businesses working in distribution, marketing and supply arrangements.
Bia Tosha Distributors Limited has been involved in a long running case against Kenya Breweries Limited and related companies over disputed beer distribution territories and changes affecting its business operations.
The distributor later sought court orders connected to Diageo’s proposed sale of its controlling stake in EABL to Asahi Group, though the courts declined to stop the transaction through the existing distribution case.
Other distributors, including Natex Distributors, Tony West Limited and Outlook Index Limited, have previously filed cases against Kenya Breweries over cancelled agreements, territorial disputes and interference with distribution routes.
Those disputes involved markets including Kawangware, Kitengela, Athi River, Ngong Road, Upper Hill, Lang’ata and Rongai, with courts asked to determine the rights created by the respective distribution agreements.
EABL has also appeared in employment proceedings involving an employee who was dismissed after transporting Sh300,000 from a distributor to another employee working in the brewer’s finance department.
The court upheld the dismissal after finding that the employee’s conduct breached internal company rules governing dealings with distributors and the handling of money.
UDV Kenya, another company within the wider EABL business, has also been involved in tax disputes with the Kenya Revenue Authority concerning excise duty and value added tax assessments.
The current Steizon case will turn on the evidence linking the company’s work to Game Changer and EABL, together with records showing what services were approved, who authorised them and whether payment was made.
The Sh10 million deposited under the court order will remain secured until the magistrate determines whether Steizon proved its claim against EABL and Game Changer Marketing.
