Taarifa completes 54% NMG buyout, ending Aga Khan's 66-year hold
What's the deal? Taarifa LtdDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has completed the acquisition of a 54.08% indirect stake in Nation Media GroupDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → (NMG), equivalent to 92,618,177 ordinary shares. It bought 100% of NPRT Holdings Africa LimitedDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → from the Aga Khan Fund for Economic DevelopmentDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, giving it a controlling interest in the media company.
Why now? Taarifa first disclosed the plan on March 10, 2026, and confirmed completion in a public notice dated August 31, 2026. The deal ends the Aga Khan Fund's 66-year association with NMG, which began in 1959.
Who's buying? Taarifa is owned by Tanzanian businessman Rostam Azizi. NMG operates newspapers, television, radio, and digital platforms across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda.
What changes? Azizi has pledged to protect NMG's editorial independence and back its growth, particularly in digital transformation and regional expansion. "We are not going to compromise on the independence of our media company because of advertising," he said when the deal was announced in March.
What could go wrong? As a controlling shareholder with a majority indirect stake, Taarifa's influence over the group is significant, testing the editorial independence pledge against commercial interests.
The signal: NMG is listed on the Nairobi Securities ExchangeDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and cross-listed in Dar es Salaam, Uganda, and Rwanda, making the change of control a rare cross-border media transaction. Regulators in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda each granted Taarifa exemptions from mandatory takeover offers, clearing the path for a single private owner to control one of East Africa's largest media groups.
Read more: hivileo.co.ke
Image credit: Nation Media Group
