Wananchi Group, which operates under the Zuku brand, is staring at possible liquidation after a fibre equipment supplier lodged a Sh46.9 million insolvency claim over unpaid invoices.
CP Cables has filed a statutory demand under the Insolvency Act of 2015, requiring Wananchi to settle, secure or formally dispute the alleged debt within 21 days. The application was presented before the High Court’s Commercial and Tax Division in Nairobi as an insolvency matter.
The dispute centres on fibre cables and related hardware, including optical network units, delivered last year under a local purchase order. CP Cables says invoices issued between May and November 2025 remain outstanding. In its court filing, the supplier cautioned that failure to comply with the demand could trigger a formal liquidation petition.
Under Section 384 of the Insolvency Act, a company that ignores a statutory demand for 21 days is deemed unable to pay its debts, a legal threshold that may be used as proof of insolvency.
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CP Cables argues the matter concerns a straightforward commercial debt and insists Wananchi must either clear the balance or demonstrate a legitimate counterclaim. As of now, Wananchi has not filed a response in court, nor has it indicated publicly whether it intends to pay, contest the claim or seek more time.
The row throws a spotlight on financial pressures within Kenya’s fast-expanding but fiercely contested broadband and digital infrastructure market, where operators rely heavily on imported components and specialist suppliers to sustain network rollouts.
Wananchi runs one of the country’s largest pay-TV and internet platforms under the Zuku banner. It is a subsidiary of Wananchi Group Holdings, which is majority-owned by Axian Telecom, a pan-African telecoms player active across East and Southern Africa.
Axian has cast Wananchi as a cornerstone of its Kenyan broadband ambitions, backing fibre expansion and last-mile connectivity projects. Should the 21-day window lapse without resolution, CP Cables could move to wind up the company, a step that would risk operational disruption and rattle suppliers, customers and lenders alike.
