End of the road for bus body builder as administrators take over

End of the road for bus body builder as administrators take over
Photo taken on Feb. 28, 2023 shows a bus at a bus assembly plant co-built by Chinese and Saudi firms in Suez Governorate, Egypt. A new bus assembly plant co-built by Chinese and Saudi firms has started production in New Suez City, with the first batch of transport buses expected to roll off the assembly line soon. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 17 – Labh Singh Harnam Singh Limited, one of Kenya’s oldest bus body builders, has been placed under administration after the High Court appointed joint administrators to oversee its affairs.

According to a gazette notice dated August 13, 2025, Ponangipalli Venkata Ramana Rao and Swaroop Rao Ponangipalli of Tact Consulting LLP have been appointed as joint administrators of the company.

The appointment took effect on February 4, 2025, under the Insolvency Act, 2015, following a qualifying floating charge.

With the administration, the powers of the company’s directors to deal with or transact using company assets have been suspended unless expressly permitted by the administrators.

Creditors have until August 30, 2025, to file claims with supporting documents for consideration.

The move marks a major setback for the once-prominent coach builder, known for supplying bus and truck bodies across East Africa, and underscores the growing financial strain facing Kenya’s auto and transport manufacturing sector.