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drinks 1 min readSeptember 3, 2026

Who Owns Tusker?

Short answer: East African Breweries — controlled by Diageo, which is now selling its 65% majority to Japan's Asahi. Kenya's beer icon is moving from British to Japanese hands.

Tusker — the beer synonymous with Kenya — is made by East African Breweries plc (EABL), and EABL is controlled by the British drinks giant Diageo. Diageo holds about 65% of EABL, which is listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange; the other 35% is public 1.

But the ownership is moving again. In December 2025, Diageo agreed to sell its entire 65% EABL stake to Japan's Asahi Group for about $2.3bn — a deal implying a ~$4.8bn value for all of EABL 2, pending regulatory approval in Kenya.

So East Africa's most patriotic pint has been British-owned for years, and is now set to become Japanese-owned. The brand is unmistakably Kenyan; the cap table never was. Tracked in Who's Buying Africa, alongside Amarula and Nigerian Breweries.

By the NumbersOwnership at a glance
~65%[1]
Diageo's majority stake in EABL, Tusker's maker (NSE-listed)
$2.3bn[2]
Price Asahi agreed in Dec 2025 for Diageo's EABL stake

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References

  1. 1.Diageo Diageo to sell its EABL shareholding to AsahiDiageo's ~65% stake in NSE-listed EABL (Tusker's maker); agreement to sell to Asahi.
  2. 2.Beverage Daily Diageo sells East African Breweries to Asahi in $2.3bn dealDecember 2025 deal: Asahi to pay ~$2.3bn for Diageo's 65% EABL stake; ~$4.8bn implied for 100%; pending Kenyan approval.

In the Index

#whoowns#tusker#eabl#diageo#asahi#kenya#drinks#valuecapture
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