Professional Experience
Kananu is Partner, Head of Dispute Resolution, at GVA. Her practice area focuses on commercial dispute resolution. She is adept at commercial arbitration, litigation, mediation and negotiation representing parties in arbitrations, taking on the role of arbitrator or mediator, when appointed.
Kananu has handled tax dispute cases, and cases before the Public Procurement Review Board, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, Business Premises Rent Tribunal, international arbitration panels and domestic courts.
Highlights
- Successful litigation leading to negotiation of payment by KRA of a tax refund claim worth ten million dollars due to a multinational horticultural farm.
- Representing a telecom company in a litigious acquisition bid.
- Risk advisory opinion for a global pharmaceutical company in relation to employment policy and procedures.
- Winding up of a local oil company indebted to a Dubai-based investor for the recovery of a debt of one million dollars.
- Advising on the liquidation and eventual winding up of a company listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange.
- Successful negotiation and settlement of a dispute between a real estate developer and a transactional advisor in respect of a mixed-use development valued at ten million dollars.
- Successful international arbitration for a global cement manufacturer against a Kenyan company for one million dollars.
- Successfully acted for an insurance company in the repudiation of a contractors all risk policy in the sum of three million dollars.
- Advised a middle east airline on the management of employee relations in Kenya.
- Trained prosecutors of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions on the prosecution under the Bribery Act.
- Trained the Shippers Association on Maritime legislation and Customs HS codes.
Education & Memberships
Kananu is an alumnus of The Kenya High School, holds a first-class Bachelor of Laws Degree from Nagpur University and a Diploma from the Kenya School of Law. She has trained as both Arbitrator and Mediator.
Kananu is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Kenya Branch) Education Committee. She is a member of the Bar-Bench Committee for Court Annexed Mediation and is an accredited mediator by the Nairobi Centre for International Arbitration. She is also on the role of mediators at the Strathmore Dispute Resolution Centre.