OCO Social April 2017

I S S U E 4 | A P R I L 2 0 1 7
OCO SOCIAL
#thisishowweroll
CARLVINS OMONDI
G e t t o k n o w w h i c h
l a w y e r h e w o u l d b e
+ much more

I am beyond excited to write yet another
editorial for OCO Social, our internal
newsletter. It is my second time at the helm, I
couldn't be more excited. They say twice a
charm and just so you know two has always been
my lucky number. Two is also better than one,
you get my drift? Anyway, another chapter of
this exciting adventure is about to kick off.
"SPEECH, SPEECH, SPEECH!"
This particular edition highlights our first
quarter achievements including our recent
ranking in Chambers Global. Also stay tuned to
know what was on Carlvins' lunch plate.
Buckle your seat-belts and prepare for the ride of
your life!
Yours Sincerely,
Vision Sifuma,
Editor.
Editorial Team
Kevin Kwaria - Business Development
Assistant.
Olivia Kiratu - Head of Business
Development.
Vision Sifuma - Business Development
Intern.
Popping champagne at the launch of our vision and
mission statement.
Issue 4 | page 1

Kicking us off this year and this edition was the beginning of
year lunch on that was held on 17th January 2017 at the Nairobi
OFF TO LUNCH
Club. The long awaited firm lunch which began promptly at
12:30 pm brought together all members of the OCO family to
usher in the new year in style.The food was excellent with some
choosing to for go the appetizer entirely and skip to the main
course. Chacha did an impeccable job coordinating the
proceedings of the speeches while giving a person from each
department an opportunity to address the gathering. Some of
the speakers were Cindy, Jackson, Mwania among others..
Notably, Mr. Oraro appreciated everyone for the job well
done in the previous year specifically lauding James as one of
the people who visibly put in a lot in terms of effort,
particularly during Nelly's secondment. Kudos to James and
to all.
This was a wonderful trendsetter for what is to come in the
rest of the year, and rightfully so seeing the events that
ensued in the following months. We can't help to notice that
the lunch coincided with the pupils' second day here. Guys,
now that's good timing! :-)
OCO beginning of year lunch held at
Nairobi Club. We cannot forget the
dessert and the chicken. Did I mention
the chicken?
Issue 4 | page 2

TRANSITIONS
We are delighted to welcome the following people into the OCO
family: Karibuni sana Chrispine (Accounts), Gibran (Senior
Associate), Jacob (Partner), Nicholas (Registry Clerk), the Pupils
(Charles, Eva, Kandire, Rodney and Tesra) and Sandra
(Associate). We are also glad to have Anne back. She was a Pupil
last year and has returned triumphantly as an Associate.
NEW JOINERS
DEPARTURES
As much as we love hellos and dislike goodbyes, both these actions
are inevitable in the journey of life. We said farewell to
Carlvins, Ida, Jackson and Ruto. We hope that our paths cross
again at some point.
Our monthly cake cutting ceremony beautifully coincided with the
celebration for Mr.Oraro's admission into the LSK roll of honour as
well as his ranking and that of the firm in Chambers Global
2017. We were also celebrating the recognition of Chacha, Walter
and Georgina in the Chambers Global rankings. What great
festivities! One of our much loved clients Cytonn, and one of
Chacha's clients, Stella Mulandi also treated us to cake for our
ranking. Sophie our self-confessed cake junkie is yet to give us
feedback on which cake she loved the most but we are partial to the
zucchini cakes. You?
CAKED
Georgina is officially back from her leave. We are excited to
have you back on board Georgina aka mama twins.
Karibu ofisini. :)
BACK WITH A BANG
BABY ON BOARD
NEW
Speaking of babies, we are always so glad to expand the OCO
Family, and are therefore very excited to announce that baby
Wambui was born unto John and his wife Catherine on 3rd
March 2017. Hearty congratulations John.
PUPIL INDUCTON
This quarter, we have been inducting our Pupils and we are
proud of that fact. They are now #orarofied
Gibran one of our new joiners.
Issue 4 | page 3

Wherever we go cake follows,
HBD Dan.
Erastus representing Team Simba during Dan's
birthday party.
John and one of Dan's friends at Dan's
birthday party.
A very happy birthday to all our January -
April babies. We value you and hope that you
have the best year yet!
Special mention goes to Dan who in
January this year stepped onto the 3rd Floor!
Issue 4 | page 4

TO the OCO family,
I wish to sincerely thank you for all the support that my family
and I received during the difficult time when I lost my mother
in law.
To all who gave my family a moment’s thought and said a
silent prayer for us, to all the uplifting and encouraging
sms’s and e-mails, to those who spared time and drove all
the way to Kiambu county.
TRIBUTE
To my immediate bosses, Pamella and Juliet, who so graciously
allowed me time off, on such short notice. To the ladies who
stood in for me while I was away, and assisted my bosses .
May God, who knows all the details of your kindness, bless
you abundantly.
sincerely,
Joyce.
"What we have once
enjoyed deeply we can
never lose. All thet we love
deeply becomes a part of
us."
Hellen Keller
Issue 4 | page 5

On the "bench" with
Carlvins Omondi
Hero without a cap!
From when Carlvins joined the firm 1½years ago, he has forged strong relationships across the board
during due to his social and ever jovial nature. It doesn't take much to notice his wit, charm and his
undeniable intelligence. We caught up with him virtually after he moved and we are glad we did.
How was your day to day like at OCO?
Well, I struggle to get out of bed every morning. It
mostly takes about two alarm snoozes to wake me.
I then prepare myself for work and leave.
I get to town at around 7:30 am and walk across
Uhuru Park to the office so fiercely to the tune of
“the eye of the tiger” by Survivor playing in the
background. If I was ever a few minutes late, it was
only because I had to wait for the lift to drop from
the 7th floor to the ground floor. By the way, it
takes ages. It usually feels like a full hour standing
there.
In and out of the lift with a smile for Carol, a
mental thought of the fact that I have yet again
missed the daily register, a handshake for George,
thumbs up for Kevin, a pat for Vision and a “hi” for
Sophie, Joan and Perez. In my office, a thunderous
palm collision for Alex, a “Good morning Sir!!” for
Nixon, laptop out, and it is show time!
My daily tasks here have entailed logging into data
stores to confirm whether replication and backup
is up to date, responding to emails from suppliers,
ITeam meetings and doing rounds around the
office assisting people with their IT-related needs.
The rest I do is too technical to explain.
I will typically go to lunch with Alex, Kevin and
Nixon. We fine dine at ACK Gardens or at
Sarafina’s which by the way has really good
ossubuco and matumbo (or tripe). I particularly enjoy
the lunch hour because it is actually the only hour
in the day that I am not walking all over the office.
The afternoon goes by rather quickly as I chase
various projects. My day will usually end at 5pm.
What is your best memory of OCO?
I have three contenders; end of the month
Wednesday cake, a jovial moment in the accounts
department with the whole team, and laughing
with the regular visitors of our IT office.
Issue 4 | page 6
Issue 4 | 2017

If you were a lawyer at OCO who would you be?
That’s a good one. I would be Chacha because he takes
life easy and knows when it is business time and time to
chill and crack some jokes. But I would also be Walter;
he lives in his own world. He momentarily comes back
to earth then swiftly moves back to his own. I like that,
mysterious but admirable. Perhaps I would also be
Noella because she knows how to slip out of tense
situations. She really never seems stressed and is always
happy. Or perhaps Geoffrey, I have never met a more
humble lawyer. I don’t know who to pick. OCO is a filled
with amazing people. I would probably just be me. I
would make a pretty decent lawyer I think.
What do you do when you are not working?
I will be watching an 1080 pixel movie on my 43 inch TV
(oh yes) 3 metres away from the screen, or reading 48 Laws
of Power. Alternatively, I would either be home with family or
learning Angular JS (dear reader, try to find out what that is :-)). If
it is the first Friday of the month, I would be chilling with some
friends over a chilled beer and nyama choma.
Any parting shot?
There are a million sentences to choose from. OCO has
been a family that came along when I least expected it. It is
composed of good individuals that have helped me define
who I am. I gained teachers who instilled more knowledge
into my school of life. Many of them are now friends that I
can count on and who can count on me. All in all, I gained a
family that I can look back to in laughter and happiness for
the moments they bestowed upon my path of life.
Carlvins Omondi with a grin we all
will not forget in a hurry.
Issue 4 | page 7

ICLG: (PROJECT FINANCE)
Following our ranking in Chambers Global 2017, we are glad to
report that we were subsequently mentioned in various digital
newspapers and blogs. Some of these include the Daily Nation and
the Star.
IN THE PROCESS
On 6th and 7th April 2017, Co-operative Computing
conducted a training on Aderant for the lawyers and support
staff. This will go a long way towards enhancing our systems.
ADERANT TRAINING
We are in the process of finalising our house style templates.
In case you have any documents that you feel may need to be
customised, you may add them to the House Style file in the
Business Development Folder under Imported Documents
on Worksite. We urge you all to do this by COB on the 19th
April 2017.
HOUSE STYLE
EDITION
2017
Pamella and Juliet recently contributed to an international
publication with project finance insights. Published by the Global
Legal Group Ltd, London, the cross-border guide provides an
analysis of project finance law, covering 24 countries on among
other areas, foreign investment and ownership restrictions,
government approvals and tax. They contributed to last year's
publication as well. Good stuff ladies!
AND WILLIAMS
HUNTON
On 7th April 2017, Jacob and Cindy had a meeting right here at the
office with Ryan T. Ketchum who is a Partner at Hunton and
Williams LLP in London. After the meeting they took him out for
lunch at the Fairview. We are always glad to enhance our crossborder
networking.
MEDIA
SOCIAL
In case you did not know, we are on LinkedIn and Google+. We
encourage you to follow us on these platforms. Also, in the
month of April we shall be assisting our lawyers in setting up and
updating their LinkedIn pages. Keep an eye out!
Issue 4 | Page 8

What have we been upto?
Out and About
Oraro & Company Advocates
1.M&A/Finance Training Session
This was conducted by Clifford Chance Academy
on 31st January 2017 and 1st February 2017. The
firm was represented by Cindy and Jeal. The event
focused on key aspects of a typical M&A
transaction and focus on the impact which current
trends in the M&A and Private Equity market are
having on transaction terms.
2. Training at Cytonn Investments Management
Ltd
This was held on 9th February 2017 at Cytonn's
offices, Chancery Building. It was facilitated by
Olivia and was focused on soft skills. Kevin and
Vision were also in attendance at the training.
8. 6th Roundtable Discussion
This was hosted by Planning Systems Services Ltd
at Sarova Panafric on 10th March 2017. The firm
was represented by Yvette and the event was
themed “Procurement Strategies and Contracts:
Managing Project Expectations”.
7. Gulf African Bank Workshop
Juliet was a panelist at a workshop held by Gulf
African Bank in Mombasa on 22nd March 2017.
8. Financial Literacy Training
On the 23rd of March a team from cytonn
facilitated a wealth management session for our
legal team
3. Members and Partners to the KPDA
Construction Health and Safety Breakfast Forum
This was held on 21st February 2017 at Crowne
Plaza Hotel. The firm was represented by Pamella.
4. Training on Insolvency Law
This was held on 24th February 2017. Chacha gave
a one day seminar on Insolvency Law to some
lawyers in Nyeri. This was part of the Continued
Professional Development Series.
5. Site Visit to Savannah Cement
On 24th February 2017, Erastus, Noella and Yvette
had a site visit to their client's offices in Athi River
and thereafter had a late lunch with them.
9. KPDA 2017 AGM
This was held on 31st March 2017 at Spice Roots
Restaurant in Nairobi. The firm was represented
by James. Pamella also attended a Koroga that was
held afterwards on the same day.
10. Launch of Tatu Waters
This took place on 6th April 2017. The firm was
represented by Cindy at the event.
11. The East Africa Islamic Economic Summit
This event was held on 11th April 2017 featuring a
large representation of six lawyers from the firm
including Cindy, James, Jeal, Juliet, Nelly and
Pamella. We are glad to see the great enthusiasm in
attending such events.
Issue 4 | page 9

GET THE PICTURE?
The richest people in the world look for and build
networks, everyone else looks for work.
Robert Kiyosaki
Part of OCO crew in Machakos during
Erastus' wedding.
Noella, Erastus and Yvette visiting a client's
plant.
Beryl and Noella in Machakos during
Erastus' wedding.
Juliet with NTV Anchor Victoria Rubadiri at
the Gulf African Bank workshop in
Mombasa.
Quoted references
can also be helpful.
References to people can
Noella and Yvette with a client.
also be made through the
written accounts of
interviews and debates
confirming the factuality
of the writer’s information
#machakostingz
and the reliability
of his source.
Issue 4 | page 10

THINKING
On 3rd February 2017, we launched our vision and mission
statement in the boardroom. It was a wonderful occassion in
true OCO fashion. Our vision and mission statement is as
follows: to be the leading African legal practice offering
exceptional service to our clients, upholding the highest
professional and ethical standards and providing rewarding
and challenging careers. Our core values are integrity,
honesty, professionalism, excellence and humility.
STRATEGICALLY
GUIDE 2017
INVESTMENT
On February 24th 2017, we proudly launched our very first
Investment Guide 2017. The Guide which is entirely
focused on the Kenyan economy and some of its recent
developments has been carefully designed for both Kenyan
and international investors with the objective of sharing
insights on company registration, ownership, the
investment climate and much more.
Yet another international directory, Legal 500 has
ranked us as one of Kenya’s finest Dispute Resolution
firms. They particularly recommended the firm’s
expertise in financial services disputes. Mr. Oraro was also
ranked as a leading individual in the area with the
directory lauding him saying, “[He is] a reliable and
learned adviser”. Also recognised in the Disputes practice
were Chacha and Walter. More to this the directory
ranked our very own Noella in the Employment category
as well as Mr Oraro & Chacha. The 2017 report was
released on 13th April, 2017.
LEGAL 500
CHAMBERS GLOBAL
Chambers Global, essentially the Oscars equivalent in the
legal profession on 16th March released the 2017 results of
its globally recognised annual independent survey to find
the best lawyers internationally and we are proud to say
that our firm was cited once again as one of Kenya's top
Disputes and Employment firms. Hongera sana Mr. Oraro,
Chacha , Walter and Georgina for your rankings. You have
made us proud.
Cake showing our core values at the launch of our vision and
mission statement.
Issue 4 | page 11

To send your contributions for OCO Social, email: intern@oraro.co.ke
Issue 4 | page 12