A dinner conversation once saw me defending Merali, the man. I've since admitted the man cannot run businesses but you would struggle to identify a better dealmaker in Kenya.
Could the man's nine lives be up, posits this very interesting article
Merali’s Midas touchwhen you see Merali selling, there could be fire on the mountain.2009: Merali only at 5% of Zain Kenya; soon out
2008: Merali offloads 60.8% of KDN to Altech
2006: Merali dilutes stake in Eveready to 35% during IPO
2004: Merali makes 1.6b after 2 hours on Kencell deal
2004: Merali sells off EACable to Transcentury for 120% gain
The idea of offloading substantive shares in companies that are seen to be performing well, but whose fortunes start to dwindle immediately thereafter is a trajectory that mirrors just about every element of Merali’s business interactions.