On the Road with the Board: Exploring Mt Kenya

In July, Galana Energies Chairman Sheetal Khanna, together with Board members George Kahira, Joseph Mburu and Waithera Kabiru, took to the road for a tour of the Mt Kenya region stepping away from the boardroom to experience the business first-hand.

Accompanied by Chief Commercial Officer Paul Muema, Territory Manager Daniel Wakaba and Marketing & Communications Manager Sharon Bachia, the Directors visited stations, engaged with dealers and teams, and got a closer look at the different markets that make up the Mt Kenya territory.

The Mt Kenya portfolio is as diverse as the region itself. The stations reviewed included Mukuyu, Kagio, Kerugoya, Kagumo, Nyeri, Nanyuki Highway, Nanyuki CMC, Kisima, Maua, Nkubu, Gakwegori, Embu and Kutus.

From busy town centres and agricultural communities to tourism destinations and major transit routes, each station has its own story. At Maua, the Board experienced a station where the offering extends well beyond the pumps. Its Breeze convenience store is one of the busiest in the Galana network, while the station is also one of the network's strongest LPG performers.

Kutus stood out for a different reason. The station is home to one of the best-equipped service bays in the area, bringing together vehicle servicing and lubricants and giving motorists more reasons to stop at Galana.

Then there is Kisima, perhaps one of the most distinctive stations in the region. Designed to embrace the character of the community and its surroundings, Kisima feels at home in its environment. Its unique architecture and setting have made it a recognizable stop along the route and have even seen the station used as a backdrop for music video productions.

Its location also makes it a popular tourist stopover, giving Kisima a character and customer mix quite different from Galana's urban stations.

In Nanyuki, tourism, highway traffic and the strong presence of major competitors create another dynamic altogether. Galana's Nanyuki Highway and Nanyuki CMC stations each serve different customer flows within this competitive market.

At Nkubu, the Board saw a station positioned right at the heart of everyday activity. Located opposite the busy market, with access from three roads, the station sits within one of the busiest centres outside Meru town.

And in Embu, one of Galana's newer flagship sites, the expansive layout, modern design and strong visibility demonstrate the continued evolution of the Galana retail network.

Together, the stations gave the Board a first-hand view of the diversity of Galana's network different markets, different customers and different dynamics, all contributing to one business.

Reports can tell us how many litres a station sells, how a market is performing or how we compare against competitors. Being on the ground tells another part of the story. Throughout the tour, the Directors engaged with dealers and station teams and saw some of the realities they navigate every day.

At some locations, space and access present challenges. In others, aggressive competitor discounting is a constant reality. Elsewhere, new developments, changing traffic patterns and local partnerships are creating new possibilities.

These are insights that become much more tangible when experienced from the forecourt rather than through a report.

Most importantly, the tour was an opportunity to connect with the people behind the business. Our dealers and station teams are closest to our customers. They understand their markets, know their competitors and experience first-hand the changes that influence station performance.

For the Board, listening to these perspectives helps connect decisions made at leadership level with what is happening every day across the network.

For all of us as Galanites, the visit is also a reminder of the diversity of the business we are building together. A station in Maua can look and operate very differently from one in Kisima, Kutus, Nanyuki or Embu but each plays a part in the same Galana story.

As Galana continues to grow, staying close to our network, our people and our customers remains essential. Sometimes, the best way to understand where a business is going is simply to get on the road and see it for yourself.

From the boardroom to the forecourt, we keep moving.