TEAM

Nyawira Kinyua

Partner

Nyawira has over 15 years of post-admission experience advising on commercial transactions, regulatory frameworks, public policy, and public procurement matters across both private practice and public service.

Her current practice is centered on infrastructure, projects, energy, and public-private partnership (PPP), where she advises on project structuring, procurement processes, contractual arrangements, and project finance considerations across the project lifecycle, particularly within regulated sectors. Her work also incorporates ESG considerations, particularly in relation to infrastructure and energy projects where sustainability, regulatory compliance, and stakeholder considerations are integral to project development and execution. She also represents companies in regulatory engagements and proceedings before sector regulators and tribunals, including the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), and has advised on licensing, tariff structuring, and compliance obligations within regulated sectors.

She has been involved in advisory work relating to renewable energy projects, including structuring, permitting, and regulatory compliance for grid-scale solar PV projects, as well as hydropower developments involving cross-border financing and recovery strategies. Her experience further extends to the petroleum and extractives sector, where she has reviewed and structured Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) and Farm-Out Agreements (FOAs), and transitional frameworks within the oil and gas industry. She has also supported public procurement and contract structuring processes within public sector institutions, including advising on tender documentation and ensuring compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements.

She also advises on corporate and commercial matters, including joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, cross-border transactions, and corporate governance, supporting clients in structuring investments and navigating complex legal and regulatory environments.

Nyawira has further experience in data protection and privacy, including leading and implementing comprehensive compliance frameworks for multinational and regional clients. Her work includes privacy audits, data mapping, policy development, cross-border data transfer advisory, regulatory engagement with data protection authorities, and training management and operational teams on data governance and regulatory obligations. She has also delivered sector-specific compliance training and workshops, advising industry bodies and corporate teams on aligning operations with data protection and regulatory requirements.

Prior to joining Andrew & Steve Advocates, she served as Legal Counsel at the Judicial Service Commission Secretariat, where she was involved in public policy and institutional reform initiatives, including work undertaken in collaboration with development partners such as the World Bank, GIZ, IDLO and UN agencies.

Dispute Resolution

Nyawira is a Certified Arbitrator and Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (MCIArb) and an Accredited Mediator and is involved in dispute resolution with a focus on practical, commercially sound outcomes.

Education & Professional Affiliations

Nyawira holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B, Hons) from the University of Nairobi and a Postgraduate Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law (KSL). She has undertaken arbitration training with the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) and is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (MCIArb). She is also an Accredited Mediator, trained at the Mediation Training Institute of East Africa (MTI).

She is a Certified Corporate Governance Advisor (CCG) and has further training in Data Protection & Privacy and is currently pursuing the APMG Public-Private Partnerships (CP3P) Certification.

She is a member of the Law Society of Kenya, the East Africa Law Society, and is actively involved in the Association of Women in Energy and Extractives in Kenya (AWIEK) and Women in Alternative Dispute Resolution (WADR).

Nyawira serves under Rotary International (District 9212) as Lead, Commercial and Partnerships within the District Legal Committee, and is a member of the Energy Law Committee and the Construction Law, Projects & Infrastructure Committee of the East Africa Law Society (EALS).