Business Registration Service (BRS) is a state corporation established under the Business Registration Service Act, 2015 with a mandate to administer the Companies Act, Cap 486 and the Limited Liability Partnerships Act, among other laws.
BRS has issued a final notice to all individuals and entities with incomplete business registration applications submitted between 2017 and 2024, urging them to finalise the process by August 14, 2025.
In a statement released by BRS Director-General Kenneth Gathuma dated July 14, 2025, the agency announced a system-wide clean-up targeting draft applications that were started but never submitted and applications flagged for corrections between 2017 and 2021 that were never acted upon. These applications, submitted via the Link Business platform, will be archived and removed from the system if not completed by the deadline. BRS has justified this move by stating that it is part of a broader effort towards improving operational efficiency at the Companies Registry, ensuring compliance with the provisions of the Companies Act and freeing up system resources for new applicants.
This move follows an earlier directive from October 2024, where BRS warned that companies failing to update their records could be struck off the official register. In the directive issued on October 17, 2024, private companies were given until November 30, 2024, to comply with the requirement to file a copy of their register of beneficial owners.
Recommendations to entities with pending Link Business applications
1. Review the status of your Link Business application
Log into your BRS account and verify whether your application is still in the drafts or there are any pending corrections.
2. Act upon pending applications
If your application has been in draft status between 2017 and 2021 take steps to finalize and submit it before the archiving deadline of August 14, 2025.
3. Respond to correction requests
For applications flagged for correction between 2017 and 2021 ensure all required amendments are made and resubmitted to avoid automatic archiving.
Conclusion
To maintain compliance and ensure your business records remain active in the Companies Registry, entities with pending Link Business applications are required to regularise their applications by August 14, 2025. Failure to do so will result in the application being archived and rendered inaccessible for further processing.
This alert serves the purpose of general guidance and is not intended to constitute specific legal advice. For legal advice concerning this alert and compliance with the Directive, please contact our Partner Victoria.Muya@CMS-DI.com and CoSecDivision@CMS-DI.com.
*Contributors
• Dennis Karuri, Company Secretary
• Nancy Muturi, Company Secretary
• Sarah Mueni, Associate
