Kausha wrote:The paper version of Business Daily has the detailed story. It is very clear Banks will convert to equity. There is no rights issue but a new share issue to retire the debt by conversion
Here is my take:
- GoK will convert debt to equity [think NBK, KPLC, KenGen or Uchumi] at a discount i.e. the taxpayer will end up buying worthless shares. Even if GoK gets some value, it will be at a fraction of the investment.
- Banks, like Uchumi's creditors, will get shares BUT unlike Uchumi, they may not be able to sell them out at the price they will get the shares. Once bitten, twice shy.
- The guarantee of $77mn is peanuts. Banks are owed $280mn so this is only 25% of the current debt. And the guarantee kicks in over 10 years so accounting for time value of money it might be only 5%!
This is a poor deal for the banks i.e. they may have rights/collateral they can seize and get more than 25% in TODAY's money. I also think that banks were arm-twisted into not taking action against KQ much earlier.
The Taxpayer will be screwed over 100%.
Greedy when others are fearful. Very fearful when others are greedy - to paraphrase Warren Buffett