Nairobi, July 16 -- Capital Markets Authority overhaul of board rules and a sweeping new ESG code signal that governance failures will now be treated as balance sheet risk, not reputational noise.

Kenya's capital markets are worth about Sh3.88 trillion ($29.9 billion), having grown more than 26 percent since January.

Behind the rally is a quieter but more significant development: the CMA has overhauled the rules governing corporate boards and introduced a sweeping Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) code, redefining governance as a financial risk rather than a reputational concern.

The CMA has approved new corporate governance regulations for market intermediaries, replacing a framework that has guided brokers, fund managers and...