The aroma of fried tilapia, smoky athola, and sizzling matumbo might still fill the air at Nairobi’s iconic Ranalo Foods, popularly known as K’Osewe. But behind the busy kitchen doors and clinking cutlery, a storm brews, fuelled by love gone sour, a near-fatal shooting, and a business war between former lovers.
It began with a bang, literally.
On the afternoon of December 1, 2016, William Osewe Guda, the popular restaurateur behind Ranalo Foods, was walking along Thika Road when a familiar figure, Tom Mboya Oywa, his former friend and alleged romantic rival, appeared.
A brief, heated exchange erupted outside a restaurant known as Hagon. Seconds later, gunshots cracked the air.
Osewe fell, bullets ripping through his stomach and neck. Wilfred Tembula, who tried to intervene, was also hit.
The drama was reportedly sparked by a suspected affair between Mboya and Osewe’s wife, Stella Anne Mutheu.
What had once been a friendship ended in bloodshed, betrayal and a court case that would drag on for five long years.
Mboya, a licensed firearm holder, claimed he acted in self-defence after Osewe allegedly threatened to kill him over the suspected affair. But the court didn’t buy his version.
In a dramatic 2021 ruling, Chief Magistrate Martha Mutuku sentenced Mboya to 23 years for attempted murder, 20 years for shooting Osewe and three for injuring Tembula. The sentences would run concurrently.
For Osewe, the bullets healed but the scars lingered, both physical and emotional. He still walks with difficulty, a constant reminder of a betrayal that went far beyond friendship.
And if he thought the drama would end there, he was wrong. Fast forward to 2024, and the battleground has shifted from bullets to boardrooms.
His former wife, Mutheu, has now taken him to the Commercial Court in Nairobi. At the centre of the dispute? Ownership, management, and control of the restaurant empire they built together in love.
According to court filings, Mutheu claims that the idea for Ranalo Foods was born during their marriage, a vision they nurtured together.
In 1997, they incorporated Ranalo Foods Limited, splitting shares 50-50. Mutheu says she was deeply involved in the day-to-day operations for years, overseeing branches on Kimathi Street, in Parklands and along Kiambu Road.
But after their marriage crumbled in 2018 and they officially parted ways in 2022, things took a nasty turn.
Mutheu alleges that Osewe gradually pushed her out of the business, locking her out of decision-making, finances, and even access to the premises.
“The first defendant has excluded me from the management of the company and has blatantly refused to provide me with any information regarding its affairs since 2018,” she said in court documents through her lawyer, Waithaka Ngaruiya.
She claims she has not received a single shilling in dividends or revenues, despite still being listed as a director and equal shareholder.
Her attempts to inspect company books, financial records, and employment details have been denied, she adds.
The court suit paints a picture of deliberate isolation and opaque dealings. Mutheu is seeking urgent court orders to regain control, demanding to be made a mandatory signatory on all bank accounts, an approver of all M-Pesa transactions, and to block Osewe from transferring shares or altering company directorship without her consent.
She’s also requesting an independent audit of all Ranalo accounts dating back to 2018, citing fears that liabilities could be racked up behind her back.
“I am apprehensive that judgments may arise from employment or statutory disputes and I will only learn about them during enforcement by auctioneers,” she stated.
She revealed that the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) had issued an agency notice on Ranalo’s bank accounts due to tax arrears, a move she alleges was concealed from her.
The battle between the once-power couple is as bitter as the peppered beef on their menu. Their public fallout exposes the cracks in many family-run businesses, especially when love and business intertwine and later unravel.
In her affidavit, Mutheu pleads with the court to protect her interests and stop what she describes as a calculated move by Osewe to edge her out of their jointly owned empire.
“He has maintained an unlawful stranglehold over the business and all its assets,” she argues.
The irony isn’t lost, once partners in love and enterprise, they now sit on opposite ends of a courtroom, trading barbs through lawyers.
And hanging in the balance is one of Nairobi’s most beloved food joints, known for its traditional Luo cuisine and buzzing urban energy.
This isn’t the first time Osewe’s personal life has intersected explosively with his business. The 2016 shooting incident still casts a shadow over his public image. In court, he had described how he pleaded with Mboya to resolve their differences like gentlemen. “Instead, he drew a gun and shot me,” he said in his testimony.
Meanwhile, Mboya claimed it was a matter of survival. “I feared for my life. I had been warned that I’d be eliminated,” he told the court, adding that he acted in self-defence after being cornered.
His appeal for a non-custodial sentence, citing that he was a polygamous father and sole breadwinner, fell on deaf ears.
Back at Ranalo, the dishes keep coming, but the taste has undoubtedly turned sour for the people behind the brand.
As the court proceedings unfold, Nairobians are watching closely, not just because of the juicy details of love, betrayal, and bullets, but because the outcome could shape the future of one of the city’s most iconic eateries.
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