Another Giant Car Dealer Exits Kenya After CMC

Kenya is set to lose the DT Dobie car dealers franchise after 76 years of dealing in the country, after an official notice revealed that the company was exiting the Kenyan market.
The exit follows an official ruling by the High Court of Kenya dated August 15, which revealed that the company had gone into liquidation and an officialliquidator had been appointed.
For over seven decades, DT Dobie was a prominent brand name in Kenya’s automotive industry, synonymous with a franchise of luxury brands, including Germany’s Mercedes-Benz; however, the move is cutting short this long-term deal.
“Pursuant to the provisions of the Insolvency Act, take notice that the official receiver was appointed as liquidator of the property of D.T. Dobie and Company(Kenya) Limited (the company), following a special resolution dated June 3, 2025,” the official receiver and liquidator said.
Following the liquidation, the receiver is set to sell the company’s assets and use the money to pay people the company owes.
The notice also notified all creditors of the company to file their claims before or on September 15, before it officially shuts down. The creditors must comply before the set out date or risk not getting benefits.
“Creditors of the company are required on or before September 15 to send full particulars of all the claims by filing their Proof of Debts (Form No.5) on eCitizen, they may have against the company to the undersigned, the Liquidator of the company, personally or by his Advocates, to come in and prove their debts or claims set out in such notice, or in default thereof, they may be excluded from the benefit of any distribution made before such debts are proved,’’ the notice continued.
DT Dobie was started in 1949 by David T. Dobie, a British army officer. For many years, it was the official dealer of Mercedes-Benz cars in East Africa.
In 2023, DT Dobie merged with CFAO Motors Kenya, transferring all its business assets. This was part of a plan byCFAO Group, which is owned by Toyota Tsusho Corporation, to simplify its car business in Africa.
After the merger, DT Dobie stopped operating under its own name. Its services and brand deals, including Mercedes-Benz, are now offered by CFAO Motors Kenya, which has 36 branches across the country.
It is, however, important to note that cars will still be sold and serviced under CFAO Motors. What’s ending is just the DT Dobie brand as a standalone company.
The exit comes months after CMC Motors exited Kenya in January after over 40 years of operations. The company also shut down its branches in Uganda and Tanzania.