Nairobi, Feb. 9 -- Lately, there has been a lot of talk about the privatisation of big national companies-a subject so consequential for our nation's economic trajectory, especially its role in strengthening Kenya's competitiveness and unlocking value in our State-owned enterprises (SOEs).

At the heart of this discussion is the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC), in some quarters considered the 'family silver' given its strategic positioning in Kenya's economic landscape. Currently, KPC is undergoing a legally mandated process toward partial public ownership and listing on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE).

Global experience over the past three decades indicates that privatisation has increasingly shifted from full divestments toward more...