Art Auction East Africa held an auction on October 28, 2026 at Nairobi’s Circle Art Gallery where a 1971 enamel-on-board painting of a lion by the late Tanzanian artist Edward Saidi Tingatinga fetched a hammer price of KSh6.5 million, which Dr Alastair Meredith of Strauss & Co described as a local record “by some distance”.

Including the buyer’s premium and taxes, the winning bidder will pay KSh7.63 million for the untitled work, far above the organisers’ estimate of KSh1.2 million to KSh1.6 million.

The auction generated KSh39.4 million in hammer prices and KSh46.3 million after premiums and taxes.

Sixty-one of the 68 lots were sold, giving a sell-through rate of 89.71 per cent and leaving seven lots unsold.

The event was run by Art Auction East Africa in partnership with South Africa’s Strauss & Co, marking the second year of the South African firm’s involvement.

About 250 bidders registered from across the continent, the United States and Europe, with registrations coming from 54 countries, said Strauss & Co executive director Susie Goodman.

In 2025 buyers spent well over KSh29 million, in 2024 the figure was KSh27 million, in 2023 it was KSh23.3 million, in 2022 sales were above KSh30 million and in 2021 the auction netted KSh25.25 million.

The Tingatinga painting accounted for 16.5 per cent of the evening’s hammer total.

The second highest-selling lot was a 2019 acrylic-on-canvas by Sudanese painter Salah Elmur that sold for KSh3 million hammer (KSh3.52 million all-in), above its KSh2.6 million estimate.

The third highest-selling work was Peterson Kamwathi’s 2004 monotype diptych “The Two Horse Race”, which sold for KSh1.8 million hammer (KSh2.11 million all-in) against an estimate of KSh420,000 to KSh650,000.

Two carved wood sculptures each fetched KSh1.5 million hammer (KSh1.76 million all-in); one was an untitled bird with chicks by the late Samuel Wanjau and the other was “Dreaming” by the late Anthony Wanjau, whose estimate was KSh100,000 to KSh180,000.

Other notable sales included Ahmed Shibrain’s “The Tempest”, which sold slightly below its low estimate of KSh1.45 million, Rashid Diab’s “Women” for KSh1.1 million, Mario Macilau’s untitled 2013 print for KSh1 million, Kiure Francis Msangi’s 1987 oil “My First Wife” for KSh850,000 and Ancent Soi’s untitled wildebeest canvas for KSh800,000.

Dr Meredith explained that Tingatinga’s short career from 1968 to 1972, his use of enamel bicycle paint on ceiling boards and the rarity of his few works make his paintings “incredibly rare” and “incredibly in demand”.

Tanzanian works performed strongly, with all ten lots selling for a total of KSh10.2 million in hammer prices; Sudanese lots fetched KSh7.8 million; Kenyan artists sold 22 of 24 lots for a total of KSh11.8 million.

Ugandan artists faced weaker results, with five of seven unsold lots belonging to Uganda, including two of Fabian Mpagi’s three lots; the remaining two unsold lots were Kenyan works by Michael Musyoka and Kamal Shah.

Dr Meredith said the house would try to sell the unsold works through offers in the coming days.