On 18 September 2026, the Registrar of Companies of the Business Registrations and Licensing Agency (BRELA) published a General Notice No. 16308 in the Government Gazette, titled as a “Final Notice of Intention to Strike 5,277 Companies Off the Register (the “Notice”), issued under section 403(3) of the Companies Act, Cap. 212.

This process began in 2022, when the Registrar of Companies issued a notice to the affected companies that had failed to file their annual returns in accordance with section 131 of the Companies Act. The notice required the companies to confirm whether they were still carrying on business or in operation. Four years have passed since this notice was issued, and the silence has been deafening. With thousands of companies failing to respond, the patience has worn thin. The Registrar of Companies has now taken the next step by initiating the process of striking these companies off the Register, effectively bringing the matter to a close in respect of dormant companies.

Directors, shareholders, and company secretaries of the affected companies are hereby notified that, from 18 September 2026 each company has a period of  90 days to lodge an objection against its proposed removal from the Register. If no objection is filed within prescribed period, the Registrar of Companies will proceed to strike the company off the Register without issuing any further notice. Importantly, a company doesn’t have to be insolvent, delinquent, or even aware it’s on the list to be struck off. The only safeguard to avoid being strike off is checking whether a company’s name appears on the list.

Consequences of Striking Off

1. Property and rights held by a company immediately before its dissolution do not pass automatically to its shareholders. Instead, such property and rights become ownerless property (bona vacantia) and vest in the Government.
2. Liabilities of the companies’ directors, officers and members are preserved despite the strike-off. Dissolution is therefore not a method/means of avoiding outstanding obligations, including tax liabilities and other debts.
3. Although restoration is possible, it is not automatic right. An aggrieved company, member or creditor must apply to Court for an order restoring the company to the Register within five years from the date the striking off is published in the Gazette. During this five year period, the Registrar may not register another company with the same name. Once the period expires without a successful application, the company can no longer be restored, and its name becomes available for registration by another company

Companies that are still carrying on business but appear on the published list should take immediate steps to engage with the Registrar of Companies and confirm their status before expiry of the 90 days. Failure to do so may result in the company being struck off and dissolved, with the attendant legal consequences outlined above.