The largest Almaty market, 'Kenzhekhan', which changed owners in April 2022, may in fact remain under the control of Anipa Nazarbayeva, the sister of Kazakhstan's first president. This is reported by Ulysmedia.kz. The FBRK editorial team analysed the connections between companies and found out which other business assets Anipa Nazarbayeva owns.
The 'Kenzhekhan' market, located on the Severnoye Koltso (Northern Ring) highway, has long been considered one of Almaty's largest shopping centres, known for its wide range of goods – from food products to car parts. However, behind the façade of a thriving business lies a complex ownership and management structure that, it seems, still affects the market's operations to this day.
Since 2002, the 'Kenzhekhan' market was officially owned by Anipa Nazarbayeva. In April 2022, there was a change of owner – Mitra Consulting LLP purchased 100% of the market's stake for 640 million tenge. After this transaction, the new owner of the market became Yelena Rosenberg. However, the transfer of ownership rights turned into a real disaster for the tenants.
Entrepreneurs, who had already paid significant sums for their trading spaces, suddenly found themselves facing the need to repurchase the right to trade. The root of the problem lay in the fact that, under the previous management, traders were not provided with full sale and purchase agreements – only container passports, which gave the new owners the legal opportunity to revise the lease terms.
The conflict escalated to such a degree that in December 2023, the situation at the 'Kenzhekhan' market was brought up for discussion in the Majilis (the lower house of parliament). MPs noted numerous complaints from entrepreneurs forced to pay again for trading spaces they had already paid for. As a result, state bodies initiated inspections. In particular, the Land Relations Department began an investigation following complaints from tenants about a sharp increase in the fee for entering the market territory.
Now, let's look at the company itself. 'Kenzhekhan' LLP has been operating since February 2002 and specialises in property rental and management. Over 23 years of operation, the company has paid only 366 million tenge in taxes. The first director of 'Kenzhekhan' LLP is currently Tatyana Manushina, who also owns Grand Smithy Works Kazakhstan LLP. The company's founders include Alexandra Manushina and her company, Mitra Consulting LLP.
Entrepreneur Yelena Sadvakasova said that, as of today, market participants do not know for certain who owns it. According to her, the 'Kenzhekhan' administration is represented by Sergey Kim, who, according to the data from the kompra.kz service, was officially listed as the company's director and founder in 2023.
Yelena Sadvakasova also stated that Mr. Kim is allegedly closely connected to Anipa Nazarbayeva's son-in-law, Azamat Zhylkybayev. The latter had held the position of prosecutor of the Almaty Region since February 2017. However, in April 2022, he submitted a resignation letter of his own accord. Furthermore, there is an opinion that Mr. Zhylkybayev oversaw Anipa Nazarbayeva's business interests and was involved in protecting the joint ventures of Bolat Nazarbayev.
Be that as it may, Anipa Nazarbayeva's business empire is not limited to the 'Kenzhekhan' market alone. To this day, she remains a founder of Group of the Companies TDA LLP, which specialises in importing goods from China. In 2022, this company found itself at the centre of a major scandal involving allegations of smuggling goods worth 287 million tenge. Another founder and director of the company is Ali Klyshpayev, who was arrested on suspicion of economic smuggling.
Currently, Group of the Companies TDA LLP is effectively absent from its registered legal address, has a colossal tax debt amounting to over 5.6 billion tenge, numerous encumbrances and bans on notarial and registration actions, as well as seizures of bank accounts, property, and vehicles. The debt under enforcement proceedings exceeds 28 million tenge. Despite this, the company continues to be listed among the founders of TDA Balance LLP and TDA Invest Trading House LLP.
Notably, TDA Balance LLP is headed by Yerzhan Turginbayev, who previously held the position of chief specialist at the Central Office of the Tax Committee of the Ministry of Finance. The company itself, incidentally, specialises in preparing accounts and bookkeeping.
Another problematic asset belonging to Anipa Nazarbayeva is Sole Proprietor 'Anipa'. In 2022, the Finance Department of the Almaty Region filed a lawsuit against this sole proprietor demanding the return to state ownership of the Ushkonyr College of Water Management in Shamalgan. It was reported that this educational facility had been transferred to the trust management of Sole Proprietor 'Anipa' with the right of purchase, but the terms of the contract were apparently not met.
Although it is difficult to definitively assert the existence of a direct link between the current management of the 'Kenzhekhan' market and Anipa Nazarbayeva, the convoluted ownership structure and close interconnections between the companies raise legitimate questions. Meanwhile, entrepreneurs continue to suffer from the uncertainty of their position and the opaque working conditions at the market. Regardless of who actually controls 'Kenzhekhan' today, one thing is clear: ordinary traders have become hostages of complex corporate schemes and, possibly, family interests far removed from the principles of transparent business conduct.