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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 28, 2017

1933 Act File No. 333–                ;1940 Act File No. 811–21593

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form N-2

and/or

Kayne Anderson MLP Investment Company

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

811 Main Street, 14th Floor

Houston, TX 77002

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code: (877) 657-3863

David J. Shladovsky, Esq.

KA Fund Advisors, LLC

1800 Avenue of the Stars, Third Floor

Los Angeles, California 90067

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering: From time to time after the effective date of the Registration Statement.

If any of the securities being registered on this form will be offered on a delayed or continuous basis in reliance on Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered in connection with a dividend reinvestment plan, check the following box.    ☑

It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):    ☐

when declared effective pursuant to section 8(c).

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until this Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

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The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer, solicitation or sale is not permitted.

BASE PROSPECTUS

Subject to completion dated April 28, 2017

$ 500,000,000

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Debt Securities

Kayne Anderson MLP Investment Company (the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company that began investment activities on September 28, 2004 following our initial public offering. Our investment objective is to obtain a high after-tax total return by investing at least 85% of our total assets in energy-related partnerships and their affiliates (collectively, “master limited partnerships” or “MLPs”), and in other companies that, as their principal business, operate assets used in the gathering, transporting, processing, storing, refining, distributing, mining or marketing of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, refined petroleum products or coal (collectively with MLPs, “Midstream Energy Companies”). We invest in equity securities of (i) master limited partnerships, including preferred, common and subordinated units and general partner interests, (ii) owners of such interests in master limited partnerships, and (iii) other Midstream Energy Companies. Our equity securities include securities of all market capitalizations. Additionally, we may invest in debt securities of MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies. Substantially all of our total assets consist of publicly traded securities of MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies. We are permitted to invest up to 50% of our total assets in unregistered or otherwise restricted securities of MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies, including securities issued by private companies.

We may offer, from time to time, shares of our common stock ($0.001 par value per share), shares of our preferred stock ($0.001 par value per share), or debt securities, which we refer to in this prospectus collectively as our securities, in one or more offerings. We may offer our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities separately or in concurrent separate offerings, in amounts, at prices and on terms set forth in a prospectus supplement to this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and the related prospectus supplement carefully before you decide to invest in any of our securities.

We may offer and sell our securities to or through underwriters, through dealers or agents that we designate from time to time, directly to purchasers or through a combination of these methods. If an offering of our securities involves any underwriters, dealers or agents, then the applicable prospectus supplement will name the underwriters, dealers or agents and will provide information regarding any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangements made with those underwriters, dealers or agents or the basis upon which such amount may be calculated. For more information about the manners in which we may offer our securities, see “Plan of Distribution.” We may not sell our securities through agents, underwriters or dealers without delivery of a prospectus supplement.

We are managed by KA Fund Advisors, LLC (“KAFA”), a subsidiary of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, L.P. (together, with KAFA, “Kayne Anderson”), a leading investor in MLPs and Midstream Energy Companies. As of February 28, 2017, Kayne Anderson and its affiliates managed approximately $26 billion, including approximately $11 billion in MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies.

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Investing in our securities may be speculative and involve a high degree of risk and should not constitute a complete investment program. Before buying any securities, you should read the discussion of the material risks of investing in our securities in “ Risk Factors ” beginning on page 22 of this prospectus. You should consider carefully these risks together with all of the other information contained in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement before making a decision to purchase our securities.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is                 , 2017.

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Shares of our common stock are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol “KYN.” The net asset value of our common stock at the close of business on March 31, 2017 was $20.60 per share, and the last sale price per share of our common stock on the NYSE as of that date was $21.00. See “Market and Net Asset Value Information.”

Shares of common stock of closed-end investment companies, like ours, frequently trade at discounts to their net asset values. If our common stock trades at a discount to our net asset value, the risk of loss may increase for purchasers of our common stock, especially for those investors who expect to sell their common stock in a relatively short period after purchasing shares in this offering. See “Risk Factors — Additional Risks Related to Our Common Stock—Market Discount From Net Asset Value Risk.”

Our common stock is junior in liquidation and distribution rights to our debt securities and preferred stock. The issuance of our debt securities and preferred stock represents the leveraging of our common stock. See “Use of Leverage—Effects of Leverage,” “Risk Factors—Additional Risks Related to Our Common Stock—Leverage Risk to Common Stockholders” and “Description of Capital Stock.” The issuance of any additional common stock offered by this prospectus will enable us to increase the aggregate amount of our leverage. Our preferred stock is senior in liquidation and distribution rights to our common stock and junior in liquidation and distribution rights to our debt securities. Our debt securities are unsecured obligations and, upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, rank (i) senior to all of our outstanding common stock and any preferred stock; (ii) on a parity with our obligations to any unsecured creditors and any unsecured securities representing our indebtedness, including our outstanding notes and any notes that we may issue under this registration statement; and (iii) junior to our obligations to any secured creditors.

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), using the “shelf” registration process. Under the shelf registration process, we may offer, from time to time, our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities, separately or in concurrent offerings, in amounts, at prices and on terms set forth in prospectus supplements to this prospectus. The securities may be offered at prices and on terms described in one or more supplements to this prospectus. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities that we may offer. Each time we use this prospectus to offer securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. This prospectus, together with any prospectus supplement, sets forth concisely the information about us that a prospective investor ought to know before investing. You should read this prospectus and the related prospectus supplement before deciding whether to invest and retain them for future reference. A Statement of Additional Information, dated                     , 2017 (the “SAI”), containing additional information about us, has been filed with the SEC and is incorporated by reference in its entirety into this prospectus. You may request a free copy of our SAI, the table of contents of which is on page 98 of this prospectus and our annual, semi-annual and quarterly reports to stockholders (when available), and request other information about the Company by calling toll-free at (877) 657-3863, or by writing to us at 811 Main Street, 14th Floor, Houston, Texas 77002, Attention: Investor Relations Department or by visiting our website at www.kaynefunds.com. The information contained in, or accessed through our website does not form part of this prospectus.

We are subject to the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) and are required to file reports (including our annual and semi-annual reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. We voluntarily file quarterly shareholder reports. Copies of such reports, proxy statements and other information, as well as the registration statement and the amendments, exhibits and schedules thereto, can be obtained from the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information relating to the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at (202) 551-8090. Such materials, and other information regarding the Company, are also available on the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov). You may also e-mail requests for these documents to publicinfo@sec.gov or make a request in writing to the SEC’s Public Reference Room, 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549-0112.

None of our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities represent a deposit or obligation of, and are not guaranteed or endorsed by, any bank or other insured depository institution, and they are not federally insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Board or any other governmental agency.

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You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any related prospectus supplement. We have not authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We are not making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted or where the person making the offer or sale is not qualified to do so or to any person to whom it is not permitted to make such offer or sale. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement is accurate only as of the respective dates on their front covers, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus, any prospectus supplement, or any sale of our common stock. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary highlights selected information contained elsewhere in this prospectus. This summary does not contain all of the information that you should consider before investing in our securities offered by this prospectus. You should carefully read the entire prospectus, any related prospectus supplement and the SAI, including the documents incorporated by reference into them, particularly the section entitled “Risk Factors” and the financial statements and related notes. Except where the context suggests otherwise, the terms the “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Kayne Anderson MLP Investment Company; “KAFA” or the “Adviser” refers to KA Fund Advisors, LLC; “Kayne Anderson” refers to KAFA and its managing member, Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, L.P., collectively; “midstream energy assets” refers to assets used in the gathering, transporting, processing, storing, refining, distributing, mining or marketing of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, refined petroleum products or coal; “MLPs” or “master limited partnerships” refers to (i) energy-related partnerships, (ii) energy-related limited liability companies treated as partnerships and (iii) affiliates of those energy-related partnerships, substantially all of whose assets consist of interests in publicly traded partnerships; “Midstream Energy Companies” means (i) MLPs and (ii) other companies that, as their principal business, operate midstream energy assets; and “Energy Companies” means companies that own and operate assets that are used in or provide services to the energy sector, including assets used in exploring, developing, producing, transporting, storing, gathering, processing, refining, distributing, mining or marketing of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, refined products or coal.

The Company

Kayne Anderson MLP Investment Company, a Maryland corporation, is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). Our outstanding shares of common stock are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) under the symbol “KYN.”

We began investment activities in September 2004 following our initial public offering. As of March 31, 2017, we had approximately 114.0 million shares of common stock outstanding, net assets applicable to our common stock of approximately $2.3 billion and total assets of approximately $4.2 billion.

Investment Objective

Our investment objective is to obtain a high after-tax total return by investing at least 85% of our total assets in MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies.

Investment Policies

We have adopted the following non-fundamental investment policies:

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On April 20, 2017, our Board of Directors approved a change to our non-fundamental investment policy related to our use of leverage. The revised policy will be effective June 30, 2017, as follows:

Unless otherwise stated, all investment restrictions apply at the time of purchase and we will not be required to reduce a position due solely to market value fluctuations. However, although we may not be required to sell securities due to subsequent changes in value, if such changes cause us to have invested less than 80% of our total assets in securities of MLPs, we will be required to make future purchases of securities in a manner so as to bring us into compliance with this investment policy.

Our Board of Directors may change these investment policies without the approval of the holders of a majority of our voting securities, provided that our securities holders receive at least 60 days’ prior written notice of any change.

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Our Investment Adviser

KA Fund Advisors, LLC (“KAFA” or the “Adviser”) is our investment adviser, responsible for implementing and administering our investment strategy. KAFA is a subsidiary of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, L.P. (“KACALP” and together with KAFA, “Kayne Anderson”). Both KAFA and KACALP are SEC-registered investment advisers. As of March 31, 2017, Kayne Anderson and its affiliates managed approximately $26 billion, including approximately $11 billion in MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies. We believe that Kayne Anderson has developed an understanding of the Energy market that enables it to identify and take advantage of investment opportunities in MLPs and Midstream Energy Companies. In addition, Kayne Anderson’s senior professionals have developed a strong reputation in the energy sector and have many long-term relationships with industry managers, which we believe gives Kayne Anderson an important advantage in sourcing and structuring private investments.

KAFA manages three other publicly traded investment companies: Kayne Anderson Energy Total Return Fund, Inc. (NYSE: KYE); Kayne Anderson Energy Development Company (NYSE: KED); and Kayne Anderson Midstream/Energy Fund, Inc. (NYSE: KMF). Kayne Anderson has invested in MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies since 1998.

The Offering

We may offer, from time to time, up to $500,000,000 of our securities at prices and on terms to be set forth in one or more prospectus supplements to this prospectus.

We may offer and sell our securities to or through underwriters, through dealers or agents that we designate from time to time, directly to purchasers or through a combination of these methods. If an offering of securities involves any underwriters, dealers or agents, then the applicable prospectus supplement will name the underwriters, dealers or agents and will provide information regarding any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangements made with those underwriters, dealers or agents or the basis upon which such amount may be calculated. See “Plan of Distribution.” We may not sell any of our securities through agents, underwriters or dealers without delivery of a prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of our securities.

Use of Financial Leverage

We plan to utilize financial leverage with respect to our common stock through the issuance of preferred stock and debt securities, our revolving credit facility, term loan and other borrowings (such as prime brokerage or margin loans). The timing and terms of any leverage transactions will be determined by our Board of Directors. The issuance of additional common stock offered by this prospectus will enable us to increase the aggregate amount of our leverage. Throughout this prospectus, our debt securities, our revolving credit facility and other borrowings are collectively referred to as “Borrowings.”

We generally will seek to enhance our total returns through the use of financial leverage. Under normal market conditions, our policy is to utilize our Leverage Instruments in an amount that represents approximately 30% of our total assets (this policy was revised by our Board of Directors to 25% - 30% of total assets effective June 30, 2017), including proceeds from such Leverage Instruments (which equates to approximately 56.6% of

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our net asset value as of March 31, 2017). Our Board of Directors modified this policy based on our recommendation as we believe a range of target leverage levels is more appropriate given the volatility in MLP prices experienced over the past several years. Notwithstanding this policy, based on market conditions at such time, we may use Leverage Instruments in amounts greater than our policy (to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act) or less than our policy. As of March 31, 2017, our Leverage Instruments represented approximately 26.9% of our total assets. At March 31, 2017, our asset coverage ratios under the 1940 Act, were 416% and 306% for debt and total leverage (debt plus preferred stock), respectively. We target asset coverage ratios that give us ability to withstand declines in the market value of the securities we hold before breaching the financial covenants in our Leverage Instruments. These targets are dependent on market conditions and may vary from time to time. Currently, we are targeting asset coverage ratios that provide an approximate 30% cushion relative to our financial covenants (i.e., market values could decline by 30% before our asset coverage ratios would be equal to our financial covenants). Leverage Instruments have seniority in liquidation and distribution rights over our common stock. Costs associated with any issuance of preferred stock are borne by common stockholders and result in a reduction of the net asset value of our common stock. See “Use of Leverage.”

Because KAFA’s management fee is based upon a percentage of our average total assets, KAFA’s fee is higher since we employ leverage. Therefore, KAFA has a financial incentive to use leverage, which may create a conflict of interest between KAFA and our common stockholders.

There can be no assurance that our leveraging strategy will be successful during any period in which it is used. The use of leverage involves significant risks and creates a greater risk of loss, as well as potential for more gain, for holders of our common stock than if leverage is not used. See “Risk Factors—Additional Risks Related to Our Common Stock—Leverage Risk to Common Stockholders” and “—Additional Risks Related to Our Preferred Stock—Senior Leverage Risk to Preferred Stockholders.”

Derivatives and Other Strategies

We may write call options with the purpose of generating realized gains or reducing our ownership of certain securities. We will only write call options on securities that we hold in our portfolio ( i.e. , covered calls). A call option on a security is a contract that gives the holder of such call option the right to buy the security underlying the call option from the writer of such call option at a specified price at any time during the term of the option. At the time the call option is sold, the writer of a call option receives a premium (or call premium) from the buyer of such call option. If we write a call option on a security, we have the obligation upon exercise of such call option to deliver the underlying security upon payment of the exercise price. When we write a call option, an amount equal to the premium received by us will be recorded as a liability and will be subsequently adjusted to the current fair value of the option written. Premiums received from writing options that expire unexercised are treated by us as realized gains from investments on the expiration date. If we repurchase a written call option prior to its exercise, the difference between the premium received and the amount paid to repurchase the option is treated as a realized gain or realized loss. If a call option is exercised, the premium is added to the proceeds from the sale of the underlying security in determining whether we have realized a gain or loss. We, as the writer of the option, bear the market risk of an unfavorable change in the price of the security underlying the written option.

We may utilize hedging techniques such as interest rate swaps to mitigate potential interest rate risk on a portion of our Leverage Instruments. Such interest rate swaps would principally be used to protect us against higher costs on our Leverage Instruments resulting from increases in short-term interest rates. We anticipate that the majority of our interest rate hedges will be interest rate swap contracts with financial institutions.

We may use short sales, arbitrage and other strategies to try to generate additional return. As part of such strategies, we may (i) engage in paired long-short trades to arbitrage pricing disparities in securities held in our portfolio; (ii) purchase call options or put options, (iii) enter into total return swap contracts; or (iv) sell securities short. Paired trading consists of taking a long position in one security and concurrently taking a short

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position in another security within the same or an affiliated issuer. With a long position, we purchase a stock outright; whereas with a short position, we would sell a security that we do not own and must borrow to meet our settlement obligations. We will realize a profit or incur a loss from a short position depending on whether the value of the underlying stock decreases or increases, respectively, between the time the stock is sold and when we replace the borrowed security. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Investments and Investment Techniques—Short Sales Risk.” A total return swap is a contract between two parties designed to replicate the economics of directly owning a security. We may enter into total return swaps with financial institutions related to equity investments in certain MLPs.

To a lesser extent, we may use various hedging and other risk management strategies to seek to manage market risks. Such hedging strategies would be utilized to seek to protect against possible adverse changes in the market value of securities held in our portfolio, or to otherwise protect the value of our portfolio. We may execute our hedging and risk management strategy by engaging in a variety of transactions, including buying or selling options or futures contracts on indexes. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Investments and Investment Techniques—Derivatives Risk.”

For purposes of determining compliance with the requirement that we invest 80% of our total assets in MLPs, we value derivative instruments based on their respective current fair market values. See “Investment Objective and Policies.”

Distributions

We have paid distributions to our common stockholders every fiscal quarter since inception and intend to continue to pay quarterly distributions to our common stockholders, funded in part by the net distributable income generated from our portfolio investments. The net distributable income generated from our portfolio investments is the amount received by us as cash or paid-in-kind distributions from equity securities owned by us, interest payments received on debt securities owned by us, other payments on securities owned by us, net premiums received from the sale of covered call options and income tax benefits (on net investment loss), if any, less current or anticipated operating expenses, income tax expense (on net investment income), if any, and our leverage costs (including dividends on preferred stock issued by us and excluding non-cash amortization of costs to issue leverage). On April 21, 2017 we paid a quarterly distribution of $0.45 per share to our common stockholders. This quarterly distribution was $0.10 per share lower than the prior quarter’s distribution ($0.55 per share). We reduced our distribution primarily as a result of the on-going trend of MLPs (or GPs) with lower yields acquiring MLPs with higher yields, resulting in lower distributions to the unit holders of the acquired MLPs, which has significantly reduced our net distributable income over the last two years. The tax character of the April 21, 2017 quarterly distribution is estimated to be 100% return of capital and 0% qualifying dividend. Payment of future distributions is subject to approval by our Board of Directors, as well as meeting the covenants of our senior debt, the terms of our preferred stock and the asset coverage requirements of the 1940 Act. The Fund expects that a portion of its distributions may constitute a return of capital, which represents a return of a stockholder’s original investment in the Fund. See “Tax Matters—Federal Income Taxation of Holders of Our Common Stock.”

We pay dividends on the Series B MRP Shares, Series C MRP Shares, Series F MRP Shares, Series H MRP Shares, Series I MRP Shares and Series J MRP Shares (collectively, the “MRP Shares”) in accordance with the terms thereof. The holders of the Series B MRP Shares, Series C MRP Shares, Series H MRP Shares, Series I MRP Shares and Series J MRP Shares shall be entitled to receive quarterly cumulative cash dividends, and the holders of the Series F MRP Shares shall be entitled to receive monthly cumulative cash dividends, when, as and if authorized by the Board of Directors. See “Description of Securities—Preferred Stock.”

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Use of Proceeds

Unless otherwise specified in a prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds of any sales of our securities pursuant to this prospectus to make investments in portfolio companies in accordance with our investment objective and policies, to repay indebtedness or for general corporate purposes. Pending such investments, we anticipate either investing the proceeds in short-term securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities or in high quality, short-term or long-term debt obligations or money market instruments. The supplement to this prospectus relating to an offering will more fully identify the use of proceeds from such offering. See “Use of Proceeds.”

Taxation

We are treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes and, as a result, we are subject to corporate income tax to the extent we recognize net taxable income. As a partner in MLPs, we report our allocable share of each MLP’s taxable income or loss in computing our taxable income or loss, whether or not we actually receive any cash from such MLP. See “Tax Matters.”

Stockholder Tax Features

Excluding the impact of any realized gains or realized losses, we expect that a portion of our distributions to our common stockholders may constitute a return of capital. If we make distributions from current and accumulated earnings and profits (which includes realized gains or realized losses, if any) as computed for federal income tax purposes, such distributions will generally be taxable to stockholders in the current period as ordinary income for federal income tax purposes and would be eligible for the lower tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income of non-corporate taxpayers under current law. If such distributions exceed our current and accumulated earnings and profits as computed for federal income tax purposes, such excess distributions will constitute a non-taxable return of capital to the extent of a common stockholder’s basis in our common stock and will result in a reduction of such basis. To the extent such excess exceeds a common stockholder’s basis in our common stock, such excess will be taxed as capital gain. A “return of capital” represents a return of a stockholder’s original investment in our shares, and should not be confused with a dividend from earnings and profits. Upon the sale of common stock, a holder of our common stock generally will recognize capital gain or loss measured by the difference between the sale proceeds received by the common stockholder and the common stockholder’s federal income tax basis in our common stock sold, as adjusted to reflect return of capital. See “Tax Matters.”

Risk Considerations

Investing in our securities involves risk, including the risk that you may receive little or no return on your investment, or even that you may lose part or all of your investment. Therefore, before investing in our securities, you should consider carefully the risks set forth in “Risk Factors” beginning on page 22. We are designed primarily as a long-term investment vehicle, and none of our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities is an appropriate investment for a short-term trading strategy. An investment in our securities should not constitute a complete investment program for any investor and involves a high degree of risk. Due to the uncertainty in all investments, there can be no assurance that we will achieve our investment objective.

As set forth in “Risk Factors” beginning on page 22, our concentration in the energy sector may present more risk than if we were broadly diversified over multiple sectors of the economy. A downturn in one or more industries within the energy sector, material declines in energy-related commodity prices (such as those experienced from mid-2014 to early 2016), adverse political, legislative or regulatory developments or other events could have a larger impact on us than on an investment company that does not concentrate in the energy sector. The operations and financial performance of MLPs and other Energy Companies in which we invest may be directly affected by energy commodity prices. Such impact may be a result of changes in the price for such

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commodity or a result of changes in the price of one energy commodity relative to the price of another energy commodity (for example, the price of natural gas relative to the price of natural gas liquids). For example, a substantial portion of the cash flow received by us is derived from our investment in equity securities of MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies. The amount of cash that an MLP or other Midstream Energy Company has available to pay its debt and equity holders depends upon the amount of cash flow generated from the company’s operations. Large declines in commodity prices can result in material declines in cash flow from operations for these companies.

Tax Risks

In addition to other risk considerations, an investment in our securities will involve certain tax risks, including the risk the master limited partnerships in which we invest will be classified as corporations rather than as partnerships for federal income tax purposes (which may reduce our return, negatively affect the net asset value of our common stock and negatively impact asset coverage ratios for our senior securities) and the risk of changes in tax laws or regulations, or interpretations thereof, which could adversely affect us or the portfolio companies in which we invest. President Trump and other political leaders are expected to formulate and announce various federal tax reform proposals in 2017 and beyond. We cannot assess at this time whether any such proposals, if enacted, would affect us or MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies in which we invest. Tax matters are very complicated, and the federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences of an investment in and holding of our securities will depend on the facts of each investor’s situation. Investors are encouraged to consult their own tax advisers regarding the specific tax consequences that may affect such investors. See “Risk Factors—Tax Risks” for more information on these risks.

Dividend Reinvestment Plan

We have adopted a dividend reinvestment plan for our common stockholders. Our plan is an “opt out” dividend reinvestment plan. As a result, if we declare a cash distribution to our common stockholders, then such distributions will be automatically reinvested in additional shares of our common stock, unless the stockholder specifically elects to receive cash. Common stockholders who receive distributions in the form of stock will be subject to the same federal, state and local tax consequences as common stockholders who elect to receive their distribution in cash. See “Dividend Reinvestment Plan.”

Trading at a Discount

The shares of common stock of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at prices lower than their net asset value. We cannot assure you that our common stock will trade at a price higher than or equal to our net asset value. The possibility that our common stock may trade at a discount to our net asset value is separate and distinct from the risk that our common stock’s net asset value may decline. In addition to net asset value, the market price of our common stock may be affected by such factors as the distributions we make, which are in turn affected by expenses, the stability of our distributions, liquidity and market supply and demand. If we were to issue our common stock at a price less than our net asset value (such offering would require the approval or our stockholders), our net asset value would be reduced immediately following such offering. See “Risk Factors,” “Description of Capital Stock” and “Our Structure; Common Stock Repurchases and Change In Our Structure.” Our common stock is designed primarily for long-term investors and you should not purchase our common stock if you intend to sell it shortly after purchase.

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements in this prospectus constitute forward-looking statements, which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, those listed under “Risk Factors” in this prospectus and our SAI. In this prospectus, we use words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “expects,” “intends” and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus include statements as to:

The factors identified above are believed to be important factors, but not necessarily all of the important factors, that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement. Unpredictable or unknown factors could also have material adverse effects on us. Since our actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements, we cannot give any assurance that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur, or, if any of them do, what impact they will have on our results of operations and financial condition. All forward-looking statements included in this prospectus are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this prospectus. We do not undertake any obligation to update, amend or clarify these forward-looking statements or the risk factors contained in this prospectus, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under the federal securities laws. Although we undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, you are advised to consult any additional disclosures that we may make directly to you or through reports that we in the future may file with the SEC, including our annual reports. We acknowledge that, notwithstanding the foregoing statement, the safe harbor for forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 does not apply to investment companies such as us.

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KAYNE ANDERSON MLP INVESTMENT COMPANY

We are a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company registered under the 1940 Act. We were formed as a Maryland corporation in June 2004 and began investment activities in September 2004 after our initial public offering. Our common stock is listed on the NYSE under the symbol “KYN.”

As of March 31, 2017, we had (a) approximately 114 million shares of common stock outstanding, (b) $300 million of MRP Shares outstanding, and (c) $767 million in Notes outstanding. As of March 31, 2017, we had net assets applicable to our common stock of approximately $2.3 billion and total assets of approximately $4.2 billion.

The following table sets forth information about our outstanding securities as of March 31, 2017 (the information in the table is unaudited; and amounts are in 000s):

Our principal office is located at 811 Main Street, 14th Floor, Houston, Texas 77002, and our telephone number is (713) 493-2020.

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FEES AND EXPENSES

The following table contains information about the costs and expenses that common stockholders will bear directly or indirectly. The table below assumes the use of Leverage Instruments in an amount equal to 32.7% of our total assets, which represents our average leverage levels for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2016, and shows our expenses as a percentage of net assets attributable to our common stock.

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The purpose of the table above and the example below is to help you understand all fees and expenses that you would bear directly or indirectly as a holder of our common stock. See “Management” and “Dividend Reinvestment Plan.”

Example

The following example illustrates the expenses that common stockholders would pay on a $1,000 investment in our common stock, assuming total annual expenses before tax are 5.45% of net asset value in year 1. The following example assumes that all distributions are reinvested at net asset value, an annual rate of return of 5% on our portfolio securities, and expenses include income tax expense associated with the 5% assumed rate of return on such portfolio securities.

THE EXAMPLE ABOVE SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A REPRESENTATION OF FUTURE EXPENSES. The example assumes that the estimated “Annual Expenses (exclusive of current and deferred income tax expense)” set forth in the Annual Expenses table are accurate and that all distributions are reinvested at net asset value. ACTUAL EXPENSES (INCLUDING THE COST OF LEVERAGE, IF ANY, AND OTHER EXPENSES) MAY BE GREATER OR LESS THAN THOSE SHOWN. Moreover, our actual rate of return may be greater or less than the hypothetical 5% return shown in the example. IN THE EVENT THAT A SALES LOAD APPLIES, AN EXAMPLE SIMILAR TO THIS WILL BE RESTATED IN A CORRESPONDING PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT TO SHOW THE EFFECT OF THE SALES LOAD.

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FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

The Financial Highlights set forth below are derived from our financial statements, the accompanying notes thereto, and the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP thereon for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2016 (the “2016 Audited Financial Statements”) which are incorporated by reference into our SAI. Copies of our SAI are available from us without charge upon request.

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FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(amounts in 000’s, except share and per share amounts)

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MARKET AND NET ASSET VALUE INFORMATION

Shares of our common stock are listed on the NYSE under the symbol “KYN.” Our common stock commenced trading on the NYSE on September 28, 2004.

Our common stock has traded both at a premium and at a discount in relation to its net asset value. Although our common stock has traded at a premium to net asset value, we cannot assure that this will continue or that the common stock will not trade at a discount in the future. Our issuance of common stock may have an adverse effect on prices in the secondary market for our common stock by increasing the number of shares of common stock available, which may create downward pressure on the market price for our common stock. Shares of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at a discount to net asset value. See “Risk Factors—Additional Risks Related to Our Common Stock—Market Discount From Net Asset Value Risk.”

The following table sets forth for each of the fiscal quarters indicated the range of high and low closing sales price of our common stock and the quarter-end sales price, each as reported on the NYSE, the net asset value per share of common stock and the premium or discount to net asset value per share at which our shares were trading. Net asset value is determined on a daily basis. See “Net Asset Value” for information as to the determination of our net asset value.

Source of market prices: Reuters Group PLC.

On March 31, 2017, the last reported sales price of our common stock on the NYSE was $21.00, which represented a premium of approximately 1.9% to the NAV per share reported by us on that date.

As of March 31, 2017, we had approximately 114.0 million shares of common stock outstanding and we had net assets applicable to common stockholders of approximately $2.3 billion.

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USE OF PROCEEDS

Unless otherwise specified in a prospectus supplement, we will use the net proceeds from any sales of our securities pursuant to this prospectus to make investments in portfolio companies in accordance with our investment objectives and policies, to repay indebtedness, or for general corporate purposes.

To the extent a portion of the proceeds from such offering are used to make investments in portfolio companies, the relevant prospectus supplement will include an estimate of the length of time it is expected to take to invest such proceeds. We anticipate such length of time will be less than three months. To the extent a portion of the proceeds from such offering are used to repay indebtedness, such transactions will be effected as soon as practicable after completion of the relevant offering.

Pending the use of proceeds, as described above, we anticipate either investing the proceeds in short-term securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities or in high quality, short-term or long-term debt obligations or money market instruments. A delay in the anticipated use of proceeds could lower returns, reduce our distribution to common stockholders and reduce the amount of cash available to make dividend and interest payments on preferred stock and debt securities, respectively.

As of March 31, 2017, we had $72 million borrowed under our term loan and no borrowings under our revolving credit facility. Our credit facility has a term of two years and matures on February 28, 2018. Amounts repaid under our credit facility will remain available for future borrowings. Outstanding balances under the credit facility accrue interest daily at a rate equal to LIBOR plus 1.60% per annum based on current asset coverage ratios. The interest rate may vary between LIBOR plus 1.60% and LIBOR plus 2.25% depending on asset coverage ratios. We pay a fee equal to a rate of 0.30% per annum on any unused amounts of the credit facility. Our term loan has a term of five years and matures on February 18, 2019. Amounts repaid under our term loan will remain available for future borrowings. Borrowings under the term loan bear interest at a rate of LIBOR plus 1.30%. We pay a fee of 0.25% per annum on any unused amounts of the term loan.

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RISK FACTORS

Investing in our securities involves risk, including the risk that you may receive little or no return on your investment or that you may lose part or all of your investment. The following discussion summarizes some of the risks that a potential investor should carefully consider before deciding whether to invest in our securities offered hereby. For additional information about the risks associated with investing in our securities, see “Our Investments” in our SAI, as well as any risk factors included in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Risks Related to Our Investments and Investment Techniques

Investment and Market Risk

An investment in our securities is subject to investment risk, including the possible loss of the entire amount that you invest. Your investment in our securities represents an indirect investment in MLPs, other Midstream Energy Companies and other securities owned by us, which will generally be traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter markets. An investment in our securities is not intended to constitute a complete investment program and should not be viewed as such. The value of these publicly traded securities, like other market investments, may move up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. The value of the securities in which we invest may affect the value of our securities. Your securities at any point in time may be worth less than your original investment, even after taking into account the reinvestment of our distributions. We are primarily a long-term investment vehicle and should not be used for short-term trading.

Risks of Investing in MLP Units

In addition to the risks summarized herein, an investment in MLP units involves certain risks which differ from an investment in the securities of a corporation. Limited partners of MLPs, unlike investors in the securities of a corporation, have limited voting rights on matters affecting the partnership and generally have no rights to elect the directors of the general partner. In addition, conflicts of interest exist between limited partners and the general partner, including those arising from incentive distribution payments, and the general partner does not generally have any duty to the limited partners beyond a “good faith” standard. There are also certain tax risks associated with an investment in MLP units.

Energy Sector Risk

Our concentration in the energy sector may present more risk than if we were broadly diversified over multiple sectors of the economy. A downturn in one or more industries within the energy sector, material declines in energy-related commodity prices (such as those experienced from mid-2014 to early 2016), adverse political, legislative or regulatory developments or other events could have a larger impact on us than on an investment company that does not concentrate in the energy sector. The performance of companies in the energy sector may lag the performance of other sectors or the broader market as a whole — in particular, during a downturn in the energy sector like what was experienced during 2015 and 2016. In addition, there are several specific risks associated with investments in the energy sector, including the following:

Supply and Demand Risk.     MLPs and other Energy Companies could be adversely affected by reductions in the supply of or demand for energy commodities. In addition, MLPs and other Energy Companies could be adversely affected by increases in supply of energy commodities if there is not a corresponding increase in demand for such commodities. The adverse impact of these events could lead to a reduction in the distributions paid by MLPs and other Energy Companies to their equity holders or substantial reduction (or elimination) in the growth rate of distributions paid to equity holders. The volume of production of energy commodities and the volume of energy commodities available for transportation, mining, storage, processing or distribution could be affected by a variety of factors, including depletion of resources, depressed commodity prices, access to capital for Energy Companies engaged in exploration and production, catastrophic events, labor

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relations, increased environmental or other governmental regulation, equipment malfunctions and maintenance difficulties, volumes of imports or exports, international politics, policies of OPEC, and increased competition from alternative energy sources. A decline in demand for energy commodities could result from factors such as adverse economic conditions; increased taxation; increased environmental or other governmental regulation; increased fuel economy; increased energy conservation or use of alternative energy sources; legislation intended to promote the use of alternative energy sources; or increased commodity prices.

Commodity Pricing Risk.     The operations and financial performance of MLPs and other Energy Companies may be directly affected by energy commodity prices, especially those MLPs and other Energy Companies that own the underlying energy commodity or receive payments for services that are based on commodity prices. Such impact may be a result of changes in the price for such commodity or a result of changes in the price of one energy commodity relative to the price of another energy commodity (for example, the price of natural gas relative to the price of natural gas liquids). Commodity prices fluctuate for several reasons, including changes in market and economic conditions, the impact of weather on demand, levels of domestic and international production, policies implemented by OPEC energy conservation, domestic and foreign governmental regulation and taxation and the availability of local, intrastate and interstate transportation systems. Volatility of commodity prices, which may lead to a reduction in production or supply, may also negatively impact the performance of MLPs and other Energy Companies which are solely involved in the transportation, processing, storage, distribution or marketing of commodities. For example, crude oil and natural gas liquids prices declined by over 65% from July 2014 to February 2016. Prices have since increased but remain well below July 2014 levels. These severe price declines negatively impacted the drilling capital expenditure budgets of Energy Companies engaged in exploration and production during 2015 and 2016. This reduction in activity levels resulted in a decline in domestic crude oil production, which impacts the operating results and financial performance of MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies focused on gathering, transporting, marketing and terminalling crude oil. Volatility of commodity prices may also make it more difficult for MLPs and other Energy Companies to raise capital to the extent the market perceives that their performance may be directly or indirectly tied to commodity prices and there is uncertainty regarding these companies’ ability to maintain or grow cash distributions to their equity holders. In addition to the volatility of commodity prices, extremely high commodity prices may drive further energy conservation efforts which may adversely affect the performance of MLPs and other Energy Companies.

Regulatory Risk.     MLPs and other Energy Companies are subject to significant federal, state and local government regulation in virtually every aspect of their operations, including (i) how facilities are constructed, maintained and operated, (ii) how services are provided, (iii) environmental and safety controls, and, in some cases (iv) the prices they may charge for the products and services they provide. Such regulation can change rapidly or over time in both scope and intensity. Various governmental authorities have the power to enforce compliance with these regulations and the permits issued under them. As a result, state or local governments and agencies may have the ability to significantly delay or stop activities such as hydraulic fracturing, disposal of wastewater or the construction of pipeline infrastructure by enacting laws or regulations or making it difficult or impossible to obtain permits. Violators are subject to administrative, civil and criminal penalties, including civil fines, injunctions or both. Stricter laws, regulations or enforcement policies could be enacted in the future which would likely increase compliance costs and may adversely affect the financial performance of MLPs and other Energy Companies. Recent events surrounding necessary permits for pipelines (Constitution Pipeline and Northern Access Pipeline as recent examples) have raised concerns about the ability of MLPs and other Energy companies to place such projects in service and their ability to obtain the necessary financing to complete such projects.

Changes to laws and increased regulations or enforcement policies as a result of pipeline spills (both onshore and offshore) or spills attributable to railroad accidents may also adversely affect the financial performance of MLPs and other Energy Companies. Additionally, changes to laws and increased regulation or restrictions to the use of hydraulic fracturing, the disposal of wastewater associated with hydraulic fracturing and production or the emission of greenhouse gases may adversely impact the ability of Energy Companies to

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economically develop oil and natural gas resources and, in turn, reduce production of such commodities and adversely impact the financial performance of MLPs and other Energy Companies.

The operation of energy assets, including gathering systems, pipelines, processing plants, fractionators, rail transloading facilities, refineries and other facilities, is subject to stringent and complex federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations may trigger a variety of administrative, civil and criminal enforcement measures, including the assessment of monetary penalties, the imposition of remedial requirements, and the issuance of orders enjoining future operations. Certain environmental statutes, including RCRA, CERCLA, the federal Oil Pollution Act and analogous state laws and regulations, impose strict, joint and several liability for costs required to clean up and restore sites where hazardous substances have been disposed of or otherwise released. Moreover, it is not uncommon for neighboring landowners and other third parties to file claims for personal injury and property damage allegedly caused by the release of hazardous substances or other waste products into the environment.

Federal, state and local governments may enact laws, and federal, state and local agencies (such as the Environmental Protection Agency) may promulgate rules or regulations, that prohibit or significantly regulate the operation of energy assets. For instance, increased regulatory scrutiny of hydraulic fracturing, which is used by Energy Companies to develop oil and natural gas reserves, could result in additional laws and regulations governing hydraulic fracturing or, potentially, prohibiting the action. Increased regulatory scrutiny of the disposal of wastewater, which is a byproduct of hydraulic fracturing and production from unconventional reservoirs and must be disposed, could result in additional laws or regulations governing such disposal activities. For example, research exists linking the disposal of wastewater to increased earthquake activity in oil and natural gas producing regions, and legislation and regulations have been proposed in states like Oklahoma and Colorado to limit or prohibit further underground wastewater disposal. While we are not able to predict the likelihood of additional laws or regulations or their impact, it is possible that additional restrictions on hydraulic fracturing or wastewater disposal could result in a reduction in production of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. The use of hydraulic fracturing is critical to the recovery of economic amounts of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids from unconventional reserves, and the associated wastewater must be disposed. Over the last five years, MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies have spent significant amounts of capital building midstream assets to facilitate the development of unconventional reserves. As a result, restrictions on hydraulic fracturing or wastewater disposal could have an adverse impact on the financial performance of MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies.

In response to scientific studies suggesting that emissions of certain gases, commonly referred to as greenhouse gases, including gases associated with oil and gas production such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide among others, may be contributing to a warming of the earth’s atmosphere and other adverse environmental effects, various governmental authorities have considered or taken actions to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. For example, the EPA has taken action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, certain states (individually or in regional cooperation), have taken or proposed measures to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Also, the U.S. Congress has proposed legislative measures for imposing restrictions or requiring emissions fees for greenhouse gases. The adoption and implementation of any federal, state or local regulations imposing reporting obligations on, or limiting emissions of greenhouse gases from, MLPs and other Energy Companies could result in significant costs to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases associated with their operations or could adversely affect the supply of or demand for crude oil, natural gas, natural gas liquids or other hydrocarbon products, which in turn could reduce production of those commodities. As a result, any such legislation or regulation could have a material adverse impact on the financial performance of MLPs and other Energy Companies.

There is an inherent risk that MLPs and other Energy Companies may incur material environmental costs and liabilities due to the nature of their businesses and the substances they handle. For example, an accidental release from a pipeline could subject the owner of such pipeline to substantial liabilities for environmental cleanup and restoration costs, claims made by neighboring landowners and other third parties for

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personal injury and property damage, and fines or penalties for related violations of environmental laws or regulations. Moreover, the possibility exists that stricter laws, regulations or enforcement policies could significantly increase the compliance costs of MLPs and other Energy Companies. Similarly, the implementation of more stringent environmental requirements could significantly increase the cost of any remediation that may become necessary. MLPs and other Energy Companies may not be able to recover these costs from insurance or recover these costs in the rates they charge customers.

Depletion Risk.     Energy reserves naturally deplete as they are produced over time, and to maintain or grow their revenues, companies engaged in the production of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil and other energy commodities need to maintain or expand their reserves through exploration of new sources of supply, through the development of existing sources, through acquisitions, or through long-term contracts to acquire reserves. The financial performance of these Energy Companies may be adversely affected if they are unable to cost-effectively acquire additional reserves sufficient to replace the natural decline. If these Energy Companies fail to add reserves by acquiring or developing them, reserves and production will decline over time as they are produced. If an Energy Company is not able to raise capital on favorable terms, it may not be able to add to or maintain its reserves or production levels. If an Energy Company, as a result of a material decline in commodity prices, has less operating cash flow to reinvest to develop or acquire reserves, it may not be able to add or maintain its reserves or production levels. During the most recent industry downturn, many Energy Companies have significantly reduced capital expenditures to develop their reserve bases. This has resulted in declines in domestic production levels. Many Energy Companies have been forced to monetize reserves to manage the balance sheets and maintain adequate liquidity levels. Some Energy Companies have been forced to file for bankruptcy in an effort to restructure their balance sheets. These actions have had a negative impact on the operating results and financial performance for MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies engaged in the transportation, storage, distribution and processing of production from such Energy Companies.

Reserve Risks.     Energy Companies engaged in the production of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil and other energy commodities are subject to overstatement of the quantities of their reserves based upon any reserve estimates that prove to be inaccurate, that no commercially productive amounts of such energy commodities will be discovered as a result of drilling or other exploration activities, the curtailment, delay or cancellation of exploration activities are as a result of low commodity prices, unexpected conditions or miscalculations, title problems, pressure or irregularities in formations, equipment failures or accidents, adverse weather conditions, compliance with environmental and other governmental requirements and cost of, or shortages or delays in the availability of, drilling rigs and other exploration equipment, and operational risks and hazards associated with the development of the underlying properties, including natural disasters, blowouts, explosions, fires, leakage of such energy commodities, mechanical failures, cratering, and pollution.

Catastrophic Event Risk.     MLPs and other Energy Companies operating in the energy sector are subject to many dangers inherent in the production, exploration, management, transportation, processing and distribution of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, refined petroleum products and other hydrocarbons. These dangers include leaks, fires, explosions, train wrecks, damage to facilities and equipment resulting from natural disasters, inadvertent damage to facilities and equipment (such as those suffered by BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling platform in the 2010 Macondo oil spill or recent oil spills by various onshore pipelines) and terrorist acts. The U.S. government has issued warnings that energy assets, specifically domestic energy infrastructure (e.g. pipelines), may be targeted in future terrorist attacks. These dangers give rise to risks of substantial losses as a result of loss or destruction of reserves; damage to or destruction of property, facilities and equipment; pollution and environmental damage; and personal injury or loss of life. Any occurrence of such catastrophic events could bring about a limitation, suspension or discontinuation of the operations of certain assets owned by such MLP or other Energy Company. MLPs and other Energy Companies operating in the energy sector may not be fully insured against all risks inherent in their business operations and, therefore, accidents and catastrophic events could adversely affect such companies’ financial condition and ability to pay distributions to unitholders or shareholders. We expect that increased governmental regulation to mitigate such catastrophic risk, such as the recent oil spills referred to above, could increase insurance premiums and other operating costs for MLPs and other Energy Companies.

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Acquisition Risk.     The abilities of MLPs and other Energy Companies to grow and to increase cash distributions to unitholders can be highly dependent on their ability to make acquisitions that result in an increase in cash flows. In the event that MLPs and other Energy Companies are unable to make such accretive acquisitions because they are unable to identify attractive acquisition candidates and negotiate acceptable purchase contracts, because they are unable to raise financing for such acquisitions on economically acceptable terms, or because they are outbid by competitors, their future growth and ability to raise distributions will be limited (or in certain circumstances, their ability to maintain distributions). Furthermore, even if MLPs and other Energy Companies do consummate acquisitions that they believe will be accretive, the acquisitions may instead result in a decrease in cash flow. Any acquisition involves risks, including, among other things: mistaken assumptions about volumes, revenues and costs, including synergies; the assumption of unknown liabilities; limitations on rights to indemnity from the seller; the diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns; unforeseen difficulties operating in new product or geographic areas; and customer or key employee losses at the acquired businesses.

Affiliated Party Risk.     Certain MLPs are dependent on their parents or sponsors for a majority of their revenues. Any failure by an MLP’s parents or sponsors to satisfy their payments or obligations would impact the MLP’s revenues and cash flows and ability to make interest payments and distributions.

Contract Rejection/Renegotiation Risk     MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies that operate midstream assets are also subject to the credit risk of their customers. For example, during 2015 and 2016, many Energy Companies that explore for and produce oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids filed for bankruptcy. During the bankruptcy process, the debtor Energy Company may be able to reject a contract that it has with an MLP or other Midstream Energy Company that provides services for the debtor, which services could include gathering, processing, transporting, fractionating or storing the debtor Energy Company’s production. If a contract is successfully rejected during bankruptcy, the affected MLP or other Midstream Energy Company will have an unsecured claim for damages but will likely only recover a portion of its claim for damages and may not recover anything at all. A Midstream Energy Company that provides services to an Energy Company that is in financial distress could experience a material adverse impact to its financial performance and results of operations.

Sector Specific Risks

MLPs and other Energy Companies are also subject to risks that are specific to the sector in which they operate.

Midstream.     MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies that operate midstream assets are subject to supply and demand fluctuations in the markets they serve which may be impacted by a wide range of factors including fluctuating commodity prices, weather, increased conservation or use of alternative fuel sources, increased governmental or environmental regulation, depletion, rising interest rates, declines in domestic or foreign production, accidents or catastrophic events, and economic conditions, among others. Further, MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies are exposed to the natural declines in the production of the oil and gas fields they serve. Gathering and processing assets are most directly impacted by production declines, as volumes will decline if new wells are not drilled and connected to a system, but all midstream assets could potentially be negatively impacted by production declines. For example, as a result of a substantial increase in new midstream assets built over the last five years, several domestic shale basins have excess capacity to take supply to end-user markets. This excess capacity can lead to increased competition between MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies and lower rates for services provided, which would have a negative impact on the operating results and financial performance for these companies. Further, many newly constructed midstream assets are underpinned by contracts that contain minimum volume commitments for a period of years (typically five to ten years). If volumes are below the level of the minimum volume commitment at the time such commitments expire, the MLP or Midstream Energy Company that owns the impacted midstream assets will experience a negative impact to its operating results and financial performance. In addition, some gathering and processing contracts subject the owner of such assets to direct commodity price risk.

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Marine Transportation.     MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies with marine transportation assets are exposed to many of the same risks as other MLPs and Midstream Energy Companies. In addition, the highly cyclical nature of the marine transportation industry may lead to volatile changes in charter rates and vessel values, which may adversely affect the revenues, profitability and cash flows of such companies in our portfolio. Fluctuations in charter rates result from changes in the supply and demand for vessel capacity and changes in the supply and demand for certain energy commodities. Changes in demand for transportation of commodities over longer distances and supply of vessels to carry those commodities may materially affect revenues, profitability and cash flows. The value of marine transportation vessels may fluctuate and could adversely affect the value of marine transportation company securities in our portfolio. Declining marine transportation values could affect the ability of marine transportation companies to raise cash by limiting their ability to refinance their vessels, thereby adversely impacting such company’s liquidity. Marine transportation company vessels are at risk of damage or loss because of events such as mechanical failure, collision, human error, war, terrorism, piracy, cargo loss and bad weather. In addition, changing economic, regulatory and political conditions in some countries, including political and military conflicts, have from time to time resulted in attacks on vessels, mining of waterways, piracy, terrorism, labor strikes, boycotts and government requisitioning of vessels. These sorts of events could interfere with marine transportation shipping lanes and result in market disruptions and a significant reduction in cash flow for the marine transportation companies in our portfolio.

Tax Risks of Investing in Equity Securities of MLPs

Tax Risk of MLPs.     Our ability to meet our investment objective will depend, in part, on the level of taxable income and distributions and dividends we receive from the MLP securities in which we invest, a factor over which we have no control. The benefit we derive from our investment in MLPs is largely dependent on the MLPs being treated as partnerships and not as corporations for federal income tax purposes. As a partnership, an MLP has no tax liability at the entity level. If, as a result of a change in current law or a change in an MLP’s business, an MLP were treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes, such MLP would be obligated to pay federal income tax on its income at the corporate tax rate. If an MLP were classified as a corporation for federal income tax purposes, the amount of cash available for distribution by the MLP would likely be reduced and distributions received by us would be taxed under federal income tax laws applicable to corporate distributions (as dividend income, return of capital, or capital gain), which would reduce the amount of cash flow we have to pay interest expense and dividends on our senior securities. During the last three years, “roll-up” transactions, in which a sponsor acquires the outstanding units of its subsidiary MLP, have become more common, and when the sponsor is a corporation, these transactions have resulted in the MLP unitholders becoming shareholders in a corporation. If assets historically owned by MLPs continue to migrate into corporations, by way of roll-up transactions or other merger or acquisition transactions, the amount of cash flow we have to pay interest expense and dividends on our senior securities would likely be reduced. Additionally, treatment of an MLP as a corporation for federal income tax purposes, or a transfer in ownership of MLP assets to corporations, would likely result in a reduction in the after-tax return to us, likely causing a decline in the value of our assets and a reduction in the asset coverage ratios for our senior securities.

Legislative efforts to change tax laws to simplify the tax code could result in proposals to eliminate “pass through entities” for tax purposes or proposals that impact the amount of income, gain, deduction or loss that is passed through to us from the MLP securities in which we invest (for example through changes to the deductibility of interest expense or changes to how capital expenditures are depreciated). We cannot predict the likelihood of any future legislative changes. Such legislation, if approved by Congress and adopted, could result in MLPs no longer being treated as partnerships for tax purposes or result in a material increase in the amount of taxable income that we are allocated from the MLP securities in which we invest.

Non-Diversification Risk

We are a non-diversified, closed-end investment company under the 1940 Act and will not be treated as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code. Accordingly,

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there are no regulatory requirements under the 1940 Act or the Code on the minimum number or size of securities we hold. As of March 31, 2017, we held investments in approximately 44 issuers.

As of March 31, 2017, substantially all of our total assets were invested in publicly traded securities of MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies. As of March 31, 2017, there were over 100 publicly traded MLPs (partnerships) which manage and operate energy assets. We primarily select our investments in publicly traded securities from securities issued by MLPs in this small pool, together with securities issued by newly public MLPs, if any. We also invest in publicly traded securities issued by other Midstream Energy Companies.

As a result of selecting our investments from this small pool of publicly traded securities, a change in the value of the securities of any one of these publicly traded MLPs could have a significant impact on our portfolio. In addition, as there can be a correlation in the valuation of the securities of publicly traded MLPs, a change in value of the securities of one such MLP could negatively influence the valuations of the securities of other publicly traded MLPs that we may hold in our portfolio. Similarly, there may be a correlation in the valuation of publicly traded MLPs and commodity prices, particularly crude oil prices, even if a particular MLP has no exposure to crude oil.

As we may invest up to 15% of our total assets in any single issuer, a decline in value of the securities of such an issuer could significantly impact the value of our portfolio.

Dependence on Limited Number of MLP Customers and Suppliers

Certain MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies in which we may invest depend upon a limited number of customers for a majority of their revenue. Similarly, certain MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies in which we may invest depend upon a limited number of suppliers of goods or services to continue their operations. The most recent downturn in the energy industry has put significant pressure on a number of these customers and suppliers. The loss of any such customers or suppliers, including through bankruptcy, could materially adversely affect such MLPs’ and other Midstream Energy Companies’ results of operation and cash flow, and their ability to make distributions to equity holders could therefore be materially adversely affected.

Capital Markets Risk

Global financial markets and economic conditions continue to be volatile — in particular for Energy Companies as a result of the decline in commodity prices experienced from mid-2014 to early 2016. As a result of this, MLPs and other Energy Companies may be unable to obtain new debt or equity financing on acceptable terms or at all when market conditions are most volatile, and downgrades of the debt of Energy Companies by rating agencies during times of distress could exacerbate this challenge. In addition, downgrades of the credit ratings of Energy Companies by ratings agencies may increase the cost of borrowing under the terms of an Energy Company’s credit facility, and a downgrade from investment grade to below investment may cause an Energy Company to be required to post collateral (or additional collateral) by its contractual counterparties, which could reduce the amount of liquidity available to such Energy Company and increase its need for additional funding sources. If funding is not available when needed, or is available only on unfavorable terms, MLPs and other Energy Companies may have to reduce their distributions to manage their funding needs and may not be able to meet their obligations, which may include multi-year capital expenditure commitments, as they come due. Moreover, without adequate funding, many MLPs and other Energy Companies will be unable to execute their growth strategies, complete future acquisitions, take advantage of other business opportunities or respond to competitive pressures, any of which could have a material adverse effect on their revenues and results of operations.

Delay in Use of Proceeds

Although we intend to invest the proceeds of this offering in accordance with our investment objective as soon as practicable, such investments may be delayed if suitable investments are unavailable at the time. The

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trading market and volumes for securities of MLPs, other Midstream Energy Companies and other Energy Companies may, at times, be less liquid than the market for other securities. Pending such investment, the proceeds of the offering may temporarily be invested in cash, cash equivalents, short-term securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities or in high quality, short-term or long-term debt obligations or money market instruments. Income we received from these securities would likely be less than returns and yields sought pursuant to our investment objective and policies. See “Use of Proceeds.”

Political Instability Risk.

MLPs and other Energy Companies in which we may invest are subject to disruption as a result of terrorist activities, war, and other geopolitical events, including the upheaval in the Middle East or other energy producing regions. The U.S. government has issued warnings that energy assets, specifically those related to pipeline and other energy infrastructure, production facilities and transmission and distribution facilities, may be targeted in future terrorist attacks. Internal unrest, acts of violence or strained relations between a government and energy companies or other governments may affect the operations and profitability of MLPs and other Energy Companies, particularly marine transportation companies, in which we invest. Political instability in other parts of the world may also cause volatility and disruptions in the market for the securities of MLPs and other Energy Companies, even those that operate solely in North America.

Weather Risks.

Weather conditions and the seasonality of weather patterns play a role in the cash flows of certain MLPs and other Energy Companies. MLPs in the propane industry, for example, rely on the winter heating season to generate almost all of their cash flow. In an unusually warm winter season, propane MLPs experience decreased demand for their product. Although most MLPs and other Energy Companies can reasonably predict seasonal weather demand based on normal weather patterns, extreme weather conditions, such as the hurricanes that severely damaged cities along the U.S. Gulf Coast in the last 10 to 15 years, demonstrate that no amount of preparation can protect an MLP or other Energy Company from the unpredictability of the weather. The damage done by extreme weather also may serve to increase insurance premiums for energy assets owned by MLPs and other Energy Companies, could significantly increase the volatility in the supply of energy-related commodities and could adversely affect such companies’ financial condition and ability to pay distributions to shareholders.

Cash Flow Risk

A substantial portion of the cash flow received by us is derived from our investment in equity securities of MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies. The amount of cash that an MLP or other Midstream Energy Company has available to service its debt obligations and pay distributions to its equity holders depends upon the amount of cash flow generated from the company’s operations. Cash flow from operations will vary from quarter to quarter and is largely dependent on factors affecting the company’s operations and factors affecting the energy industry in general. Large declines in commodity prices (such as those experienced from mid-2014 to early 2016) can result in material declines in cash flow from operations. In addition to the risk factors described herein, other factors which may reduce the amount of cash an MLP or other Midstream Energy Company has available to pay its debt and equity holders include increased operating costs, maintenance capital expenditures, acquisition costs, expansion or construction costs and borrowing costs (including increased borrowing costs as a result of additional collateral requirements as a result of ratings downgrades by credit agencies). Further, covenants in debt instruments issued by MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies in which we intend to invest may restrict distributions to equity holders or, in certain circumstances, may not allow distributions to be made to equity holders. Finally, the acquisition of an MLP or other Midstream Energy Company by an acquiror with a lower yield could result in lower distributions to the equity holders of the acquired MLP or Midstream Energy Company. These kind of transactions have become more prevalent in recent years. To the extent MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies that we own reduce their distributions to equity holders, this will result in reduced levels of net distributable income and can cause us to reduce our distributions.

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Concentration Risk

Our investments are concentrated in the energy sector. The focus of our portfolio on specific industries within the energy sector may present more risks than if our portfolio were broadly diversified over numerous sectors of the economy. A downturn in one or more industries within the energy sector would have a larger impact on us than on an investment company that does not concentrate in the energy sector. The performance of securities in the energy sector may lag the performance of other industries or the broader market as a whole. To the extent that we invest a relatively high percentage of our assets in the obligations of a limited number of issuers, we may be more susceptible than a more widely diversified investment company to any single economic, political or regulatory occurrence.

Interest Rate Risk

Valuations of securities in which we invest are based on numerous factors, including sector and business fundamentals, management expertise, and expectations of future operating results. Most of the securities in which we invest pay quarterly dividends/distributions to investors and are viewed by investors as yield-based investments. As a result, yields for these securities are also susceptible, in the short-term, to fluctuations in interest rates and the equity prices of such securities may decline when interest rates rise. Because we invest in equity securities of MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies, our net asset value and the asset coverage ratios on our senior securities may decline if interest rates rise.

Inflation / Deflation Risk

Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investment will be worth less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the real value of our securities and distributions that we pay declines. In addition, during any periods of rising inflation, the dividend rates or borrowing costs associated with our use of leverage would likely increase. Deflation risk is the risk that prices throughout the economy decline over time — the opposite of inflation. Deflation may have an adverse effect on the creditworthiness of issuers and may make issuer defaults more likely, which may result in a decline in the value of our portfolio.

Risk of Conflicting Transactions by the Investment Advisor

Kayne Anderson manages portfolios of other investment companies and client accounts that invest in similar or the same securities as the company. It is possible that Kayne Anderson would effect a purchase of a security for us when another investment company or client account is selling that same security, or vice versa. Kayne Anderson will use reasonable efforts to avoid adverse impacts on the company’s transactions as a result of those other transactions, but there can be no assurances that adverse impacts will be avoided.

Equity Securities Risk

The vast majority of our assets are invested in equity securities of MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies. Such securities are subject to general movements in the stock market and a significant drop in the stock market may depress the price of securities to which we have exposure. Equity securities prices fluctuate for several reasons, including changes in the financial condition of a particular issuer, investors’ perceptions of MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies, investors’ perceptions of the energy industry, the general condition of the relevant stock market, or when political or economic events affecting the issuers occur. In addition, MLP and other Midstream Energy Company equity securities held by the Company may decline in price if the issuer fails to make anticipated distributions or dividend payments (or reduces the amount of such payments) because, among other reasons, the issuer experiences a decline in its financial condition.

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Small Capitalization Risk

Certain of the MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies in which we invest may have comparatively smaller capitalizations than other companies whose securities are included in major benchmarked indices. Investing in the securities of smaller MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies presents some unique investment risks. These MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies may have limited product lines and markets, as well as shorter operating histories, less experienced management and more limited financial resources than larger MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies and may be more vulnerable to adverse general market or economic developments. Stocks of smaller MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies may be less liquid than those of larger MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies and may experience greater price fluctuations than larger MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies. In addition, small-cap securities may not be widely followed by the investment community, which may result in reduced demand. This means that we could have greater difficulty selling such securities at the time and price that we would like.

Debt Securities Risks

Debt securities in which we invest are subject to many of the risks described elsewhere in this section. In addition, they are subject to credit risk and other risks, depending on the quality and other terms of the debt security.

Credit Risk.     An issuer of a debt security may be unable to make interest payments and repay principal. We could lose money if the issuer of a debt obligation is, or is perceived to be, unable or unwilling to make timely principal and/or interest payments, or to otherwise honor its obligations. The downgrade in the credit rating of a security by rating agencies may further decrease its value. Additionally, we may purchase a debt security that has payment-in-kind interest, which represents contractual interest added to the principal balance and due at the maturity date of the debt security in which we invest. It is possible that by effectively increasing the principal balance payable or deferring cash payment of such interest until maturity, the use of payment-in-kind features will increase the risk that such amounts will become uncollectible when due and payable.

Below Investment Grade and Unrated Debt Securities Risk.     Below investment grade debt securities (commonly referred to as “junk bonds” or “high yield bonds”) are rated Ba1 or less by Moody’s, BB+ or less by Fitch or Standard & Poor’s, or comparably rated by another rating agency. Below investment grade and unrated debt securities generally pay a premium above the yields of U.S. government securities or debt securities of investment grade issuers because they are subject to greater risks than these securities. These risks, which reflect their speculative character, include the following: greater yield and price volatility; greater credit risk and risk of default; potentially greater sensitivity to general economic or industry conditions; potential lack of attractive resale opportunities (illiquidity); and additional expenses to seek recovery from issuers who default.

In addition, the prices of these below investment grade and other unrated debt securities in which we may invest are more sensitive to negative developments, such as a decline in the issuer’s revenues or profitability or a general economic downturn, than are the prices of higher grade securities. Below investment grade and unrated debt securities tend to be less liquid than investment grade securities and the market for below investment grade and unrated debt securities could contract further under adverse market or economic conditions. In such a scenario, it may be more difficult for us to sell these securities in a timely manner or for as high a price as could be realized if such securities were more widely traded. The market value of below investment grade and unrated debt securities may be more volatile than the market value of investment grade securities and generally tends to reflect the market’s perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and short-term market developments to a greater extent than investment grade securities, which primarily reflect fluctuations in general levels of interest rates. In the event of a default by a below investment grade or unrated debt security held in our portfolio in the payment of principal or interest, we may incur additional expense to the extent we are required to seek recovery of such principal or interest. For a further description of below investment grade and unrated debt securities and the risks associated therewith, see “Investment Objective and Policies”.

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Prepayment Risk.     Certain debt instruments, particularly below investment grade securities, may contain call or redemption provisions which would allow the issuer thereof to prepay principal prior to the debt instrument’s stated maturity. This is known as prepayment risk. Prepayment risk is greater during a falling interest rate environment as issuers can reduce their cost of capital by refinancing higher yielding debt instruments with lower yielding debt instruments. An issuer may also elect to refinance its debt instruments with lower yielding debt instruments if the credit standing of the issuer improves. To the extent debt securities in our portfolio are called or redeemed, we may be forced to reinvest in lower yielding securities.

Interest Rate Risk for Debt and Equity Securities

Debt securities, and equity securities that pay dividends and distributions, have the potential to decline in value, sometimes dramatically, when interest rates rise or are expected to rise. In general, the values or prices of debt securities vary inversely with interest rates. The change in a debt security’s price depends on several factors, including its maturity. Generally, debt securities with longer maturities are subject to greater price volatility from changes in interest rates. Adjustable rate instruments also react to interest rate changes in a similar manner although generally to a lesser degree (depending, however, on the characteristics of the reset terms).

Risks Associated with Investing in Initial Public Offerings (“IPOs”)

Securities purchased in IPOs are often subject to the general risks associated with investments in companies with small market capitalizations and, at times, are magnified. Securities issued in IPOs have no trading history, and information about the companies may be available for very limited periods. In addition, the prices of securities sold in an IPO may be highly volatile. At any particular time, or from time to time, we may not be able to invest in IPOs, or to invest to the extent desired, because, for example, only a small portion (if any) of the securities being offered in an IPO may be available to us. In addition, under certain market conditions, a relatively small number of companies may issue securities in IPOs. Our investment performance during periods when we are unable to invest significantly or at all in IPOs may be lower than during periods when we are able to do so. IPO securities may be volatile, and we cannot predict whether investments in IPOs will be successful. As we grow in size, the positive effect of IPO investments on the Company may decrease.

Risks Associated with a Private Investment in a Public Entity (“PIPE”) Transaction

PIPE investors purchase securities directly from a publicly traded company in a private placement transaction, typically at a discount to the market price of the company’s common stock. Because the sale of the securities is not registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), the securities are “restricted” and cannot be immediately resold by the investors into the public markets. Until we can sell such securities into the public markets, our holdings will be less liquid, and any sales will need to be made pursuant to an exemption under the Securities Act.

Privately Held Company Risk

Investing in privately held companies involves risk. For example, privately held companies are not subject to SEC reporting requirements, are not required to maintain their accounting records in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and are not required to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting. As a result, we may not have timely or accurate information about the business, financial condition and results of operations of the privately held companies in which we invest. In addition, the securities of privately held companies are generally illiquid, and entail the risks described under “—Liquidity Risk” below.

Liquidity Risk

Securities with limited trading volumes may display volatile or erratic price movements. Kayne Anderson is one of the largest investors in MLPs and Midstream Energy Companies. Thus, it may be more

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difficult for us to buy and sell significant amounts of such securities without an unfavorable impact on prevailing market prices. Larger purchases or sales of these securities by us in a short period of time may cause abnormal movements in the market price of these securities. As a result, these securities may be difficult to dispose of at a fair price at the times when we believe it is desirable to do so. These securities are also more difficult to value, and Kayne Anderson’s judgment as to value will often be given greater weight than market quotations, if any exist. Investment of our capital in securities that are less actively traded or over time experience decreased trading volume may restrict our ability to take advantage of other market opportunities.

We also invest in unregistered or otherwise restricted securities. The term “restricted securities” refers to securities that are unregistered or are held by control persons of the issuer and securities that are subject to contractual restrictions on their resale. Unregistered securities are securities that cannot be sold publicly in the United States without registration under the Securities Act, unless an exemption from such registration is available. Restricted securities may be more difficult to value and we may have difficulty disposing of such assets either in a timely manner or for a reasonable price. In order to dispose of an unregistered security, we, where we have contractual rights to do so, may have to cause such security to be registered. A considerable period may elapse between the time the decision is made to sell the security and the time the security is registered so that we could sell it. Contractual restrictions on the resale of securities vary in length and scope and are generally the result of a negotiation between the issuer and acquiror of the securities. We would, in either case, bear the risks of any downward price fluctuation during that period. The difficulties and delays associated with selling restricted securities could result in our inability to realize a favorable price upon disposition of such securities, and at times might make disposition of such securities impossible.

Our investments in restricted securities may include investments in private companies. Such securities are not registered under the Securities Act until the company becomes a public company. Accordingly, in addition to the risks described above, our ability to dispose of such securities on favorable terms would be limited until the portfolio company becomes a public company.

Portfolio Turnover Risk

We anticipate that our annual portfolio turnover rate will range between 15% and 20%, but the rate may vary greatly from year to year. Portfolio turnover rate is not considered a limiting factor in KAFA’s execution of investment decisions. A higher portfolio turnover rate results in correspondingly greater brokerage commissions and other transactional expenses that are borne by us. See “Investment Objective and Policies—Investment Practices—Portfolio Turnover” and “Tax Matters.”

Derivatives Risk

We may purchase and sell derivative investments such as exchange-listed and over-the-counter put and call options on securities, equity, fixed income, interest rate and currency indices, and other financial instruments, enter into total return swaps and various interest rate transactions such as swaps. We also may purchase derivative investments that combine features of these instruments. The use of derivatives has risks, including the imperfect correlation between the value of such instruments and the underlying assets, the possible default of the other party to the transaction or illiquidity of the derivative investments. Furthermore, the ability to successfully use these techniques depends on our ability to predict pertinent market movements, which cannot be assured. Thus, the use of derivatives may result in losses greater than if they had not been used, may require us to sell or purchase portfolio securities at inopportune times or for prices other than current market values, may limit the amount of appreciation we can realize on an investment or may cause us to hold a security that we might otherwise sell. Additionally, amounts paid by us as premiums and cash or other assets held in margin accounts with respect to derivative transactions are not otherwise available to us for investment purposes.

During the fiscal year ended November 30, 2016, we wrote covered call options. The fair value of these derivative instruments, measured on a weekly basis, was less than 1% of our total assets during fiscal 2016. In

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prior years, we have written covered call options and entered into interest rate swaps. We expect to continue to utilize derivative instruments in a manner similar to our activity during fiscal 2016. We will not allow the fair value of our derivative instruments to exceed 25% of total assets.

We currently expect to write covered call options. As the writer of a covered call option, during the option’s life we give up the opportunity to profit from increases in the market value of the security covering the call option above the sum of the premium and the strike price of the call, but we retain the risk of loss should the price of the underlying security decline. The writer of an option has no control over the time when it may be required to fulfill its obligation as a writer of the option. Once an option writer has received an exercise notice, it cannot effect a closing purchase transaction in order to terminate its obligation under the option and must deliver the underlying security at the exercise price. There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist when we seek to close out an option position. If trading were suspended in an option purchased by us, we would not be able to close out the option. If we were unable to close out a covered call option that we had written on a security, we would not be able to sell the underlying security unless the option expired without exercise.

Depending on whether we would be entitled to receive net payments from the counterparty on an interest rate swap, which in turn would depend on the general state of short-term interest rates at that point in time, a default by a counterparty could negatively impact the performance of our common stock. In addition, at the time an interest rate transaction reaches its scheduled termination date, there is a risk that we would not be able to obtain a replacement transaction or that the terms of the replacement would not be as favorable as on the expiring transaction. If this occurs, it could have a negative impact on the performance of our common stock. If we fail to maintain any required asset coverage ratios in connection with any use by us of Leverage Instruments, we may be required to redeem or prepay some or all of the Leverage Instruments. Such redemption or prepayment would likely result in our seeking to terminate early all or a portion of any swap or cap transactions. Early termination of a swap could result in a termination payment by or to us.

We segregate liquid assets against or otherwise cover our future obligations under such swap transactions, in order to provide that our future commitments for which we have not segregated liquid assets against or otherwise covered, together with any outstanding Borrowings, do not exceed 33 1/3% of our total assets less liabilities (other than the amount of our Borrowings). In addition, such transactions and other use of Leverage Instruments by us are subject to the asset coverage requirements of the 1940 Act, which generally restrict us from engaging in such transactions unless the value of our total assets less liabilities (other than the amount of our Borrowings) is at least 300% of the principal amount of our Borrowings and the value of our total assets less liabilities (other than the amount of our Leverage Instruments) are at least 200% of the principal amount of our Leverage Instruments.

The use of interest rate and commodity swaps is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions. Depending on market conditions in general, our use of swaps could enhance or harm the overall performance of our common stock. For example, we may use interest rate swaps in connection with any use by us of Leverage Instruments. To the extent interest rates decline, the value of the interest rate swap or cap could decline, and could result in a decline in the net asset value of our common stock. In addition, if short-term interest rates are lower than our fixed rate of payment on the interest rate swap, the swap will reduce common stock net earnings. As of March 31, 2017, we had no interest rate swaps outstanding.

Interest rate swaps do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets or principal. Accordingly, the risk of loss with respect to interest rate swaps is limited to the net amount of interest payments that we are contractually obligated to make. If the counterparty defaults, we would not be able to use the anticipated net receipts under the swap to offset any declines in the value of our portfolio assets being hedged or the increase in our cost of Leverage Instruments. Depending on whether we would be entitled to receive net payments from the counterparty on the swap, which in turn would depend on the general state of the market rates at that point in time, such a default could negatively impact the performance of our common stock.

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Short Sales Risk

Short selling involves selling securities which may or may not be owned and borrowing the same securities for delivery to the purchaser, with an obligation to replace the borrowed securities at a later date. Short selling allows the short seller to profit from declines in market prices to the extent such declines exceed the transaction costs and the costs of borrowing the securities. A short sale creates the risk of an unlimited loss, in that the price of the underlying security could theoretically increase without limit, thus increasing the cost of buying those securities to cover the short position. There can be no assurance that the securities necessary to cover a short position will be available for purchase. Purchasing securities to close out the short position can itself cause the price of the securities to rise further, thereby exacerbating the loss.

Our obligation to replace a borrowed security is secured by collateral deposited with the broker-dealer, usually cash, U.S. government securities or other liquid securities similar to those borrowed. We also are required to segregate similar collateral to the extent, if any, necessary so that the value of both collateral amounts in the aggregate is at all times equal to at least 100% of the current market value of the security sold short. Depending on arrangements made with the broker-dealer from which we borrowed the security regarding payment over of any payments received by us on such security, we may not receive any payments (including interest) on the collateral deposited with such broker-dealer.

Risks Related to Our Business and Structure

Use of Leverage

We currently utilize Leverage Instruments and intend to continue to do so. Under normal market conditions, our policy is to utilize Leverage Instruments in an amount that represents approximately 30% of our total assets (this policy was revised by our Board of Directors to 25% - 30% of total assets effective June 30, 2017), including proceeds from such Leverage Instruments (which equates to approximately 56.6% of our net asset value as of March 31, 2017). Notwithstanding this policy, based on market conditions at such time, we may use Leverage Instruments in amounts greater than our policy (to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act) or less than our policy. As of March 31, 2017, our Leverage Instruments represented approximately 26.9% of our total assets. Leverage Instruments have seniority in liquidation and distribution rights over our common stock.

As of March 31, 2017, we had $767 million of Notes outstanding, and had $72 million borrowed under our term loan. As of March 31, 2017, we had 12,000,000 Mandatory Redeemable Preferred (“MRP”) Shares ($300 million aggregate liquidation preference) outstanding. Our revolving credit facility has a term of two years and matures on February 28, 2018, and our term loan has a term of five years and matures on February 18, 2019. Our Notes and MRP Shares have maturity dates and mandatory redemption dates ranging from 2017 to 2025. If we are unable to renew or refinance our credit facility or term loan prior to maturity or if we are unable to refinance our Notes or MRP Shares as they mature, we may be forced to sell securities in our portfolio to repay debt or MRP Shares as they mature. If we are required to sell portfolio securities to repay outstanding debt or MRP Shares as they mature or to maintain asset coverage ratios, such sales may be at prices lower than what we would otherwise realize if we were not required to sell such securities at such time. Additionally, we may be unable to refinance our debt or MRP Shares or sell a sufficient amount of portfolio securities to repay debt or MRP Shares as they mature or to maintain asset coverage ratios, which could cause an event of default on our debt securities or MRP Shares.

Leverage Instruments constitute a substantial lien and burden by reason of their prior claim against our income and against our net assets in liquidation. The rights of lenders to receive payments of interest on and repayments of principal of any Borrowings are senior to the rights of holders of common stock and preferred stock, with respect to the payment of distributions or upon liquidation. We may not be permitted to declare dividends and distributions with respect to common stock or preferred stock or purchase common stock or preferred stock unless at such time, we meet certain asset coverage requirements and no event of default exists

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under any Borrowing. In addition, we may not be permitted to pay distributions on common stock unless all dividends on the preferred stock and/or accrued interest on Borrowings have been paid, or set aside for payment.

In an event of default under any Borrowing, the lenders have the right to cause a liquidation of collateral ( i.e. , sell MLP units and other of our assets) and, if any such default is not cured, the lenders may be able to control the liquidation as well. If an event of default occurs or in an effort to avoid an event of default, we may be forced to sell securities at inopportune times and, as a result, receive lower prices for such security sales. We may also incur prepayment penalties on Notes and MRP Shares that are redeemed prior to their stated maturity dates or mandatory redemption dates.

Certain types of leverage, including the Notes and MRP Shares, subject us to certain affirmative covenants relating to asset coverage and our portfolio composition. In a declining market, we may need to sell securities in our portfolio to maintain asset coverage ratios, which would impact the distributions to us, and as a result, our cash available for distribution to common stockholders. For example, from August 31, 2014 to April 30, 2016, we reduced our total debt by $759.0 million and total MRP Shares by $95.0 million in order to maintain our asset coverage ratios. The decline in cash distributions to us resulting from securities sales to fund this reduction in leverage was one of the factors leading to the reduction in our distribution to common stockholders. While we believe maintaining our asset coverage ratios and selling portfolio securities was the prudent course of action, it is unlikely that we would have elected to sell securities at the time had we not had leverage. Furthermore, because we repaid certain of our Notes and MRP Shares prior to their stated maturities or mandatory redemption dates, we incurred prepayment penalties. By continuing to utilize Notes and MRP Shares, we may again be forced to sell securities at an inopportune time in the future to maintain asset coverage ratios and may be forced to pay additional prepayment penalties on our Notes and MRP Shares. Our Notes and MRP Shares also may impose special restrictions on our use of various investment techniques or strategies or in our ability to pay distributions on common stock and preferred stock in certain instances. In addition, we are subject to certain negative covenants relating to transactions with affiliates, mergers and consolidation, among others. We are also subject to certain restrictions on investments imposed by guidelines of one or more rating agencies, which issue ratings for Leverage Instruments issued by us. These guidelines may impose asset coverage or portfolio composition requirements that are more stringent than those imposed by the 1940 Act. Kayne Anderson does not believe that these covenants or guidelines will impede it from managing our portfolio in accordance with our investment objective and policies.

Interest Rate Hedging Risk

We hedge against interest rate risk resulting from our leveraged capital structure. We do not intend to hedge interest rate risk of portfolio holdings. Interest rate transactions that we may use for hedging purposes will expose us to certain risks that differ from the risks associated with our portfolio holdings. There are economic costs of hedging reflected in the price of interest rate swaps and similar techniques, the cost of which can be significant. In addition, our success in using hedging instruments is subject to KAFA’s ability to predict correctly changes in the relationships of such hedging instruments to our leverage risk, and there can be no assurance that KAFA’s judgment in this respect will be accurate. To the extent there is a decline in interest rates, the value of interest rate swaps could decline, and result in a decline in the net asset value of our common stock (and asset coverage ratios for our senior securities). In addition, if the counterparty to an interest rate swap or cap defaults, we would not be able to use the anticipated net receipts under the interest rate swap to offset our cost of financial leverage.

Tax Risks

In addition to other risk considerations, an investment in our securities will involve certain tax risks, including, but not limited to, the risks summarized below and discussed in more detail in this prospectus. The federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences of an investment in and holding of our securities will depend on the facts of each investor’s situation. Investors are encouraged to consult their own tax advisers regarding the specific tax consequences that may affect them.

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We cannot assure you what percentage of the distributions paid on our common stock, if any, will be treated as qualified dividend income or return of capital or what the tax rates on various types of income or gain will be in future years. New legislation could negatively impact the amount and tax characterization of distributions received by our common stockholders. Under current law, qualified dividend income received by individual stockholders is taxed at a maximum federal tax rate of 20% for individuals, provided a holding period requirement and certain other requirements are met. In addition, currently a 3.8% federal tax on net investment income (the “Tax Surcharge”) generally applies to dividend income and net capital gains for taxpayers whose adjusted gross income exceeds $200,000 for single filers or $250,000 for married joint filers. Certain recent proposals have called for the elimination of tax incentives widely used by oil, gas and coal companies and the imposition of new fees on certain energy producers. The elimination of such tax incentives and imposition of such fees could adversely affect MLPs in which we invest and the energy sector generally.

Deferred Tax Risks.     As a limited partner in the MLPs in which we invest, we will be allocated our distributive share of income, gains, losses, deductions and credits from those MLPs. Historically, a significant portion of income from such MLPs has been offset by tax deductions. We will incur a current tax liability on our distributive share of an MLP’s income and gains that is not offset by tax deductions, losses and credits, or our capital or net operating loss carryforwards or other applicable deductions, if any. The percentage of an MLP’s income and gains which is offset by tax deductions, losses and credits will fluctuate over time for various reasons. A significant slowdown in acquisition activity or capital spending by MLPs held in our portfolio could result in a reduction of accelerated depreciation generated by new acquisitions, which may result in increased current tax liability to us. In addition, changes to the tax code that impact the amount of income, gain, deduction or loss that is passed through to us from the MLP securities in which we invest (for example through changes to the deductibility of interest expense or changes to how capital expenditures are depreciated) may also result in an increased current tax liability to us. We will accrue deferred income taxes for any future tax liability associated with that portion of MLP distributions considered to be a tax-deferred return of capital as well as capital appreciation of our investments. Upon the sale of an MLP security, we may be liable for previously deferred taxes, and if an MLP in our portfolio is acquired by another Energy Company in a transaction treated as a sale for federal income tax purposes, including in a “roll-up” transaction, we will not have control of the timing of when we become liable for such deferred taxes.

We rely to some extent on information provided by the MLPs, which may not necessarily be timely, to estimate taxable income allocable to the MLP units held in the portfolio and to estimate the associated current or deferred taxes. Such estimates are made in good faith. From time to time, as new information becomes available, we modify our estimates or assumptions regarding our deferred taxes. See “Tax Matters.”

Deferred Tax Risks of Investing in our Securities.     A reduction in the return of capital portion of the distributions that we receive from our portfolio investments or an increase in our earnings and profits and portfolio turnover may reduce that portion of our distribution treated as a tax-deferred return of capital and increase that portion treated as a dividend, resulting in lower after-tax distributions to our common and preferred stockholders. See “Tax Matters.”

Management Risk; Dependence on Key Personnel of Kayne Anderson

Our portfolio is subject to management risk because it is actively managed. KAFA applies investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for us, but there can be no guarantee that they will produce the desired results.

We depend upon Kayne Anderson’s key personnel for our future success and upon their access to certain individuals and investments in the MLP and Midstream Energy industries. In particular, we depend on the diligence, skill and network of business contacts of our portfolio managers, who evaluate, negotiate, structure, close and monitor our investments. These individuals manage a number of investment vehicles on behalf of Kayne Anderson and, as a result, do not devote all of their time to managing us, which could negatively impact

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our performance. Furthermore, these individuals do not have long-term employment contracts with Kayne Anderson, although they do have equity interests and other financial incentives to remain with Kayne Anderson. For a description of Kayne Anderson, see “Management—Investment Adviser.” We also depend on the senior management of Kayne Anderson. The departure of any of our portfolio managers or the senior management of Kayne Anderson could have a material adverse effect on our ability to achieve our investment objective. In addition, we can offer no assurance that KAFA will remain our investment adviser or that we will continue to have access to Kayne Anderson’s industry contacts and deal flow.

Conflicts of Interest of Kayne Anderson

Conflicts of interest may arise because Kayne Anderson and its affiliates generally carry on substantial investment activities for other clients in which we will have no interest. Kayne Anderson or its affiliates may have financial incentives to favor certain of such accounts over us. Any of their proprietary accounts and other customer accounts may compete with us for specific trades. Kayne Anderson or its affiliates may buy or sell securities for us which differ from securities bought or sold for other accounts and customers, even though their investment objectives and policies may be similar to ours. Situations may occur when we could be disadvantaged because of the investment activities conducted by Kayne Anderson or its affiliates for their other accounts. Such situations may be based on, among other things, legal or internal restrictions on the combined size of positions that may be taken for us and the other accounts, thereby limiting the size of our position, or the difficulty of liquidating an investment for us and the other accounts where the market cannot absorb the sale of the combined position.

Our investment opportunities may be limited by affiliations of Kayne Anderson or its affiliates with MLPs or other Midstream Energy Companies. In addition, to the extent that Kayne Anderson sources and structures private investments in MLPs, certain employees of Kayne Anderson may become aware of actions planned by MLPs, such as acquisitions, that may not be announced to the public. It is possible that we could be precluded from investing in an MLP about which Kayne Anderson has material non-public information; however, it is Kayne Anderson’s intention to ensure that any material non-public information available to certain Kayne Anderson employees not be shared with those employees responsible for the purchase and sale of publicly traded MLP securities.

KAFA also manages Kayne Anderson Energy Total Return Fund, Inc., a closed-end investment company listed on the NYSE under the ticker “KYE,” Kayne Anderson Energy Development Company, a closed-end investment company listed on the NYSE under the ticker “KED” and Kayne Anderson Midstream/Energy Fund, Inc., a closed-end investment company listed on the NYSE under the ticker “KMF.” In addition to closed-end investment companies, KAFA also manages several private investment funds and separately managed accounts which together had approximately $893.6 million in combined total assets as of March 31, 2017, and KACALP manages several private investment funds and separately managed accounts (collectively, “Affiliated Funds”). Some of the Affiliated Funds have investment objectives that are similar to or overlap with ours. In particular, certain Affiliated Funds invest in MLPs and other Midstream Energy Companies. Further, Kayne Anderson may at some time in the future, manage other investment funds with the same investment objective as ours or that otherwise create potential conflicts of interest with us. For example, Kayne Anderson recently formed Kayne Anderson Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company formed for the purpose of effecting a business combination with an Energy Company. Kayne Anderson Acquisition Corp. may compete with the MLPs or other Midstream Energy Companies in which we invest or may enter into one or more transactions with Energy Companies that may preclude an investment by us in the same entities for regulatory or other reasons.

Investment decisions for us are made independently from those of Kayne Anderson’s other clients; however, from time to time, the same investment decision may be made for more than one fund or account. When two or more clients advised by Kayne Anderson or its affiliates seek to purchase or sell the same publicly traded securities, the securities actually purchased or sold are allocated among the clients on a good faith

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equitable basis by Kayne Anderson in its discretion in accordance with the clients’ various investment objectives and procedures adopted by Kayne Anderson and approved by our Board of Directors. In some cases, this system may adversely affect the price or size of the position we may obtain. In other cases, however, our ability to participate in volume transactions may produce better execution for us.

We and our affiliates, including Affiliated Funds, may be precluded from co-investing in private placements of securities, including in any portfolio companies that we control. Except as permitted by law, Kayne Anderson will not co-invest its other clients’ assets in the private transactions in which we invest. Kayne Anderson will allocate private investment opportunities among its clients, including us, based on allocation policies that take into account several suitability factors, including the size of the investment opportunity, the amount each client has available for investment and the client’s investment objectives. These allocation policies may result in the allocation of investment opportunities to an Affiliated Fund rather than to us. The policies contemplate that Kayne Anderson will exercise discretion, based on several factors relevant to the determination, in allocating the entirety, or a portion, of such investment opportunities to an Affiliated Fund, in priority to other prospectively interested advisory clients, including us. In this regard, when applied to specified investment opportunities that would normally be suitable for us, the allocation policies may result in certain Affiliated Funds having greater priority than us to participate in such opportunities depending on the totality of the considerations, including, among other things, our available capital for investment, our existing holdings, applicable tax and diversification standards to which we may then be subject and the ability to efficiently liquidate a portion of our existing portfolio in a timely and prudent fashion in the time period required to fund the transaction.

The investment management fee paid to KAFA is based on the value of our assets, as periodically determined. A significant percentage of our assets may be illiquid securities acquired in private transactions for which market quotations will not be readily available. Although we have adopted valuation procedures designed to determine valuations of illiquid securities in a manner that reflects their fair value, there typically is a range of prices that may be established for each individual security. Senior management of KAFA, our Board of Directors and its Valuation Committee, and a third-party valuation firm participate in the valuation of our securities. See “Net Asset Value.”

Risk of Owning Securities of Affiliates

From time to time, we may “control” or may be an “affiliate” of one or more of our portfolio companies, as each of these terms is defined in the 1940 Act. In general, under the 1940 Act, we would be presumed to “control” a portfolio company if we and our affiliates owned 25% or more of its outstanding voting securities and would be an “affiliate” of a portfolio company if we and our affiliates owned 5% or more of its outstanding voting securities. The 1940 Act contains prohibitions and restrictions relating to transactions between investment companies and their affiliates (including our investment adviser), principal underwriters and affiliates of those affiliates or underwriters.

We believe that there are several factors that determine whether or not a security should be considered a “voting security” in complex structures such as limited partnerships of the kind in which we invest. We also note that the SEC staff has issued guidance on the circumstances under which it would consider a limited partnership interest to constitute a voting security. Under most partnership agreements, the management of the partnership is vested in the general partner, and the limited partners, individually or collectively, have no rights to manage or influence management of the partnership through such activities as participating in the selection of the managers or the board of the limited partnership or the general partner. As a result, we believe that many of the limited partnership interests in which we invest should not be considered voting securities. However, it is possible that the SEC staff may consider the limited partner interests we hold in certain limited partnerships to be voting securities. If such a determination were made, we may be regarded as a person affiliated with and controlling the issuer(s) of those securities for purposes of Section 17 of the 1940 Act.

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In making such a determination as to whether to treat any class of limited partnership interests we hold as a voting security, we consider, among other factors, whether or not the holders of such limited partnership interests have the right to elect the board of directors of the limited partnership or the general partner. If the holders of such limited partnership interests do not have the right to elect the board of directors, we generally have not treated such security as a voting security. In other circumstances, based on the facts and circumstances of those partnership agreements, including the right to elect the directors of the general partner, we have treated those securities as voting securities and, therefore, as affiliates. If we do not consider the security to be a voting security, we will not consider such partnership to be an “affiliate” unless we and our affiliates own more than 25% of the outstanding securities of such partnership. Additionally, certain partnership agreements give common unitholders the right to elect its board of directors, but limit the amount of voting securities any limited partner can hold to no more than 4.9% of the partnership’s outstanding voting securities ( i.e. , any amounts held in excess of such limit by a limited partner do not have voting rights). In such instances, we do not consider ourself to be an affiliate if we own more than 5% of such partnership’s common units.

As of March 31, 2017, we considered Plains GP Holdings, L.P., Plains AAP, L.P. and Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. to be affiliates. Robert V. Sinnott is Co-Chairman of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, L.P. (“KACALP”), the managing member of KAFA. Mr. Sinnott also serves as a director of PAA GP Holdings LLC, which is the general partner of Plains GP Holdings, L.P. (“PAGP”). Members of senior management of KACALP and KAFA and various affiliated funds managed by KACALP own PAGP shares, Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. (“PAA”) units and interests in Plains AAP, L.P. (“PAGP-AAP”). We believe that we are an affiliate of PAA, PAGP and PAGP-AAP under the 1940 Act by virtue of (i) our and other affiliated Kayne Anderson funds’ ownership interest in PAA, PAGP and PAGP-AAP and (ii) Mr. Sinnott’s participation on the board of PAA GP Holdings LLC.

We believe that we are an affiliate of Kayne Anderson Acquisition Corp. (“KAACU”) as a result of our being under common control, including as a result of the fact that Messrs. Sinnott, McCarthy and Hart serve as officers or directors of KAACU.

Kevin S. McCarthy, our Chief Executive Officer, began serving as a director of ONEOK, Inc. during December of 2015. ONEOK, Inc. is the general partner of ONEOK Partners, L.P. Despite Mr. McCarthy’s participation on the board of ONEOK, Inc., we do not believe we are an affiliate of ONEOK, Inc. or ONEOK Partners, L.P. because our and other Kayne Anderson funds’ aggregate ownership of each entity does not meet the criteria described on page 40 of this prospectus.

We must abide by the 1940 Act restrictions on transactions with affiliates and, as a result, our ability to purchase securities of Plains GP, PAA and KAACU may be more limited in certain instances than if we were not considered an affiliate of such companies.

There is no assurance that the SEC staff will not consider that other limited partnership securities that we own and do not treat as voting securities are, in fact, voting securities for the purposes of Section 17 of the 1940 Act. If such determination were made, we will be required to abide by the restrictions on “control” or “affiliate” transactions as proscribed in the 1940 Act. We or any portfolio company that we control, and our affiliates, may from time to time engage in certain of such joint transactions, purchases, sales and loans in reliance upon and in compliance with the conditions of certain exemptive rules promulgated by the SEC. We cannot assure you, however, that we would be able to satisfy the conditions of these rules with respect to any particular eligible transaction, or even if we were allowed to engage in such a transaction that the terms would be more or as favorable to us or any company that we control as those that could be obtained in an arm’s length transaction. As a result of these prohibitions, restrictions may be imposed on the size of positions that may be taken for us or on the type of investments that we could make.

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Certain Affiliations

We are affiliated with KA Associates, Inc., a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) member broker-dealer. Absent an exemption from the SEC or other regulatory relief, we are generally precluded from effecting certain principal transactions with affiliated brokers, and our ability to utilize affiliated brokers for agency transactions is subject to restrictions. This could limit our ability to engage in securities transactions and take advantage of market opportunities.

Valuation Risk

Market prices may not be readily available for certain of our investments in restricted or unregistered investments in public companies or investments in private companies. The value of such investments will ordinarily be determined based on fair valuations determined by the Board of Directors or its designee pursuant to procedures adopted by the Board of Directors. Restrictions on resale or the absence of a liquid secondary market may adversely affect our ability to determine our net asset value. The sale price of securities that are not readily marketable may be lower or higher than our most recent determination of their fair value. Additionally, the value of these securities typically requires more reliance on the judgment of KAFA than that required for securities for which there is an active trading market. Due to the difficulty in valuing these securities and the absence of an active trading market for these investments, we may not be able to realize these securities’ true value or may have to delay their sale in order to do so.

Anti-Takeover Provisions

Our Charter, Bylaws and the Maryland General Corporation Law include provisions that could limit the ability of other entities or persons to acquire control of us, to convert us to open-end status, or to change the composition of our Board of Directors. We also have adopted other measures that may make it difficult for a third party to obtain control of us, including provisions of our Charter classifying our Board of Directors in three classes serving staggered three-year terms, and provisions authorizing our Board of Directors to classify or reclassify shares of our stock in one or more classes or series to cause the issuance of additional shares of our stock, and to amend our Charter, without stockholder approval, to increase or decrease the number of shares of stock that we have the authority to issue. These provisions, as well as other provisions of our Charter and Bylaws, could have the effect of discouraging, delaying, deferring or preventing a transaction or a change in control that might otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders. As a result, these provisions may deprive our common stockholders of opportunities to sell their common stock at a premium over the then current market price of our common stock. See “Description of Capital Stock.”

Additional Risks Related to Our Common Stock

Market Discount From Net Asset Value Risk

Our common stock has traded both at a premium and at a discount to our net asset value. The last reported sale price, as of March 31, 2017 was $21.00 per share. Our net asset value per share and percentage premium to net asset value per share of our common stock as of March 31, 2017 were $20.60 and 1.9%, respectively. There is no assurance that this premium will continue after March 31, 2017, or that our common stock will not again trade at a discount. Shares of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at a discount to their net asset value. This characteristic is a risk separate and distinct from the risk that our net asset value could decrease as a result of our investment activities and may be greater for investors expecting to sell their shares in a relatively short period following completion of this offering. Although the value of our net assets is generally considered by market participants in determining whether to purchase or sell shares, whether investors will realize gains or losses upon the sale of our common stock depends upon whether the market price of our common stock at the time of sale is above or below the investor’s purchase price for our common stock. Because the market price of our common stock is affected by factors such as net asset value, distribution levels (which are

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dependent, in part, on expenses), supply of and demand for our common stock, stability of distributions, trading volume, general market and economic conditions, and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict whether our common stock will trade at, below or above net asset value or at, below or above the offering price.

Leverage Risk to Common Stockholders

The issuance of Leverage Instruments represents the leveraging of our common stock. Leverage is a technique that could adversely affect our common stockholders. Unless the income and capital appreciation, if any, on securities acquired with the proceeds from Leverage Instruments exceed the costs of the leverage, the use of leverage could cause us to lose money. When leverage is used, the net asset value and market value of our common stock will be more volatile. There is no assurance that our use of leverage will be successful.

Our common stockholders bear the costs of leverage through higher operating expenses. Our common stockholders also bear management fees, whereas holders of notes or preferred stock do not bear management fees. Because management fees are based on our total assets, our use of leverage increases the effective management fee borne by our common stockholders. In addition, the issuance of additional senior securities by us would result in offering expenses and other costs, which would ultimately be borne by our common stockholders. Fluctuations in interest rates could increase our interest or dividend payments on Leverage Instruments and could reduce cash available for distributions on common stock. Certain Leverage Instruments are subject to covenants regarding asset coverage, portfolio composition and other matters, which may affect our ability to pay distributions to our common stockholders in certain instances. We may also be required to pledge our assets to the lenders in connection with certain other types of borrowing.

Leverage involves other risks and special considerations for common stockholders including: the likelihood of greater volatility of net asset value and market price of our common stock than a comparable portfolio without leverage; the risk of fluctuations in dividend rates or interest rates on Leverage Instruments; that the dividends or interest paid on Leverage Instruments may reduce the returns to our common stockholders or result in fluctuations in the distributions paid on our common stock; the effect of leverage in a declining market, which is likely to cause a greater decline in the net asset value of our common stock than if we were not leveraged, which may result in a greater decline in the market price of our common stock; and when we use financial leverage, the investment management fee payable to Kayne Anderson may be higher than if we did not use leverage.

While we may from time to time consider reducing leverage in response to actual or anticipated changes in interest rates or actual or anticipated changes in investment values in an effort to mitigate the increased volatility of current income and net asset value associated with leverage, there can be no assurance that we will actually reduce leverage in the future or that any reduction, if undertaken, will benefit our common stockholders. Changes in the future direction of interest rates or changes in investment values are difficult to predict accurately. If we were to reduce leverage based on a prediction about future changes to interest rates (or future changes in investment values), and that prediction turned out to be incorrect, the reduction in leverage would likely result in a reduction in income and/or total returns to common stockholders relative to the circumstance if we had not reduced leverage. We may decide that this risk outweighs the likelihood of achieving the desired reduction to volatility in income and the price of our common stock if the prediction were to turn out to be correct, and determine not to reduce leverage as described above.

Finally, the 1940 Act provides certain rights and protections for preferred stockholders which may adversely affect the interests of our common stockholders. See “Description of Capital Stock.”

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Additional Risks Related to Our Senior Securities

An investment in our preferred stock or debt securities is subject to the following additional risks:

Interest Rate Risk.     Distributions and interest payable on our senior securities are subject to interest rate risk. To the extent that distributions or interest on such securities are based on short-term rates, our leverage costs may rise so that the amount of distributions or interest due to holders of senior securities would exceed the cash flow generated by our portfolio securities. To the extent that any of our leverage costs are fixed, our leverage costs may increase when our senior securities mature. This might require that we sell portfolio securities at a time when we otherwise would not do so, which may adversely affect our future ability to generate cash flow. In addition, rising market interest rates could negatively impact the value of our investment portfolio, reducing the amount of assets serving as asset coverage for senior securities.

Ratings and Asset Coverage Risk.     If we do not maintain a rating on our Notes, it will constitute an event of default. Furthermore, rating agencies have in the past, and may in the future, downgrade the ratings assigned to our senior securities, which may make your securities less liquid in the secondary market. For example, in December 2015, Fitch Ratings downgraded all our outstanding MRP Shares from “AA” to “A”. Fitch has assigned a rating of “AAA” to all of our outstanding series of Notes.

A rating may not fully or accurately reflect all of the risks associated with a senior security. If a rating agency downgrades the ratings assigned to our senior securities, we may be required to alter our portfolio or redeem our senior securities. We may voluntarily redeem our securities under certain circumstances to the extent permitted under the terms of such securities, which may require that we meet specified asset maintenance tests and other requirements.

To the extent that senior securities offered hereby are rated of similar or the same ratings as those respectively assigned to outstanding MRP Shares and Notes, the ratings do not eliminate or necessarily mitigate the risks of investing in our senior securities.

We have issued Notes, which constitute or will constitute senior securities representing indebtedness, as defined in the 1940 Act. Accordingly, the value of our total assets, less all our liabilities and indebtedness not represented by such Notes and debt securities, must be at least equal to 300% of the aggregate principal value of such Notes and debt securities. As for of our preferred stock, the value of our total assets, less all our liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities must be at least equal, immediately after the issuance of preferred stock, to 225%. This ratio is more stringent than the 200% ratio required by the 1940 Act of the aggregate principal value of the Notes, any debt securities and our preferred stock.

We may issue additional senior securities with asset coverage or portfolio composition provisions in addition to, and more stringent than, those required by the 1940 Act. In addition, restrictions have been and may be imposed by the rating agencies on certain investment practices in which we may otherwise engage. These restrictions and rating agency guidelines are subject to change. Any lender with respect to any additional Borrowings by us may require additional asset coverage and portfolio composition provisions as well as restrictions on our investment practices.

Senior Leverage Risk.     Because we have outstanding Borrowings and may issue additional debt securities, which are senior to our preferred stock, we are prohibited from declaring, paying or making any dividends on our preferred stock unless we satisfy certain conditions.

We are also prohibited from declaring, paying or making any distributions on common stock unless we satisfy certain conditions. See “Description of Capital Stock—Preferred Stock—Limitations on Distributions.”

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Our Borrowings may constitute a substantial burden on our preferred stock by reason of their prior claim against our income and against our net assets in liquidation. We may not be permitted to declare dividends or other distributions, including with respect to our preferred stock, or purchase or redeem shares, including preferred stock, unless (1) at the time thereof we meet certain asset coverage requirements and (2) there is no event of default under our Borrowings that is continuing. See “Description of Capital Stock—Preferred Stock—Limitations on Distributions.” In the event of a default under our Borrowings, the holders of our debt securities have the right to accelerate the maturity of debt securities and the trustee may institute judicial proceedings against us to enforce the rights of holders of debt securities.

Our Notes are unsecured obligations and, upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, will rank: (1) senior to all of our outstanding common stock and any outstanding preferred stock; (2) on a parity with any of our unsecured creditors and any unsecured senior securities representing indebtedness; and (3) junior to any of our secured creditors. Secured creditors of ours may include, without limitation, parties entering into interest rate swap, floor or cap transactions, or other similar transactions with us that create liens, pledges, charges, security interests, security agreements or other encumbrances on our assets.

Inflation Risk.     Inflation is the reduction in the purchasing power of money resulting from an increase in the price of goods and services. Inflation risk is the risk that the inflation adjusted or “real” value of an investment in preferred stock or debt securities or the income from that investment will be worth less in the future. As inflation occurs, the real value of the preferred stock or debt securities and the distributions or interest payable to holders of preferred stock or interest payable to holders of debt securities declines.

Net Asset Value Risk.     A material decline in our NAV may impair our ability to maintain required levels of asset coverage for our preferred stock or debt securities.

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DISTRIBUTIONS

We have paid distributions to common stockholders every fiscal quarter since inception. The following table sets forth information, during the past three years, about distributions we paid to our common stockholders, percentage participation by common stockholders in our dividend reinvestment program and reinvestments and related issuances of additional shares of common stock as a result of such participation (the information in the table is unaudited):