Wednesday, 12^th June 2024: Yesterday, the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) and the Government led by the President, H.E. (Dr.) William Ruto held a Presidential Roundtable at the State House in Nairobi. See the attached matrix of yesterday’s deliberations.

The meeting focused on the submission made by the private sector on the Finance Bill 2024 presented to the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning. It discussed cross-cutting areas and sectoral issues ranging from Manufacturing, Agriculture, Finance, ICT, Legal, Transport, Land, and Housing.

KEPSA was represented by CEO Carole Kariuki, Chair Dr. Jas Bedi, several board members, and its members, both BMOs and corporates, who presented the joint KEPSA and private sector sectoral submissions to the National Assembly. KEPSA corporate members were Safaricom Ltd, KCB Bank Group, Liquid Telcom, Bowmans Kenya, and KPMG and its BMOs were the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM), Kenya Bankers Association (KBA), Kenya Association of Stockbrokers and Investment Banks (KASIB), Technology Service Providers of Kenya (TESPOK), Nairobi Security Exchange (NSE), Kenya Association of Tour Operators (KATO), Boda Boda Association of Kenya (BAK), Pubs Entertainment & Restaurants Association of Kenya (PERAK), Agriculture Sector Network (ASNET), Law Society of Kenya (LSK), American Chamber of Commerce-Kenya (AMCHAM), British Chamber of Commerce-Kenya (BCCK), Electricity Sector Association of Kenya (ESAK), Marketing Society of Kenya (MSK), Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK). At State House, KEPSA was also joined by the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI).

On the Government side, the team was led by the President in the company of Hon. Rebecca Miano, Cabinet Secretary of investments, Trade, and Industry; Hon. Soipan Tuya, Cabinet Secretary of Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry; Hon. Dr. Chris Kiptoo, the Principal Secretary for Treasury; and Mr. Aden Mohamed, Chief Strategy and the President’s Council of Economic Advisors.

In actively working towards realizing an enabling business environment that delivers Kenya’s global competitiveness, KEPSA Members and the government discussed Sections of the Finance Bill 2024 that would impact the ease of doing business in Kenya while proposing feasible solutions for consideration.

The 4^th Presidential Round Table meeting represented a significant achievement for the private sector, as it has maintained consistent communication with the government for the last two decades through organized discussions and a collective stance on social and economic matters. This meeting is the result of the ongoing talks within the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment aimed at gathering various concerns from the private sector that impact the ease of doing business.

The President affirmed the government’s keenness to consider some private sector proposals on the Finance Bill 2024. He assured his administration would continue working with KEPSA and the private sector to eliminate roadblocks toward sustainable economic growth. He further commended KEPSA for spearheading the private sector in consolidating the proposals, which will feed into the final budget and the Finance Bill 2024. Private sector technical teams and representatives from various Ministries continue to engage in discussions, and a thorough report on the results will be disseminated.

Over the last twenty years, KEPSA has rallied the private sector to engage and speak in one voice to the government through structured dialogue as a social and economic partner. The engagement is from the lowest to the highest level of the three arms of government, including presidential round tables. KEPSA has been uniting the private sector for the past two decades to communicate collectively with the government through organized discussions as a social and economic partner. This involvement spans from the highest to the lowest level within the three arms of the Government of Kenya (Executive, Parliament, and Judiciary), encompassing presidential round tables.