KEPSA, led by the CEO Ms. Carole Kariuki participated in the launch of the County Toolkit on Navigating the Kenyan Regulatory Environment on 4^th February 2022 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Nairobi. So far, 10 counties are actively using the toolkit that is being implemented in the county level in partnership with Kenya National Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KNCCI) and feeding into the transformation initiative by the Ministry of East Africa Community and Regional Development through Department of Business Reforms and Transformation (DBRT).

KEPSA has been working closely with DBRT in the formulation of reforms that ensures a conducive business environment, an agenda that KEPSA has been pushing all the way to roundtables with the President. (Click here to access the toolkit).

Present at the launch was Hon. Adan Mohamed – Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of East Africa Community and Regional Development; H.E Jane Marriot – British High Commissioner; Dr. Kevit Desai – Principal Secretary, State Department of East Africa Community; Hon. Daniel Chemno – Deputy Governor of Uasin Gishu County and other representatives from county governments; Ms. Sheena Raikundalia – Director, UK Kenya Tech Hub; KNCCI county representatives among others.

The Business Regulatory Toolkit is an initiative of the Department of Business Reforms and Transformation (DBRT) under the Ministry of East Africa Community and Regional Development supported by the UK Kenya Tech Hub. DBRT is mandated to champion Kenya’s Business Climate Reforms and Transformation Agenda with the ultimate goal of improving business competitiveness as well as increasing and retaining investments. In March 2021, KEPSA participated in the launch of the National Toolkit on Navigating the Kenyan Business Regulatory Environment…

In his introductory remarks, Dr. Desai elaborated the importance of strengthening the link between the State, local governments and the private sector so as to bring about the change that would ease navigation of the regulatory environment at county level. He noted that is important to increase certainty and predictability of environmental policies, legislations and regulations for the private sector to thrive.  He added that the framework presents a new chapter for the private sector to move forward.

Reiterating Dr. Desai’s sentiments, the Deputy Governor of Uasin Gishu County Hon. Daniel Chemno noted that they have been working closely with the developers to ensure that the system is working well. He added that the toolkit will not only help the business community but also the county governments to improve revenue collection. He urged county government and businesses to tap into the huge potential of the youth while making reference to the success of the Ajira Digital Program in creating decent job opportunities.

In her remarks, the KEPSA CEO noted that the launch was crucial given its potential contribution to making all the 47 counties hubs of national competitiveness so that the whole country can attract all the vital investments and be more competitive globally. Ms Kariuki added that through KEPSA, the private sector has engaged the Government to ensure continuous implementation of key reforms and acted as a sounding board for the government agencies tasked with implementing the reforms. KEPSA has continually tracked the progress of each reform and flagged those that were falling behind for the President’s intervention during the roundtables.

Ms. Kariuki however, pointed out that the biggest challenge businesses are facing is the cost of doing business and also weak enforcement of the reforms. She noted the need to address the duplicity and multiplicity of levies, fees and licenses by counties, which should instead emphasize facilitation that would have bigger results in jobs and more revenue. Ms Kariuki further encouraged businesses and all county governments to ensure a smooth transition into this new era. The KEPSA CEO also noted the importance of ensuring business continuity during an election year while mentioning that KEPSA was implementing the 2022 Mkenya Daima campaign that is geared towards a smooth transition.

The British High Commissioner asserted that other than helping entrepreneurs with information on necessary requirements to operate, the toolkit will also provide an opportunity for the access to finance and market to enable them to grow and raise the much-needed revenue. She revealed that the British Embassy is set to launch a Ksh. 900 million (6 Million Pound) programme that is meant to develop the creative enterprise in Kenya and East Africa supported by a new online skills training platform.

In his keynote address, Hon. Adan Mohamed said that the development of the toolkit was informed by the challenges businesses face, especially the SMEs, in acquiring necessary documentation to operate. He highlighted the reforms that have been put in place by the government including the operationalization of The Companies Act 2015 that has had a huge impact, especially on the SMEs. The Cabinet Secretary also made reference to the ongoing land reforms, notably, the National Land Information Management System (NLIMS) that is part of the digitalization of government systems that the government has undertaken to improve service delivery.

Some of the concerns from the plenary session included the duplication of efforts and conflicting interest in implementation of the framework which the Ministry assured that this will be coordinated through DBRT. The county governments have been urged to ensure that they provide necessary infrastructure to enable SMEs in the grassroots to overcome technological challenges.