The small round table by the government and KEPSA of 15 captains of industry led by KEPSA CEO Ms. Carole Kariuki and Chairman Mr. Jas Bedi met on 12th March 2024 at State House Nairobi to discuss global competitiveness. The KEPSA members present were Safaricom, Toyota, Flamingo Horticulture, Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM), Agriculture Sector Network (ASNET), Kenya Association of Stockbrokers and Investment Banks (KASIB), Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), Kenya Tourism Federation (KTF), Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) among others representing 6 sectors of Manufacturing, ICT, Agriculture, International investors, Tourism & Labour and Financial services as sectors for discussion on global competitiveness.

Cabinet Secretaries present were: Hon. Rebecca Miano (Trade, Investments & Industry), Prof. Njuguna Ndung’u (Treasury and Economic Planning), Hon. Kipchumba Murkomen (Roads and Transport), Hon. Davis Chirchir (Energy), and Hon. Eliud Owalo (ICT and Digital Economy) and Adan Mohamed the President Advisor on Strategy and Policy.

The President appreciated the private sector under KEPSA for the role it plays in the economy and as a partner to the government and committed to more regular meetings. The round tables convened by KEPSA as the umbrella body will continue next week and will be focused on two sectors at a time ensuring that the focus remains on economic discussions with everyday issues being resolved at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment under the business reforms committee chaired by Hon. Rebecca Miano.

The competitiveness drivers are: the cost of raw materials, logistics, cost and tenure of credit, labour productivity, and cost of utilities. The round tables are a culmination of the ongoing deliberations under the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment that seeks to collate different private sector issues affecting the cost of doing business