On 18th January, In a gazette notice on Wednesday, Senate Speaker Amason Kingi recalled Senators for a special sitting on Thursday saying the lawmakers will consider the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2022. President William Ruto called on the East Africa Community (EAC)
THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY The National Assembly adjourned on December 2, 2022, for a two-month long Christmas break. THE SENATE The Senate adjourned on December 2, 2022, for a two-month long Christmas break.
KISII Governor of Kisii County has extended the time of the Committee on Pending Bills Verification and Ineligible (Pending Bills) Resolution established vide Gazette Notice No. 14024 of 2022 for an additional period of thirty (30) days, with effect from the 3rd January, 2023.
Legislative Supplements, 2022 The Insurance Act – Exemption The Water Act—Commencement of Section155, The Competition Act – Exclusions Senate Bills, 2022 The Tea (Amendment) Bill, 2023 Konza Technopolis Bill, 2023 The Gambling Bill, 2022 The Supplementary Appropriation (No. 2) Bill, 2022
Kenya Users allowed to sue Safaricom over clients’ bank details access The High Court has allowed millions of Safaricom subscribers to join a class action suit against the telecoms operator over a clause in the SIM card registration rules that allows the firm
Views from national governments and relevant authorities 52 national governments and relevant authorities provided their views on how well multilateral agencies and other development partners align to their national priorities and plans and collaborate with each other to increase efficiencies and avoid duplications when providing
In the last few years, the global economy has been trying to cope with multiple shocks and economic uncertainties. This has been elicited by the Covid-19 pandemic, political instability, climate change induced shocks and international conflicts. These effects may not end soon and have provided
The government has, in recent days, spared no effort or platform to confirm its commitment to economic transformation as outlined in the Kenya Kwanza Manifesto. Tax compliance is one of the critical planks featuring prominently in the economic transformation agenda. President William Ruto hardly misses
Generative Pre-trained Transformer or ChatGPT as it is commonly referred to, is a chatbot launched by OpenAI, a company that develops Artificial Intelligence (AI) and natural language tools, in November 2022. ChatGPT is an AI chatbot that uses advanced natural language processing to engage in
Zuku, an internet service provider owned by Wananchi Group, has recently faced sharp public criticism. The company received widespread backlash online from its customers over poor internet services. Zuku customers experienced internet outage, downtime, and slow speeds for an extended period. To further worsen the
A recent feature in one of the dailies painted the dire picture depicting Egerton University’s financial distress. The university’s debt burden has escalated to KShs. 9 billion, while at the same time it struggles financially to run its functions. To drive a nail into the
The much-awaited Junior Secondary School (JSS) transition has taken shape with the Ministry of Education making its recommendations over the same. This is amid confusion among stakeholders and parents over the efficiency and level of preparedness in schools. The Competency Based Curriculum has its pros
President William Samoei Ruto has set the tone for a new style of working that has caught his Cabinet Secretaries (CSs) and Permanent Secretaries (PSs) off guard. The laissez faire mode of operation common to many government officials who pay lip service during events and
The Kenya demographic and health survey 2022 shows that the average number of sexual partners are 2:3 among women and 7:4 among men in Kenya. Background The primary objective of the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey is to provide up-to- date estimates of demographic,
Legislative Supplements, 2022 The Agricultural and Livestock Extension Services Bill, 2022 The Mung Beans Bill, 2022 The Startup Bill, 2020 The Marura (Ewaso Narok) Swamp Catchment Protection Area Order, 2022 The Manguo Swamp Groundwater Conservation
A recent report by the UN concluded that the Ozone layer is on track to recovery. This is a plausible milestone that has been made possible by all the sustainability enthusiasts who have been tirelessly spreading the gospel on climate change and the need for
10th January Nairobi County Assembly Minority Leader Anthony Kiragu (UDA) bashed Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja on the ongoing tiff between him and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi held a crisis meeting with members of the County Assembly to end the row over
THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY The National Assembly adjourned on December 2, 2022, for a two-month long Christmas break. On December 8, there was a special sitting in the House. Among the issues Speaker Moses Wetangula said were to be transacted during the sitting were notification of
Kenya Olive branch? Raila urges Nyanza leaders to attend Ruto functions Azimio la Umoja One Kenya leader Raila Odinga has signalled a ceasefire with President William Ruto after he hosted Nyanza leaders on Wednesday and rallied them to welcome the Head of State in Homa
12 January 2023/ News release United Nations agencies are calling for urgent action to protect the most vulnerable children in the 15 countries hardest hit by an unprecedented food and nutrition crisis. Conflict, climate shocks, the ongoing impacts of COVID-19, and rising costs of living
A high court ruling in Kenya this week has ordered the liquidation of two funds owned by Cytonn Real Estate – Cytonn High Yields Solution (CHYS) and the Cytonn Real Estate Project Notes (CPN) – to recover Kshs 14 billion owed to 4,000 investors. Some
President William Ruto has denounced claims that he plans to get rid of the Higher Education Loan Board (HELB). Speaking during an interview with journalists at State House, Nairobi, on Friday, January 6, he said his administration is geared towards strategic measures and solutions for
When the new list of executive officers attached to State House was unveiled by former Head of the Public Service Joseph Kinyua last October, observers noted that the prolific and sometimes maverick digital chieftain Dennis Itumbi was missing. Perhaps as a measure of his reverence
On Tuesday, December 13 Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi Jiir was compelled to give an explanation on how he won the hotly contested August 9 polls. On Wednesday, December 14 President William Ruto said that his administration will partner with Google in the digitisation of government
Key House highlights of the year In 2022, the National Assembly and the Senate considered various businesses in their respective order papers. As 2022 comes to an end, below is a summary of crucial businesses that were transacted in both Houses: MOTIONS Below are some
Commission of Revenue Allocation Appointments President William Ruto has appointed Muasya Mutiso, Wilfred Koitamet Olekina Nchoshoi, Fatuma Gedi Ali, George Jalango Midiwo (Dr.), Hadija Nganyi Juma, Isabel Nyambura Waiyaki (Dr.), Jonas Misto Vincent Kuko, Chris Kiptoo (Dr.), to be members of the Commission
Christmas is a wonderful time of the year that brings family and friends together to celebrate. Yet, with all the gifts, decorations and feasting, it can also be an expensive and wasteful holiday. Fortunately, there are many ways to celebrate the holiday season more sustainably.
The Kenya Kwanza Government rode to office largely on the hope that millions of enterprising Kenyans within the MSME space will get an opportunity to change their fortunes. The now-christened “Hustler Fund” has been touted by its supporters as the foundational niche to spur economic
A genuine attempt at a constitutional amendment to placate the fledgling opposition and do right with the women base or a red-herring to distract Kenyans and buy to time for his administration that is facing a myriad of challenges as it clocks 100 days? These
Kenya KRA starts crackdown on hidden employee perks The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has started a crackdown on firms under-declaring their payrolls in what will see thousands of employees pay taxes on items like overtime, leave pay and per diems. The taxman is targeting a
7 December 2022 / News release / Geneva Member States of the World Health Organization today agreed to develop the first draft of a legally binding agreement designed to protect the world from future pandemics. This “zero draft” of the pandemic accord, rooted in
Fractional shareholding allows a person to purchase a piece, or a fraction of a share. For example, if one share costs KSh 500, a person could buy a proportion of that say for KSh 250 while another person buys the remainder for KSh 250. Each
BUSIA The Governor has gazetted the names of members of the County Executive Committee, County Secretary and the County Attorney to be responsible for the matters specified in the second column of the Schedule therein, with effect from the November 8, 2022. THARAKA NITHI The
On Monday 28th President William Ruto assured Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja of his unwavering support in ensuring nightclubs within residential areas are closed down. President Ruto called for peace from the Azimio la Umoja coalition. He urged the members to criticize
29th November THE SENATE MOTIONS Integrating climate education into the national education curriculum. Drought and hunger mitigation in Turkana County. Enhancing highway safety and convenience. PETITION Petition to the Senate by residents of Kawino North location in Kisumu County, concerning the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission
On 1 December, World AIDS Day 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling on global leaders and citizens to boldly recognize and address the inequalities that are holding back progress in attaining the global goal to end AIDS by 2030. WHO is joining global
WHO is launching a global scientific process to update the list of priority pathogens—agents that can cause outbreaks or pandemics—to guide global investment, research and development (R&D), especially in vaccines, tests and treatments. Starting with a meeting held last Friday, 18 November, WHO is convening
Parents and stakeholders in the Ministry of Education have been in a tussle for awhile now as they all try to come up with best measures to actualise the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC). While some feel that CBC is of great importance especially to their
When Jurgen Habermas, a German philosopher, wrote about the public sphere, he conceived of it as a space where people can share opinions and thoughts freely in support of the democratic process. The state is, however, not part of the public sphere which has the
KENYA Meet your nine EALA legislators: Winnie Odinga, Kennedy Kalonzo and more win final vote Azimio leaders Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka’s children were on Thursday evening among nine people picked by Parliament to represent Kenya in the Arusha-based East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA). On
Taming crime in Kenya: Heightening surveillance way to go in curbing insecurity In the past few weeks, there has been an increase in crime in Kenya. Videos have surfaced showing civilians being robbed at gunpoint, purses and phones being snatched from pedestrians and drivers among
UASIN GISHU The Governor has gazetted the names of members of the Uasin Gishu County Executive Committee responsible for the matters respectively specified in the schedule. KITUI The Governor has established a committee to be known as the Kitui County Human Resource Audit and Rationalization
Significant political events of the week: Monday 7th, November Wednesday 9th, November, Thursday 10th , November, While in a meeting with his Cabinet, President William Ruto urged them to uphold the rule of law as they settle down to deliver on their mandate under the
What is country-by-country reporting? Multinational Enterprise Groups (MNEs) that are tax resident in Kenya with gross revenues of KSh 95 billion or more are required to submit an annual return of income for the year 2022 and subsequent years. The return should detail the group’s
Due to the impact of climate change, consecutive rain seasons have failed hence the drought in most parts of the country. This has seen many Kenyans especially in the ASAL (Arid and Semi Arid Lands) communities lack food and water. Videos of children and adults
Following the inauguration of Dr William Samoei Ruto on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, as President, he is now widely expected to release an executive order outlining the organisation of his government. The executive order to be released by President Ruto will supersede any other Executive
The term Metaverse is used to describe a virtual space within digital environments such as online games, social media, and virtual reality. It is a network of always-on virtual environments in which people can interact with one another and digital objects while operating virtual representations
By Edward Njoroge The past few weeks have been a pretty busy season for the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA), with staff running against time to process customer orders and deliveries. Due to the budget cycles, county governments have recently placed orders, settled outstanding debts
25 Million Doses of AstraZeneca Vaccine The Ministry of Health is expected to start rolling out the administration of 25 million doses of Astrazeneca Vaccine soon. Kenya began its mass vaccination on March 5 after receiving 1.2 Million doses of the Astrazeneca Vaccine. By Thursday
This week, members of the Senate ICT Committee has a conversation with the Communications Authority on the utilization of the Universal Service Fund(USF). The USF is a fund that is funded by telecommunications service providers as part of the terms and conditions of licence. The
Yesterday, the 28 of January 2021; was the 15th Data Protection Day and the 40th anniversary of Convention 108. Data Protection Day or Privacy day is a day to raise awareness and promote privacy and data protection best practices. It is usually held on the
The Davos Agenda 2021, saw about 1500 global leaders come together under the theme of “A crucial year to rebuild trust” to discuss issues such as COVID-19 vaccination, job creation, climate change and technology among others. The annual event that is normally held at Swiss
Kenya has greatly been affected by the outbreak of Covid-19 that was subsequently declared a global Pandemic. Businesses had to minimize their activities due to the Pandemic. This led to job cuts, unpaid leave and redundancies as profitable entities moved into losses. Millions of Kenyans
TIFA Research has conducted a survey on Sentiments in the nation regarding BBI. The TIFA survey was designed and the data collected several weeks before the writing/release of the “letter” authored by Murang’a Senator Irungu Kang’ata on various aspects of the BBI Report and referendum
Learners in Kenya are back to school for in person learning after nearly 10 months of virtual learning in the wake of the COVID-19. The government ordered a phased reopening of schools in 2020 where about 3 million students, who were exam candidates reported to
The Business Laws (Amendment) Bill (No.2), 2020 seeks to make various amendments to various statutes highlighted as follows: Clause 2 of the Bill seeks to amend the Law of Contract Act, Cap 23 to eliminate the requirement of a company seal in execution of documents
In Kenya’s national finance cycle, the Energy, Infrastructure and ICT Sector (EII) comprises nine sub-sectors namely: Energy and Petroleum; Infrastructure; Transport; Shipping and Maritime; Housing and Urban Development; Public Works; Information Communication and Technology; Broadcasting and Telecommunications. The Sector aims at providing efficient, affordable and
Accompanying the COVID-19 crises was the spike in reported instances of domestic violence mostly targeted at women and girls. This was one of the observations made by UN Secretary- General, António Guterres in a report dubbed Shared Responsibility, Global Solidarity: Responding to the socio-economic impacts
Per statistics by the World Bank, Kenya is set for a relatively short setback from COVID-19 with a s 4 percentage-point dip in growth this year, and 5.2 percent growth returning in 2021. This is still a permanent loss of 5 percent of GDP over
Youth unemployment continues to rise globally and is a significant policy pain point for many Governments. However, in Africa the youth unemployment rate is the lowest in the world compared to other regions, mainly reflecting the fact that unemployment is not a good measure of
On the 25th of November, 2020, a newer version of the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2020 was published by the Government Printers. The object of this Bill according to its promoters, is to amend the Constitution of Kenya 2010 to address issues arising from
Kenya Power has recorded losses in the last financial year and according to KPLC, the losses were due to top clients turning to solar as a source of energy. Clients such as factories, universities and companies who according to Business Daily on Friday 20th of
The Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage in consultations with the Ministry of Health has revised the Resumption of Sports Guidelines as follows: a. All Contact Sports (Low-Risk) may resume their Premier (Tier 1) League and Team Kenya activities. All the other activities related to
The Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development (MoITED) Situation Room has produced these guidelines to offer direction to players in the sector trading with alcoholic beverages on how to minimize the risk of infection with Corona Virus leading to COVID- 19 disease. These guidelines
On 27th November, 2020, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) hosted an online sensitization forum on Digital Service Tax (DST). In his presentation, Mr. Nickson Omondi provided highlights of the policy and legislative changes that have been effected in order to operationalise DST which comes into
In his key note at the opening of the opening of the public Hearings on the FY 2021/22 and the medium-term Budget proposals at the Kenyatta International Convention Center on 25th November 2020, CS Ukur Yatani addressed the public on various elements of financial planning
The BBI Taskforce Report posits that a majority of Kenyans want things done differently. It highlights many factors that impede the implementation of administrative action such as: Negative attitude/ lethargy/ poor behaviour within the public service; Systems that are created to fail; Inadequate funding Lack
The Steering Committee made Policy Reforms proposals to effectively implement the recommendations in the BBI report. The Committee was not able to develop the multiple policies, so they developed a set of doctrines as well as policy intervention guides for each identified priority policy area.
The Building Bridges Steering Committee made recommendations on the implementation of the Report and they drafted several amendment bills. Herein below we provide a brief summary of the laws proposed for amendments and analysis of the same: 1.The Public Finance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020 The Public Finance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020
Introduction The Consolidated Government Investment Report 2019/2020 (“the Report”) is put together in accordance with Section 89 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2012. The Section requires the Cabinet Secretary for Public investments to submit to Parliament, a detailed status of Government Investments for each
The Commissioner General of the Kenya Revenue Authority was nominated as a Member of the Governing Council of the Africa Tax Administration Forum (ATAF). He was voted during the ATAF General Assembly meeting held 4th November, 2020 by 13 member states, accounting for the highest
The 6th Annual Tax Summit that took place on the 4th and 5th of November, 2020, sought to advance conversations based on the four strategic goals that guide its 7th Strategic Plan by driving public and international participation in discussions geared towards providing solutions for enhancing
The head of the Commercial Court Justice Henry Peter Adonyo on Wednesday, 7thOctober 2020 ruled that the credit facilities DTB-Kenya offered to Kiggundu are illegal since it is not licenced by Bank of Uganda “The act of DTB-Kenya in conducting financial business is licenced in Kenya and it therefore illegally offered the facilities in Uganda. Consequently, this application is allowed with costs,” Adonyo ruled
Banking on technological advances in standards
application, KEBS has also committed to supporting
MSMEs to adopt ICT and adapt to the digital
revolution by exploiting tech opportunities such as
cloud computing and data analytics, among others.
The Cabinet ended a two week working vacay on the 28th August and had its first Cabinet Meeting yesterday the 10th of September. The focus areas of the meeting, according to a despatch released soon after, were an economic stimulus as well as seminal programmes and projects under the Big Four agenda.
Kenya Airways(KQ) has suffered a turbulent ride in the recent past with the COVID-19 pandemic only sinking the airline further into distress. As a result of the global pandemic the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has forecasted a 29-billion dollar loss from passenger revenues and somewhere in this statistical figure must lie the approximation of 400 -500 million dollars that KQ likely to lose according to the CEO Allan Kilavuka.
By Stephen Kyande High tax compliance levels are the backbone of enhanced revenue mobilisation and collection in any jurisdiction. As such, tax administrators employ varied strategies in order achieve high compliance levels. One such strategy is provision of tax amnesty windows. Under tax amnesties, taxmen
The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has published a public notice asking all foreign Electronic Certification Providers are required to apply for recognition within 30 days. This follows the enactment and operationalization of the Business Laws (Amendment) Act 2020 early this year. The Act, which
The Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs has developed and published the Digital Economy Strategy for Kenya and is inviting all stakeholders to submit their inputs and comments.
Introduction With the COVID-19 pandemic here to stay, corporations are now forced to operate digitally. Early in the year the Capital Markets Authority released a note stating that publicly listed companies are allowed to hold virtual meetings since they cannot host their statutory meetings in
The Public Service Superannuation Scheme Act, 2012, was assented to on 9th May 2012. The Act established the contributory Public Service Superannuation Scheme (PSSS) to provide retirement benefits to public servants. The law requires that the Cabinet Secretary appoints and gazettes the commencement date of the scheme. Despite numerous challenges that has occasioned the delay, the Cabinet Secretary gazetted the 1st January, 2021 as the commencement date of the Act.
After decades of using the English law of contract, Kenya is at the verge of having its own elaborate Law of Contract Act. The existing Act is arguably the shortest Act with 4 sections. Previous attempts to amend it have not been so successful, most notably the recent proposed amendment in the Law of Contract (Amendment) Bill, 2019 sponsored by Hon. Waititu Francis Munyua. The Bill seeks to amend the Act so that in case of a default by the principal borrower, the creditor would first realise the assets of the principal borrower before proceeding to realise the assets of the guarantor. President Uhuru Kenyatta however, sent back the proposed amendment to Parliament with his reservations and the Bill collapsed.
On 18th June 2020 Kenya won the bid to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council defeating Djibouti by 67 votes. As part of the UNSC, Kenya joins 9 other non-permanent members and 5 permanent members including the United States, United Kingdom of
Last week, the Ministry of Education was put to task by parliament to come up with measures to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 in the education sector. Due to COVID19, His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered the closure of all schools and other learning institutions
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic the Kenyan economy is experience reduced growth. In fact, it is projected that the growth rate initially pegged at 5.6% will be revised downwards to about -1.5% to 3%. The impact of the pandemic is also reflected in
PLEASE DON’T TOUCH! SOCIAL DISTANCING IS OUR SAFEST BET Following the President’s directive of 15th March, 2020 requesting companies to consider a work from home policy, a majority of entities were caught flat-footed with many admittedly not having contingency plans in place in the wake
Following confirmation by the Ministry of Health that a Kenyan has tested positive for Covid-19, the question on everybody’s mind is what next? First, it is important to keep in mind that the Coronavirus is manageable and does not automatically translate to death/ mean a
Whereas what is being witnessed in the financial markets and consumer trends is expected, the crises occasioned by COVID-19 presents a unique opportunity for countries such as Kenya, which have been struggling to revive local industries in manufacturing and textile sectors especially. This can be
The High Court dismissed a case filed by KeniCoin following a press release by the Capital Markets Authority of Kenya (CMA) warning Kenyans against investing in KeniCoin and KeniCoin Exchange. The court ruled that “Pending legislative process on publication of appropriate framework for regulation of
High Court Judge James Makau on 20th February 2020 dismissed a case filed by the Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE) that challenged the constitutionality of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act, saying the petition was unwarranted. He lifted the 26 sections which had earlier been
Introduction: A population estimated at 1.3 billion predominantly made up of young people and with an abundance of natural resources, Africa presents market opportunities, a growing labour force and raw materials for manufacturing. A lot of investments flowing into the continent had been focused in
The Highlights International Visitors Arrivals 2,048,834 Top 20 source markets for 2019 were: USA Uganda Tanzania United Kingdom India Age of visitors to Kenya 33-44 (30%) 25-34 (29%) 45-54 (18%) 18-24 (11%) 55-64 (8%) Purpose of visit Holiday (63%) Business (13%) Visiting family and friends
National Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) Policy 2019 Introduction The National ICT policy was published on the 30th of December, 2019 and it captures the ICT ambitions of Kenyan citizens and corporations. It also creates a framework for their timely realisation. The policy will be
2019 achievements Electricity Sub-Sector The Olkaria 5 Unit I and II with an installed capacity of 158MW The 310MW Lake Turkana Wind Power The 50MW Garissa Solar Plant These three projects have seen the country’s installed capacity increase to 2819MW The Petroleum Sub-Sector Key highlights
The two Houses of Parliament are set for another contest in the courts after the Senate agreed to a motion to institute proceedings to challenge laws senators say were enacted illegally in the last Parliament. Senators on Thursday approved a motion co-sponsored by Majority Leader
CRA argues that the five major cities in Kenya play a significant role in economic development
Three House committees are angry at the Governor for the CBK’s failure to submit crucial but unpopular regulations.
They ideally should have no role in the CDF but MPs get very angry when its disbursement is delayed.
