PARLIAMENTARY ROUND-UP

The National Assembly The National Assembly is on recess until 5th June 2023. The Senate The Senate is on recess until 5th June 2023.

KEEPING YOUR FINGER ON THE PULSE

Speaking in a Cabinet meeting held at State House Tuesday, President William Ruto read the riot act to Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries saying that wastage and corruption will not be condoned in his administration. This comes hot on the heels of the sacking of

Analysing the government’s justification behind the Finance Bill

The Finance Bill 2023 proposes a raft of tax measures, some of which appear to have explored some uncharted territory. This is the first Bill under the new regime and it is grappling with several challenges. A good number of the proposals are aimed at

Analyzing the Pros and Cons of Exchange Rate Fluctuation

In a recent visit to Kenya, IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva held discussions with President Ruto and members of the Cabinet on possible policy recommendations concerning Kenya’s recovery from the exogenous economic shocks the country is experiencing. In a bid to address economic growth and

Financing higher education: Why the new funding model might be the answer to solving financial crises in public universities

The demand for higher education in Kenya has increased despite inadequate funding from various stakeholders. This has led to the cost-sharing policy where the government and parents or stakeholders/donors (households) share the costs of higher education. The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) provides students with

Parliamentary Round Up

Parliamentary Round-Up   Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Senate Motions Adoption of The Report of The Select Committee On Delegated Legislation on its Consideration of The Statutory Instruments (Exemption From Expiry) Regulations, 2022 The Doping Menace Threatening Kenya’s Impeccable Global Reputation in Athletics Adoption of The Report

COUNTY ROUNDUP

Kwale  The National Land Commission on behalf of the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation gives notice that the National Government intends to delete, correct and add the listed parcels of land required for the construction of the Mwache Multipurpose Dam Project. The National Land

KENYA GAZETTE REVIEW

Legislative Supplements The Public Order (Turkana, Elgeyo Marakwet, Baringo, West Pokot, Samburu and Laikipia Counties) Curfew Extension Order, No. 4 of 2023. The Public Order Declaration of Disturbed and Dangerous Areas (Turkana, Elgeyo Marakwet, Baringo, West Pokot, Samburu and Laikipia Counties) Extension Order, No. 4

POLITICAL AND REGULATORY ROUNDUP

Kenya UN boss Antonio Guterres visits Kenya, to meet Ruto United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is in Kenya for a two-day official visit. During his visit, the UN chief is expected to hold talks with President William Ruto. The visit comes weeks after a

Kenya should take action to control declining agricultural production and curb food imports

Kenya recorded a decline in the growth of the agricultural sector last year, on account of unfavourable weather conditions that led to a reduction in both crops and livestock performance. The production of maize in 2022 was 3,204,000 tonnes, which is a drop, compared to

Despatch from the Cabinet: Highlights from the March 20 communique

The country’s national policy organ, the Cabinet, reconvened on 20th March 2023 under the leadership of President William Ruto. In the meeting, the Cabinet considered a number of bills and policy documents that aim to enhance economic productivity through agriculture, investments, trade, and industry. Key

Search for new brooms at IEBC sets the ball rolling for 2027 General Election

It does not go wrong, it starts wrong. The 2027 General Election is being won or lost, stolen or being free and fair in 2023. As Kenyans are battling the incessant heat, biting drought, rising inflation, a dollar shortage, and a squeeze on their incomes

3rd February 2023 County Round Up

  TRANZOIA The Governor has extended the term for the taskforce appointed vide Gazette Notice No. 12643 of 2022, for a further period of thirty (30) days. Further, he appointed several persons to be Committee Members of the Taskforce Inquiring into Issues Pertaining to Public

3rd February 2023 Political and Regulatory Round Up

Kenya This is not politics, IG Koome says on scaling down of Uhuru’s security The Inspector-General of Police Japhet Koome on Friday confirmed the scaling down of retired President Uhuru Kenyatta’s security detail adding that officers of senior rank have been recalled. Mr Koome, who

Electoral reform agenda gets back on the table

Opposition boss Raila Odinga this week began piling the pressure on President William Ruto that he hopes will culminate in a discussion at the negotiating table. His plan, according to a media report, is to rally his supporters into mass action and civil disobedience. Mr

Significant Political Events of the week

The former CS for Education, Prof. George Magoha, passed away after a short illness at the age of 71. The Cabinet approved the proposal to implement new taxes on products that are imported into the country yet similar goods are being manufactured locally. Former IEBC

To fight alcoholism, govt must not ignore the economy and illicit drinks

President William Ruto recently made a pronouncement that it was high time the country fought against alcoholism. The President’s statement was as a result of the increased rate of alcohol and drug abuse in Central Kenya which has been attributed to unregulated alcohol selling joints. 

New leadership team at Kenya Revenue Authority KRA Board of Directors

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

Transition to Junior Secondary School: Learning expected to start end of January

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

Office of the Attorney-General in Kenya: Functions, powers and duties

The Office of the Attorney-General in Kenya dates back to 1906. Over the years, with successive governments, the powers changed and evolved until the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 which cemented the roles and functions of the Attorney-General. According to Article 156 of

Ruto administration to merge higher education funding and placement to enhance efficiency amidst row over bursaries in counties

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

Gachagua and Mudavadi: Duties, overlapping roles and likely outcomes

The Office of the President recently issued the first Executive Order of the year 2023. The Executive Order entails organisation of the Kenyan Government. The Executive Order comes after President William Ruto introduced the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary following his successful win in

Tricky role for Gachagua in new order

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua was this week handed the responsibility of handling relations between the county and national governments, putting him in charge of a tricky but important role. The Deputy President is by default the head of the Inter-Governmental Budget and Economic Council (IBEC),

Raila’s call for protest rallies stirs Ruto government

Azimio calls for a ‘People’s Dialogue Forum’ as a way of putting the nascent Wiliam Ruto administration in check has raised political temperatures in the country months after the August 2022 General Election. The opposition outfit led by Raila Odinga which lost in the bitterly

25th November 2022 Political and Regulatory Round Up

KENYA MPs back push for private land holding caps Parliament has approved a fresh attempt to have the government cap the size of land an individual can hold. MPs have backed a proposal that seeks to compel the Ministry of Lands to make rules and

Explainer: The new offices created by President Ruto and what they mean for private businesses

Injecting professionalism in public service at the Presidency While recently announcing his Cabinet nominees, President William Ruto adjusted his government’s structure, including creating six advisory offices. The six nonpolitical offices functionally domiciled in the President’s office have been tasked to provide independent advisory services to

14th October 2022 Keeping Your Finger on the Pulse

The significant Political Events of the week On Tuesday, October 11, Members of the National Assembly approved nine members to sit in the House Business Committee. On Wednesday, October 12, 1.      The Director of Public Prosecutions withdrew the Sh19 million graft charges against

President Ruto’s slow steps in forming his government’s structure amid queries on rewarding loyalists

There has been a delay in coming up with President Ruto’s government structure which has led to delayed service delivery. The President named his Cabinet’s nominees awaiting vetting by the National Assembly which has already formed the House Business Committee and the Committee on Appointment

WHO and ILO call for new measures to tackle mental health issues at work

Joint News Release New global WHO guidelines on mental health at work are reinforced by practical strategies outlined in a joint WHO/ILO policy brief. WHO and the International Labour Organization (ILO) have called for concrete actions to address mental health concerns in the working population.

What next after Ruto reverts operations to Mombasa Port from SGR and Naivasha dry port?

Traders and transporters who were disadvantaged by the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR)  and Naivasha dry port, can now smile after President William Ruto reverted most operations to the Mombasa Port. President Kenyatta had ordered that most cargo landing in Mombasa be ferried to Naivasha for

An explainer: The Shamba System

There has been much debate about the Shamba System over the past few days following remarks made by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua regarding reintroducing the controversial system. What is a Shamba System? The word shamba in Kiswahili means a farm. As the name suggests, under

As he hits the ground running, President Ruto treads a fine line

President William Ruto has hit the ground running at a fast pace that has left many impressed at his energy and commitment to execute his manifesto. In the past week, President Ruto has signaled a different approach to life at State House by inviting clergymen

 Assessing progress: A Look at Kenya’s National Monitoring and Evaluation Policy

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) is critical for the achievement of the country’s development goals. It provides information on implementation progress of a programme/project and the extent to which an intervention is realising its intended results. M&E thus provides important information in a continuous learning process

Inflation Adjustment explainer

What is Adjustment for Inflation? The Excise Duty Act and Miscellaneous Fees and Levies Act provides for the Commissioner-General of the Kenya Revenue Authority, by Gazette Notice, to adjust the specific rate of excise duty every two years to take into account inflation. Recently, the

Cost of farm inputs: Looking for a sustainable approach beyond subsiding fertiliser

President Ruto in his maiden speech during his inauguration promised to lower the price of fertiliser from the current KSh 6,500 to KSh 3,500 for a 50kg bag. A week later, the government set aside KSh 3.5 billion to subsidise 71,000 tons of fertiliser to

The push to raise cash transaction limit while guarding against money laundering

During President Ruto’s inauguration speech on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, he noted that his campaign team had received complaints from traders about the onerous burden involved in cash transactions exceeding KSh 1 million. He further asserted that many of them have reverted to storing money

Next upcoming significant event

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

Media relationship with the State worth watching in the new administration

The decision by the new administration to deny the media the rights to livestream the inauguration of President William Ruto has marked the start of a rocky relationship with the Fourth Estate. Last weekend, the media was up in arms over the directive that they

Transitioning the Kenya Kwanza Manifesto to Policy Instruments

The Kenya Kwanza coalition will need to develop close to 200 policy instruments to implement its manifesto if it manages to take over the Government.  An analysis of its key interventions by Vellum indicates that the coalition would need to implement 195 policy instruments to

Digital transformation: Overview of a study on Kenya’s digital readiness

Kenya ranked 116th out of 193 countries in the UN E-Government Development Index 2020 and has been on a steady journey towards embodying full digital transformation.  In light of the advancements made by the Kenyan government, GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), Estonian Centre for

The die is cast for over 20 state officers after resigning to join 2022 poll contest

The biggest surprise in the Cabinet resignations earlier in the week is perhaps the low number of Cabinet Secretaries that resigned. It had earlier been rumoured that more than half of Cabinet Secretaries would resign with a majority being allied to DP William Ruto’s United

As he demands a solid deal, Kalonzo could hold the cards

Former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka was earlier this week given the greenlight by his Wiper party to negotiate pre-election deals.  Not that he needed permission, as he has nevertheless been approached and is still in the One Kenya Alliance (OKA), but he has over time

Extrajudicial killings put a spotlight on the government

While The Standard had published a story about it before, the visit by activists Boniface Mwangi and Hussein Khalid to the banks of River Yala have once again thrown the spotlight on suspected extrajudicial killings in Kenya. The activists reported that since July 2021, a

With tough choices made and explained, the President maintains focus

In the week he fired a broadside at the Judiciary, President Uhuru Kenyatta also dared the same arm of Government to what will be a long debate by appointing a section of the 41 judges he had refused to do.  He left out six of

After the latest death, reflection

The death of Dr Stephen Mogusu from Covid-19 complications once more exposed massive gaps in the way the Government treats its essential workers.  Red tape could have been blamed for the fact that he had remained unpaid for five months – some civil servants wait

Government’s resolve to end graft

The graft war in Kenya, a legacy carried by President Uhuru Kenyatta to date, is perhaps a war that needs public support as the government reigns in on corrupt individuals and corporates.
Political analysts and the general public have been skeptical on the government’s stand on corruption. While some have termed it ‘political theatrics’, others have their eyes fixed on whether the end will lead to convictions. The government however, has its eyes fixed on recovery of all assets from graft cases.

Launch of the Public Service Superannuation Scheme Fund

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.