Author: Nairobi Business Monthly Reporter

BY ANTONY MUTUNGA Last month the government was once again at a crucial point as the 2017/2018 financial year was coming to an end. As always the government through the treasury had to present the budget as they welcomed the 2018/19 financial year that started this month. However, unlike before, this time around the budget came at a time when the government has more than one main objective to achieve. With the government working towards reducing the fiscal deficit so as to reduce the current public debt while also focusing on the sectors in its Big Four development Agenda; universal…

Read More

BY GILBERT NG’ANG’A If you look only at the topline numbers of Kenya’s economic agenda for the new financial year as per the budget read by Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich mid-June, the country looks set for a massive take-off in its growth ambitions. This clearly gives President Uhuru Kenyatta gigantic mileage from a legacy perspective and is good optics for his deputy, William Ruto who is angling to ride on Jubilee’s economic plan to succeed his boss in 2022. But that’s where the relatively positive story ends. When and if the pipeline of projects is successfully rolled out as…

Read More

BY PETER WANYONYI A common theme emerged across the region when E.A Finance Ministers presented their budgets on June 14:not a single country in the Community, like their counterparts elsewhere in Africa, can fund its own budget fully. And there’s a new kid on the block, one that does not insist on intrusive conditions that the Western lenders impose. But the story of Chinese lending to Africa and other poor regions of the world makes for concerning reading. As East Africa’s finance ministers simultaneously presented their countries’ 2018/19 budgets on June 14, a common theme emerged across the region: not…

Read More

BY SHADRACK MUYESU It is trite law that subsidiary legislation is inferior to the mother Act and that where there is a conflict subsidiary legislation should be construed to give effect to the Act or voided to the extent of the inconsistency. By dint of this, advocates are allowed to tout and advertise. In fact, rule 2 of the Advocates (Practice) Rules 1966 has been deemed unconstitutional. Most emphatically, in Okenyo Omwansa George & another v Attorney General & 2 others, the High Court found that a complete ban on advertising by advocates such as that contained in Rule 2 undermined the…

Read More

BY BERNARD MATUMBAI The promulgation of Kenya’s new Constitution in August 2010 epitomised a nation profoundly desirous of a break from tradition; a new beginning in the dispensation of the country’s socio-economic affairs; a renewal of equitable distribution of public resources; a rededication to the redemption of missed opportunities and, more importantly, the definitive path to decentralised governance and service delivery. A culmination of heightened clamour to end years of brazen mismanagement of public affairs, nay, skewed allocation of resources at the national level, Devolution could not have come at a better time. The period preceding, during and after the…

Read More

BY ANTONY MUTUNGA Who is Africa Plantation Capital after nearly three years of operation in East Africa region? Africa Plantation Capital Ltd was incorporated back in October 2015. It is part of the APC Group, a group of associated companies including the award‐winning Asia Plantation Capital, which has widened its global corporate presence to include Africa Plantation Capital (APC) in Kenya with major acquisition of freehold lands for the creation of high value bamboo plantations. APC is set to play a key role in the Groups’ expansion within the East Africa Region. Currently the company is represented by three offices…

Read More

BY JENNIFER WARAWA Traditionally business success could be achieved solely through entrepreneurship, acquisition, and the harnessing of capital to fuel growth. While these strategies can still help keep a company in the black, my personal experiences have taught me that today’s enterprises are more likely to find success in the long-term by establishing partnerships and alliances with complementary innovators and suppliers, rather than attempting to forge ahead alone. As global economies shift, and we face world changing events like Brexit, war on trade, and conflicts that impact resources, companies are expected to do more with less. Rather than reinvent the…

Read More

BY DOMINIC WABALA The announcement by Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i in mid June that contraband sugar seized in various parts of the country contained huge amounts of poisonous heavy metals has elicited debate and caused panic amongst consumers. In the following days, thousands of bags of Brazilian sugar were seized around the country in what appeared to be a synchronized operation by security agents manly in Kitui, Webuye, Kakamega, Homa Bay, Kajiado, Ruiru and Mombasa among other towns. “It is shocking what we are doing to our country. The level of criminality in this syndicate is mind-boggling. This is…

Read More

BY VICTOR ADAR After the historic milestone by Kenya Airways to launch direct flights from Nairobi to the United States, ten American horticulture and flower buyers from Miami for the first time participated in the 7th edition of the International Flower Trade Exhibition (IFTEX) in Nairobi in early June in a drive that’s expected to position the country as the Africa horticulture hub. Although the event also marked the launch of the Fresh Produce Africa, the first horticulture show modelled along the global Fruit Logistica in Germany as the industry works to position Kenya as the continental horticultural hub, how to make flower…

Read More

Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, the regions’ economic powerhouses are enjoying a period of significant economic growth – their Gross Domestic Products are forecast to grow by between 5.2% and 8.5% this year – supported by ongoing reforms and the improvement in commodity prices which has driven up export revenues. Much of the region is reliant on agricultural crops and commodities for export earnings, but continued economic optimism looks assured. The combined effects of further export diversification, improvements in infrastructure, industrialisation, major oil discoveries, and the potential for significant growth in commercial services, look set to turbo-charge their economies. East…

Read More