DP Ruto calls for review of policies that hinder trade

Deputy President William Ruto has directed the Ministry of Industrialisation to identify and review policies that curtail growth of businesses.

"If any of our policies or programmes are not good enough, sit down with Industrialisation CS Adan Mohamed. Have a discussion with him. Policy is not cast in stone," Mr Ruto said.

Deputy President William Ruto

Ruto was responding to Kiprono Kittony's request that the Government enable the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) to issue certificates of origin, avail funds for export promotion and deepen the partnership between Government and the private sector.

Mr Kittony, the KNCCI national chairman, said some of the bottlenecks that impede business such as infrastructure, energy and a legal framework have been improved. "Aside from bringing down the cost of energy, we are working on our roads, security and energy.

Adan (CS Industrialisation) and his team are working with all industry players looking at the areas where business have bottlenecks," Ruto said on Wednesday during the launch of a five-year strategic plan for KNCCI.

He said in 2013, the cost of electricity was Sh19 per kilowatt, but today it is Sh13.7, a reduction of 25 per cent. "As we are keeping the part of bargain we had then, we expect you to keep yours. You promised us that if we brought down the cost of energy, you would create jobs," he asserted.

He said the new legal regime that had been created would help grow investment and create new jobs as the economy is expected to grow by 6 per cent next year.

"With the passage of three important bills, a new Company, Insolvency and Registration Services law, that gives the private sector the opportunity to do business in an environment that is much more friendly and that facilitates business."

He praised the KNCCI for working hard in three years to revive its role in the business sector advising it to shun politics and internal wrangles.

"In a very short time you have managed to bring back what the chamber was supposed to be and was not. I still want to persuade the chairman and the leadership of the chamber of commerce that this organisation must be more about commerce and industry and less about politics."

Three Requests

Mr Kittony had earlier requested that the Government facilitate trade export promotion for SMEs and other small players. "We wish to make three requests to the Government as we launch our plan.

"We are in the process of working with various ministries to have an export promotion fund that enables even the SMEs to participate in trade missions, it is not just the preserve of big businesses that reside in Nairobi," said Kittony who was accompanied by National Vice Chairman Laban Onditi and the CEO Matanda Wabuyele.

Kittony also called for the deepening and broadening of co-operation between the private sector and government in its current format. "We would like to bring more stakeholders to the table to consult Government on the way forward so that we can develop a new economic blueprint that can bring even small players to the table to discuss with Government."

He also wants the chambers to be able to issue certificates of origin. "It is the role of the chambers globally through the WTO protocol that we issue certificates of origin.

"We appreciate that the Government has allowed us to issue ordinary certificates of origin, but we would like this to include the Euro One and EAC certificates of origin. That way we will make ourselves viable and be able to serve the 47 constituent counties/chapters that we have around the country."