Polycarp Igathe pledges support to Nairobi businesses

Azimio la Umoja- One Kenya Nairobi governorship candidate Polycarp Igathe [Denish Ochieng, Standard]

Azimio la Umoja- One Kenya Nairobi governorship candidate Polycarp Igathe has reaffirmed his commitment to transforming the city for essential service delivery.

Addressing members of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) in Nairobi on Thursday, Igathe assured the business community his office will speak truth to power by providing solutions for ease of doing business.

He said that should he win the August polls, his office will introduce incentives to improve business performance.

This, he said, will enhance a conduce business environment, especially for the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to thrive akin to increasing the base of tax collection.

“Nairobi has about over two million discrete properties but only about 120 of them pay rates. This tells you we have a problem with revenue collection in Nairobi and we need to fix it,” he said.

He said under his leadership revenue streams will be standardised to ensure every business pays taxes on their income.

“All businesses will operate on a unified permit. Supermarkets, for instance, will only have one business permit with flexible payment timelines that shall be spread throughout the year,” he said.

Igathe’s meeting with KEPSA comes days after UDA governor aspirant Johnson Sakaja met with the Alliance to popularize his bid for the city’s top job.

Sakaja promised to focus on providing a conducive and friendly environment for the business community by offering solutions for ease of doing business.

He said he will put in place digital services that will reduce human interactions with cash as a way of fighting corruption at City Hall.

“We will support and help the business community by creating a friendly business environment. Service delivery will be stepped down to the boroughs, by providing solutions at that level.”