The government has announced plans to set up cultural centres across the country in an effort to protect and promote the country’s rich and diverse traditions. President William Ruto says that the cultural assets will be instrumental in enhancing cohesion and stimulating economic growth. He said that his administration will soon begin the process of establishing an institutional framework to achieve this dream. The Head of State also noted that focus on culture will propel cultural industries, creative economy and tourism and expand opportunities for the youth. “Our plan identifies the creative economy as well as culture and heritage to…
Author: Silas Apollo
The National Assembly has passed a motion urging the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) board to approve additional funds to the education bursary scheme. According to the Motion moved by Gatanga MP Edward Muriu, the additional allocation is aimed at supporting teaching and learning related activities associated with Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) including school feeding programs. While moving the Motion Muriu said that the education bursary schemes under Section 48 of the NG-CDF Act, 2015 ought to be extended to support learners in primary and Junior Secondary Schools (JSSs) to cater for CBC requirements. He added that failure to…
The challenges that have become the norm with the current tax regime like the unpredictable and frequent changes to the tax law, could soon be a thing of the past if a proposed National Tax Policy 2023 which is currently before Parliament is adopted and passed by the House. This is after the National Assembly’s departmental committee on Finance and National Planning chaired by Molo MP Kimani Kuria commenced public participation on the policy. Among those who appeared before the committee to give views on the new policy are the Institute for Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK) and Audit firm…
King Charles III of England and Queen Camilla are expected to begin their official State Visit to Kenya towards the end of this month. The King and the Queen will be in the country from Tuesday, October 31st, to Friday, November 3rd, 2023. A statement released by the United Kingdom High Commission in Kenya on Wednesday said that the two will be in the country to celebrate the warm relationship between Kenya and the UK and the strong and dynamic partnership the two countries continue to forge. The visit, the statement added, is at the invitation of President Ruto and…
While on a tour to Nyanza, Ruto launched various projects, including those touching on infrastructure, agriculture, trade, and marine transport. The recently concluded four-day tour of the Nyanza region by President William Ruto brought with it a bag of goodies for the residents, a move that the government says is set to transform a region mainly considered an opposition stronghold. While on a tour to Nyanza, Ruto launched various projects, including those touching on infrastructure, agriculture, trade, and marine transport. The unveiling of the projects by the President presents a new frontier for development in the area with a promise…
The planned sale of the ailing sugar companies in the country to private investors has been put on hold after the government said it would lease out the firms to investors instead. President William Ruto, in a statement released after the just concluded four-day tour of the Nyanza region, said that the decision aimed to protect the factories and safeguard the interest of farmers. Ruto said those interested in running and reviving the companies would only be allowed to do so through a lease programme. The Head of State observed that privatisation is not a viable option, as it would…
By Silas Apollo Exports of solar modules to Africa have been on a constant rise over the last year or so, with the latest report from Ember, an energy think tank, showing that China’s solar exports surged by a third to 114 GW in the first half of the year. Notably, exports to Africa experienced the most significant growth, an astonishing 187% increase, signaling a growing appetite by countries in the continent for solar power. Having suffered persistent blackouts in recent times, many African countries, Kenya included, have been ramping up their uptake of alternative power sources, with solar energy…
The journey towards the privatization of loss-making and non-strategic government entities has begun in earnest after President William Ruto officially signed the Privatisation Bill, 2023 into law. The Head of State on Monday assented to the Bill, paving way for the offloading of parastatals and various government institutions deemed to be loss-making entities. The new law repeals the Privatisation Act, 2005 which was enacted before the current Constitution. It seeks to remove the bureaucracy in the privatisation of non-strategic or loss-making government entities. Ruto signed the Bill into law in a ceremony which took place at State House, Kisumu and…
A new report on the performance of members of Parliament has listed Dagoretti North MP Beatrice Elachi, her Seme counterpart James Nyikal and Makali Mulu of Kitui Central as some of the most active and vocal MPs in Parliament this year. The report by Mzalendo, a Parliamentary monitoring organization, shows that the three MPs, alongside Ken Chonga of Kilifi MP and Geoffrey Kiringa Ruku of Mbeere North were the most active legislators, contributing to various debates and sessions on the floor of the House. The five legislators also contributed to a number of motions, Bills and statements touching on a…
The National Assembly’s departmental committee on Finance and National Planning has begun the process of collecting views from the public and experts over the proposed National Tax Policy. The proposed policy is set to provide guidelines to the country’s tax and tax administration reforms in the medium term. It also geared towards articulating broad guidelines for governing tax administration and the tax system in Kenya The implementation of the interventions caused by the policy is also expected to increase the tax to Gross Domestic Product ratio to the desired East African Community (EAC) target of 25%, thereby raising sufficient resources…
