Author: Martin Mwita

The High Court in Nairobi, Kenya, has ruled in favour of Kenya Revenue Authority(KRA) in a tax related case filed by a Dubai based company.

The company was seeking orders to stop KRA from collecting Ksh2.3 billion(US$238.8 billion) in tax debts from its affiliate company registered and operating in Kenya.

READ ALSO:KRA struggles as stinking rich Kenyans hide trillions abroad

Justice Pauline Nyamweya on September 23, 2019 ruled in favour of KRA and struck out a Judicial Review filed on July 28, 2018 by United Arab Emirates(UAE) registered firm, Suzan General Trading JLT.

Suzan General Trading JLT had sought among others an order to stop KRA from enforcing the warrants and distress notices issued on July 9, 2018 in respect of a tax (customs duty) debt owed by its affiliate company Diplomatic Duty-Free Limited (DDF) amounting to 2, 296,210,133 shillings.

The company had also sought to stop KRA from …

President Uhuru Kenyatta has asked US investors to make Kenya their investment destination of choice in Africa, in the latest of his charm offensives in foreign markts.

The President has said his administration’s Big 4 Agenda, particularly the manufacturing component where the government’s plan is to lift the sector’s contribution to the economy from the current 8.4 per cent of GDP to 15 per cent by 2022, offers limitless investment opportunities for US companies.

READ ALSO:How Kenya plans to accelerate Big 4 Agenda

“The sector (manufacturing) presents major opportunities for local and foreign investors in areas such as agro-processing through value addition in key value chains such as textiles and leather, the maritime sector, construction, iron and steel, oil and gas,” the President said. 

President Kenyatta who spoke at a private sector forum hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce and attended by tens of top executives from leading …

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has challenged fellow world leaders to pursue climate change adaptation and mitigation measures that secure people’s livelihoods and expand economic opportunities.

The President said sustainable climate action is largely about people and their livelihoods adding that no one should be left behind in efforts to combat climate change.

READ ALSO:AfDB pledges USD25 billion to mitigate climate change effects

The President who spoke at the Climate Change Summit held on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly in New York said Kenya is fully committed to the fight against climate change.

READ:Kenya renews Climate Change action plan commitment at COP24 talks

“Our commitment to tackling climate change is deep and arises out of the need to secure our future and that of our children, as we have been victims of droughts and declining rainfall, which have destroyed our lives and livelihoods and …

Kenya is strategically positioning itself as the gateway to the vast African market as it seeks to attract investments into the country.

President Uhuru Kenyatta who has been on a charm offensive in foreign markets has called on Asian economies to use Kenya as a gateway to Africa’s market of over 1.2 billion people that is worth more than US$ 29 trillion.

President Kenyatta said Kenya is the best entry point for Asian businesses that want to trade in Africa with the coming into force of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA).

READ ALSO:Kenya seeks AfCFTA partnership on trade standards

“I invite you to use Kenya as a gateway to the African continent.  It is not only one of the top-ten fastest growing economies in Africa but is also one of the most pro-business Nations on the continent,” the President said when he delivered a keynote address at …

Kenya Airways management has fallen out with its pilots over continued losses at the airline, in the latest of many stand-offs between the two groups.

This is in the wake of a Ksh8.5 billion (US$81.9 million) half year 2019 (January-June) net loss as the carrier remains in the red.

READ:Kenya’s national carrier sinks into Ksh8.6 billion loss

The latest performance is a dip compared to the Ksh4 billion (US$38.6 million) net loss reported in a similar period last year.

This is despite a slight growth in total income during the period which went up to Ksh58.9 billion compared to Ksh52.2 billion same period last year.

Management has blamed the losses to high operating cost occasioned by an expanded network.

During the period, KQ, as it is known by its international code, saw its operating costs edged up to Ksh61.5 billion compared to Ksh53.2 billion last year, which eroded gains …

Kenya has embarked on an aggressive campaign to grow the number of tourists visiting the country with a main focus on the US market.

This comes as the US remains the leading market source for international tourists to Kenya.

Over the weekend, the tourism ministry led by the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) was in the US on a charm offensive mission to try and secure a bigger pie of US-Africa bound tourists.

The country took advantage of the United States (US) Travel Agents Association forum held in Chicago between September 13 and 14, to increase tourist numbers into the country.

The Association for the Promotion of Tourism to Africa (APTA) forum is the world’s largest meeting platform for travel agents. The forum normally attracts more than 200 travel agents who are committed to selling destinations in Africa.

According to KTB, participation in the forum will help position the country as …

Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta and Yoweri Museveni (Uganda) have agreed to promote sustainable peace and development along the two countries’ borders, in a latest pact signed by the two East Africa states.

The programme dubbed Cross-Border Sustainable Peace and Development seeks to end hostilities among the three neighbouring communities and enhance development in the region by promoting non-violent interactions and collaborations.

The three communities are Turkana, Pokot and Karamojong which live along the Kenya-Uganda border.

The UN-supported intervention that will be led by a ministerial committee co-chaired by Kenya and Uganda will be implemented in the region to reduce tensions resulting from access to shared resources such as water and pasture.

Speaking during the launch ceremony in Moroto town, President Kenyatta welcomed the agreement saying it will help spur development in the region which has for many years suffered unnecessary communal conflicts.

“This programme, in cooperation with the UN, is a …

The insurance industry in Kenya has recorded an increase in the premiums underwritten between April and June 2019.

The premiums underwritten during this period amounted to Ksh117.28 billion (US$1.13 billion), a 4.4 per cent increase from Ksh112.39 billion (US$1.08 billion) recorded over the same period in 2018.

READ ALSO:New ecosystem to disrupt Kenya’s insurance sector

The Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) has attributed this development largely to a 2.9 per cent growth recorded by the general business segment and 6.9 per cent by the long term insurance business segment.

“The increase in general business was mainly contributed by medical and motor private insurance classes of business which accounted for 66.8 per cent of the gross premium income,” IRA notes in its latest (Q2) industry report.

READ ALSO:Why Kenya’s insurance sector is “rotten”

During the same period, the claims incurred amounted to Ksh28.84 billion. This was a decrease of 1.3 …

Kensington Distillers & Vintners (KDV) London, a premium drinks business with a growing foot-print in Africa, has made an entry into Kenya as it seeks to tap into the lucrative alcoholic drinks market.

READ ALSO:This is what alcohol manufacturers in Kenya want

The London-based firm has made an entry with a subsidiary  called Monument Distillers Kenya, a move that now brings competition to current market players among them  world’s largest producers of spirits and beers-Diageo.

Following this development, Sazerac, the leading US spirits company, has granted Monument Distillers the distribution rights for its portfolio in Kenya – the most prominent brands of which are Popov Vodka, Southern Comfort, Myers Rum, Paddy’s Irish Whisky, Firewater, and Buffalo Trace Bourbon.

As part of this transition, Monument will be distributing these products through their distribution partner-Maxam Limited, a local liquor distributor in Kenya and East Africa.

The entry of Kensington Distillers into …

Tanzania has opened up its borders for an alcoholic drink from Kenya which had been barred entry since March this year.

This is in the wake of the ongoing Public- Private Dialogue(PPD) with trade facilitation agencies at One-Stop Borders across the East Africa Community, aimed at adressing cross-border barriers.

READ:Kenyans lament trade discrepancies with Tanzania

The initaive is under a TradeMark East Africa(TMEA) and East African Business Council (EABC) programme which scrutinizes if EAC agreements and practices are easing doing business across borders.

The PPDs focus is on the extent to which partner states are translating the EAC Common Market and Customs Union Protocols into policies that support the actualization of free movement of goods and people.

The debut EABC Public-Private Dialogue with Trade Facilitation Agencies at Namanga One-Stop Border Post brought together officials from Ministries of EAC Affairs, immigration, bureaus of standards, plant and animal health, sanitary and …