Editorial Desk 
Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) participated in the Private Sector Roundtable with His Excellency the President of the Republic of Kenya, Dr. William Samoei Ruto.
Themed, Strengthening Government-Private Sector Collaboration for Investment, Trade and Industry-Led Economic Growth, the forum convened the business community for a discussion on the business climate in Kenya.
For the manufacturing sector, the issues highlighted include the unpredictable tax regime due to frequent changes in tax policy; county fees, levies and charges; the high cost of power; high cost of credit and capital; VAT refunds; and securing the bilateral/multilateral trade agreements, particularly Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
Some of the key outcomes from the roundtable geared towards further strengthening of the business environment include:
🎯 Government to finalize all pending business-related legislation in Parliament by December 2025.
🎯 The Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry to anchor the Ministerial Stakeholder Forums with the private sector every quarter to unpack issues raised by the private sector.
🎯 Government to review the net metering threshold of 1% to allow manufacturers to benefit from the same.
🎯 Review taxation of kraft paper and legislate provisions in the National Taxation Policy to ensure stability and predictability.
🎯 To enhance prompt payment of VAT refunds, the government shall consider the possibility of widening the scope of value added tax (VAT) refunds offset against other taxes payable and increase of monthly allocation of VAT refunds from Ksh. 2.5 billion to Ksh. 5 billion.
🎯 Fast-track pending legislation on county fees, levies and charges in Parliament.
🎯 Implement a digital one-stop centre to anchor business climate issues by June 2026.
🎯 Introduce a Business Laws (Amendment) Bill 2025 to fast-track legal issues identified by the business sector that were not addressed in the Finance Act 2025.
KAM was led by the Board Vice Chair Hitesh Mediratta, Chief Executive Tobias Alando, MML, Bsc.,Head of Policy & Regulatory Advocacy Miriam Chepchumba Bomett and Research & Fiscal Policy Manager, Dr. Simon Githuku.
