By Eddah Waithaka and Peace Muthoka
The British High Commission and a delegation of key officials, including Cabinet Secretary of Investments, Trade and Industry, Salim Mvurya and three Principal Secretaries from the Kenyan Government, met to strengthen the enduring partnership between Kenya and the United Kingdom.
The meeting focused on accelerating investment, reviewing joint projects and addressing emerging issues to improve the business landscape between the two nations. Emphasizing the importance of fostering an enabling environment for investment, both parties underscored their commitment to strengthening economic ties for mutual growth and prosperity.
Speaking at a press briefing, CS Mvurya highlighted the pivotal role of the Economic Partnership Agreement signed between the United Kingdom and Kenya in 2018 in facilitating trade between the two countries and that this instrument has been the key in guiding investments between the two countries.
“We want to thank the UK government because we had a small issue with the export of flowers which now the UK government, you know, has reviewed the tariffs. It used to be 10% inspection, now it’s 5% and we have agreed to engage to see how to continuously bring that down. We have a good trade balance,” stated CS Mvurya.
“It is favourable to Kenya right now, the trade balance and one of the things that we are looking at is they already signed the MOU with the British Chamber of Commerce and we have agreed to continuously look at the business reform action plan so that we, you know, continue to open the space for business,” the CS continued.
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Moreover, the former Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs CS went on to add that there are significant investments that are actively progressing, notably within Lamu County, thanks to the collaborative initiatives spearheaded by the UK government.
One noteworthy project in Lamu involves a cashew nut investment that is already underway, poised to make a lasting impact in the region.
Plans are in motion to launch a concerted effort to profile this investment, with a scheduled visit to Lamu on the horizon. Through a strategic partnership, the aim is to promote and cultivate backward linkages in cashew nut processing, creating a robust framework for sustainable economic development within the county and beyond.
“We have another discussion in the Lake Region, you know, there is a project there, the United Green project which we are discussing looking at how we can leverage on technology and our partnership, you know, to do a green project in the Lake Region,” he said.
In line with the progress that has been made, important agreements have been made, including plans to actively address the challenges and barriers to investment in the UK. So the investment PS will be convened so that the ministry can have a matrix of some of the issues.
“These issues will be around taxation, issues around the cost of electricity and many others that have been raised, and then we can have a roadmap to see how this moves forward,” said CS Mvurya.
His Excellency Neil Wigan, the United Kingdom (UK) Commissioner to Kenya, also thanked the government for its support in developing the Industrialization Policy and the Industrialization Bill.
“We want to thank your government also for supporting us in the development of the industrialization policy and industrialization bill which is also going to open up, you know, more areas and inspiring the industrialization sector and the PS industry is already well briefed on this to ensure that now we are able to transform industrialization through the policy and also the bill, ” said Commissioner Wigan.
